Elise Hawthorne
Margarita Georgiadis is a mesmerising, multi talented Australian artist. In my mind her work perfectly captures the human spirit, whether it be love, sadness or suffering and I became fascinated by how she begins a series of paintings, how she decides on the subject matter.
Margarita’s new body of work is generally based on an idea, image, poem, literature, music or word that attracts her immediate attention. It can be inspired by a dream or a concept.
Margarita says, “The inspiration is usually very strong so I follow it like a thread. I spend quite a considerable amount of time, sometimes months, researching this thread to see where it may lead. The initial stages of work have nothing to do with painting, but everything to do with exploring images and ideas and dreaming of paintings. I also begin to write at this stage, jotting down ideas, excerpts from books, quotes and key words. Once I have collected an abundance of material and images in my head of how to proceed, painting begins”.
Risking Enchantment – 60 x 60cm oil on linen 2009
Many say the artist within stems from ones childhood. Margarita was most certainly interested in art from a very early age, “I saw my first painting in a book at home when I was about 5 years old. It was Goya’s Saturn Devouring His Son; I would look at this book for hours.” She was very fortunate to have grown up in a family where books and music were in abundance.
Her father was a great storyteller, who had a brilliant way of painting images with words, “His stories fuelled my imagination, the books we had in the house cemented the idea in my mind that literature and art were inseparable. Along with music being played in our house constantly, my childhood experiences are inextricably linked to the artist I am today and to my particular method of working. I cannot work without music and it plays a very important role of inspiration and the physicality of working. I must be inspired by literature and I spend my time trying to collate all of these influences in the creation of a painting and a body of work.”
When looking at her extensive portfolio her choice of colour is interesting; white, black, red, browns, greys, so I put the question to Margarita, why not pink, orange, purple or green?
“I made a choice about 10 years ago to abandon primary colours from my palette. I think that perhaps because my work deals with as you say, the varying condition of the human spirit, a subdued, earthy palette seems more appropriate. Perhaps I feel that earth tones are somehow closer to truth, or are indicative of the stripping down of external stimuli and influence. I am interested in painting the fleeting moments between moments. I endeavour to paint the presence of absence, that which is buried within the fabric of human experience, but which is not immediately visible; I am interested in trying to find poignant, often silent emotions and concepts. I equate primary colours to the external world and therefore tend not to use them as I am interested in painting the internal world of emotion”.
Margarita’s favourite medium is oil on canvas, yet she also enjoys making lino and woodcuts, printmaking and works on paper. She is busy creating work for an online exhibition, which she will also exhibit at The Picture House Gallery, a unique space she shares with her husband fellow artist and actor Max Cullen.
Margarita and Max live in and own the old Coronation Theatre in Gunning, New South Wales. The theatre was built in 1937 and has a lovely old foyer that they have opened as a performing arts bookshop, utilising the projection room upstairs also for books and film memorabilia. Directly behind the foyer, they have transformed part of the theatre into an art gallery. They hold art exhibitions throughout the year and particularly enjoy presenting a show and a show. This means, they have an exhibition opening, followed by a performance in the main theatre, which boasts a lovely old raked stage.
The performances can range from live music, poetry or script readings to book launches, artists talks, dance and drama. Most of the time, they use the theatre as studio space and live “backstage”.
Margarita and Max’s main aim is to, “Bring quality art and performance to our and the surrounding communities. We also hope that our shows entice city dwellers to experience the quality of our exhibitions and performances in our lovely country town setting”.
In between painting, running their shop and putting on shows and performances Margarita is currently directing a play Max has written and will perform. The play is based on an imagined dialogue between Henry Lawson and Banjo Patterson. It’s a two hander and it will premier in Gunning on 5 April at St. Edmunds Anglican Church. Margarita hints that, “The venue is quite relevant to the play… but that’s all I’m going to say about it, other than, it will be a show not to be missed! We plan on touring this show across the country.”
I for one can’t wait to see what Margarita has next in store for the senses; I wish I had half her talent.
Get Social