Inspired by the Australian landscape, David Hume is driven by his affinity for it and by its energy. He captures the life and power of place with brilliant colours, portraying the richness of the land by "pulling the ground up into the picture".
Hume paints on galvanised steel; the shiny surface of this material attracts light and reflects it back through the paint, producing an overall vibrancy reminiscent of hovering mirages. The aerial vistas invite us as viewers to fly over the landscape and to explore its vastness. The texture on the surface of the paintings draws our eye in, to the many layers in each picture. As we view these paintings from a distance the colours blend the undulations of the terrain. As we come closer, the paint- separate fine dots – perform a mesmerizing colour dance. Our eyes subtly pulsate with the contrasts of complementary colours – green and red; turquoise and pink.
Galvanised steel – the building icon of the Australian outback– is a pertinent choice of material. The flat steel is covered with surface crystals from the galvanising process, creating a multi dimensional effect, over which the droplets of paint seem to have momentarily assembled in space. The density of the paint gives varying effects, from tranquil shimmers to bubbling energy. Alive like the shifting sands of the land, reclaiming the material from which most of the outback was built.
February 2000