The Lineage of Eccentricity I

Just as 18th century writers grouped together a variety of previously unconnected landscapes to enable a definition of ‘The Sublime’, so too parts of the Australian landscape require an alternative to the Western pictorial tradition so as to contextualise us within another lineage, that of an often dark, yet playful and unorthodox beauty: ‘The Lineage of Eccentricity’. Megan Walch’s exhibition The Lineage of Eccentricity I explores these unconventional notions of beauty in painting emphasizing the grotesque, the use of humour in imagery, and a love of nature. The Lineage of Eccentricity I will be showing at Nellie Castan Gallery from 24th March until 9th April, 2011. The work ranges from miniature elliptical pieces, to large works in enamel, oil paint and glitter of nearly 3 metres in height, to a wall painting within the gallery that completes the installation. This will be Megan Walch’s fifth solo exhibition at Nellie Castan Gallery. Having graduated from the Tasmanian School of Art in 1989, Megan Walch was awarded a Samstag scholarship to complete a Masters in Fine Arts from San Francisco Art Institute, USA, and secured a scholarship at the prestigious Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture in Maine. Walch has also undertaken residencies in Asia through Asialink and the Australia Council. Walch’s work is represented in several public collections throughout Australia, including The Australian National University Collection and the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery as well as the Novell Corporation Collection (Utah, USA) and the General Electric Co. (NY, USA). Walch was recently featured in ‘Wilderness’, a curated exhibition at the Art Gallery of New South Wales in March - May 2010.