Andy Baines Exhibition: Adelaide Coast region of South Australia
For most who live on this great island continent the beach is an important part of life. Come summer, like the tide we're drawn en masse to that strip of sand that hugs the coast. In Adelaide we're blessed with miles and miles of sandy beaches and those wonderful reminders of earlier times - the local jetties.
“Interstate everybody talks about South Australia because of the jetties. It's not like the Gold Coast. It's not over commercialised, it's just got a bit of guts. It's rough and ready and it's South Australian.”
Most mornings you're likely to catch Adelaide artist Andy Baines near the Henley or Grange jetties either sketching characters for one of his future works or playing the photojournalist as he records the life and times of those who live here.
His eye is forever focussed on the characters like old Ray a beach veteran.
“No matter the weather, Ray's always out there. Up to a year ago he was doing fifty pushups and now can barely walk. But he just keeps going. Everybody's got a fantastic story especially old people. They're just full of them. You can see a person just walking down the street and they just look like nothing. They just look like old fellas. But you talk to them, no matter how down and out or how rich they are everyone's got interesting things that you can sort of draw from.
It applies to everybody. You know you see little old ladies walking along doing love hearts in the sand because their husband might have passed away twenty years ago. It's something interesting you can draw on. You just can't overlook anybody. You have to go and have a chat and see what their life was about.”
And that's really what Andy Baines' work is about. Iconic lives captured on canvas. Down at the beach, soaking up the sun or maybe way up north in the Kimberley with striking images and characters - some drawn from the hidden recesses of the mind.
“I've got that dream part to my subconscious and my mind and it just comes out.”
“So your mind’s often wandering off into others things while you're painting?”
“It's a big problem really because people will be talking to me and I'll be thinking about what a good painting they would make or something behind them. Or you know I'm listening but I'm living in my own sort of world and it comes out in the paintings.”
And with Andy's vivid imagination the artist can walk people through beach settings even if they can't.
“This painting is about my Grandmother who we brought out from England about ten years ago. She's 86 years old. She never gets out much. She just stays in her little unit. So what I do is put her in different situations in my paintings. I put her on the beach and I put her on the jetty and it gets her out and about gets her to see a few things. She really loves it.”
This painting game's been a bit of a lark for Andy since he took the plunge four years ago and swapped the commercial artist and signwriters' tools for brush and canvas and the solitude of his backyard studio. Now his works are selling well in North America - from Montreal to Miami where it seems they also love the beach.
“What I try to do is capture moments. Moments in life.”
And when he's done that you may find Andy enjoying a coffee at Henley on Sea on the foreshore just around the corner from Henley Square where his work is on show. Then again you can always catch his work at the Greenhill Galleries in North Adelaide from Jan 26 to Feb 19, 2003. It's at 140 Barton Tce West. If you have any further questions please email info@postcards.sa.com.au
