Drawing on the history of symbolism, Greathead’s latest paintings continue to blur the line between figuration and abstraction. Sifting through emotions and experiences, Greathead orders and makes sense of her world through colour, line and composition. The resulting paintings explore quirky tonal terrain, Meridian green and Phthalo blue bounce against zesty golden shades, in contrast to areas where the mark marking is intentionally ambiguous and murky. Many of these works were painted plein air, blending the day-lit landscape with Greathead’s subconscious feelings and ultimately arriving at a place of deeper contemplation.
“Symbols feature heavily in my latest works. Painting symbols and the process helps me understand more about felt senses via reflection. Swords represent feelings of power, but the sword also feels heavy, like a big responsibility. Canopies and roots of overlapping leaves feel comforting and warm, strong, and safe – I feel held by these paintings yet they could also be perceived as ominous, dark tangled webs that pull you under. These dualities of meanings have always been a feature of my work and how I view the world through painting.”
– Claudia Greathead, 2023
Born in Brisbane in 1993 and now based in Melbourne, Claudia Greathead is a graduate of Queensland College of Art and recently completed a Masters of Art Therapy at La Trobe University, Melbourne.Greathead is a former finalist of the Brett Whiteley Travelling Art Scholarship (2019), the Doug Moran National Portrait Prize (2016) and the Churchie National Emerging Art Prize (2015, 2014). Her works are included in public collections including Artbank, the Macquarie Group Collection and important private collections in Australia and abroad.
