Living the Dream with Madge Bright and Michael Krehl
Experience Living the Dream, an exhibition of realist and abstract works from local artists Madge Bright and Michael Krehl.
Enveloped in the forests of Eumundi at the end of Babbling Brook cul-de-sac, a small gallery houses a collection of lush, dramatic blooms. From blushing brides to passionate lilies to voluptuous magnolias, these painted flowers stretch across canvases and bare their intimate details.
After decades of life-changing experiences – and artistic subjects to match – local artist Madge Bright found her inspiration for bold botanical art once she embraced the boldness within.
Growing up in Rhodesia, now modern-day Zimbabwe, Madge once expressed her art through a muted colour palette. Around her, the Rhodesian Bush War wrought suffering in the struggle for Zimbabwean independence. When she decided to leave her country, her art began to transform.
Madge has lived and painted on three continents, her work a continually evolving expression of herself and her surroundings.
In London, she exhibited with the Royal Institute of Oil Painters, Britain’s Painters, the Society of Botanical Artists and more.
When she moved to Australia, she developed a newfound freedom in her artistic expression. Encouraged by spirited friends in her life and a personal discovery of spirituality, Madge immersed herself in botanicals.
Her latest and ambitious work about beautiful large-scale flowers draws us in to their luscious and seductive nature and gives us a taste of the all-consuming creative experience with which Madge brings them to life.
“Size matters, as this enables your viewpoint,” she says – and it’s the scale of her acrylic-on-canvas paintings that lets the viewer truly absorb their presence and their impact on their immediate environment.
In her upcoming exhibition, Living the Dream, Madge shares her showcase with Michael Krehl, a good friend and professional artist, director and owner of SMP Noosa.
For over 25 years, Michael has specialised in Film and Television Hair Styling, Makeup, Prosthetics and Tattoo Design. Throughout his career, he worked on over 20 feature films, including Avatar, Mulan, Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, The Last Samurai, The Hobbit films, The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian and more, as well as numerous hit TV series.
Now Michael is flexing his artistic abilities in a more traditional form. His abstract and impressionist acrylic-on-canvas works are fierce and dynamic, conveying physicality in their texture and process of creation.
Together, Madge and Michael reflect the deeper parts of themselves through their profound observations of the world around them.
Saturday & Sunday, 19 – 20 November, 10am – 4pm
Woods Gallery, 16 Babbling Brook Place, Rafter Country Estate, Eumundi
Celebrate the exhibition on Sunday 2pm! Park near the gallery sign in the driveway. A golf buggy will be available to take you up and down the hill.
