THE FRENCH CONNECTION
Janet Clayton Gallery
13th August to 6th September 2014
2 Danks Street Waterloo.

The picturesque countryside of mainland Europe has held a magnetic attraction for artists for centuries. Not just for its physical beauty, but also to evoke the arcadian dream of civilized rural life.

The Antipodeans, on the wild side of the world, feel this pull.

And so it was that renowned Sydney-based New Zealand painter Euan McLeod and his close friend, printmaker and draughtsman, Ron McBurnie, went to France. They made friends with an eccentric English art patron, taking up residency in his time-worn villa in Alayrac in 2009 and 2011. Painting and drawing both in the studio and en plein air, these two masters of their trade brought fresh eyes to a richly cultivated and cultured rural landscape.

French Connection is the result of their love affair with Alayrac. Euan, famous for his brooding portrayal of Southern landscapes, intruded by large shadowy figures, is lulled, at least for a moment, by the soft and seductive beauty of his idyllic surrounds. Ron, already deeply influenced by the 19th English tradition of landscape drawing, finds fertile ground for the romantic sweep of the pen and delicate touch of the watercolour brush. Each watch each other, and the countryside. Occasionally they cross into the other’s world. Alayrac weaves its magic.

This exquisite exhibition of paintings and drawings opens on Wednesday 13 August and runs until Saturday 6 September. Join us for a celebration with Ron McBurnie and Euan McLeod on Saturday 23 August at 3pm.

Pictured below: MOUZIEU-PANAS 1 23/9/09 acrlic on paper 38 x 58cm