What do you enjoy most about the Northern Beaches?
The natural beauty of bush and beach; the harbour and the ocean, where my friends meet.
What inspired your cover?
It’s a view of Manly Harbour from the Fairlight harbour walk. The cover is one part of a wide angled view triptych which sweeps around to capture South Head and Dobroyd Head in the foreground. It is such an inspiring sandstone landform meeting the harbour and ocean beyond. It’s awesome to think this seascape has not changed for millennia.
What inspires your work in general?
I love landscape or seascape scenes where I can capture the mix of power and calmness. Every moment the sky changes, the shadows move, the colours change. I love to simply capture the essence of a place. In many ways I try to distil a complex scene to find the heart and to tell the story of a moment.
How would you describe your art?
My work is watercolour landscape impressionist. Sometimes restrained, other times bold. Because my medium is watercolour, the work is spontaneous and not overworked. It is an artform which is a long time rehearsed but in production it is very instantaneous.
What is your favourite part of the process?
Observation. Creating art trains you to look very carefully at things, to see the ever-changing environmental conditions and the little details and to be attuned to levels of importance. That engagement helps me be more conscious of life around me.
Which artists or other inspiring people, dead or alive, would you most like to have dinner with and why?
Arthur Streeton, one of our first impressionist artists. Charles Renne Macintosh, an art nouveau architect who could design everything from a building down to the cutlery. Albert Namatjira, an Aboriginal man who worked in watercolour to express the feel of central Australia. And Martin Luther King.
How did you discover you had a gift for art?
I loved simple drawing at primary school. I particularly loved doing cartoons of people. I find the simplicity of a line drawing is intriguing. Through a few strokes the essence of character can be communicated so effortlessly. Have you ever seen Pablo Picasso’s drawing of a dachshund? Beauty in simplicity.
Did you study art?
My art study was through architecture school. I studied still life, and life drawing along with technical drawing. It brought me a career but importantly a love for the creative process and delivering joy through a design.
What are you currently working on?
People. I am working on a series of works simply portraying how people engage with each other at the beach: the catch up, the snooze, the family time, the runners, the kids, the bump into, the wave watch, the list is endless.
How can people buy and support your artwork?
I currently have a number of works at Northern Beaches Art Gallery and am very happy to take on commissions if anyone has a favourite beach or landscape.
What advice do you have for young or aspiring artists?
Practice hard, learn from studying masters, get out and observe and engage the world around you.
Northern Beaches Gallery is hosting “Andrew Duffin Watercolours for You” at the Cromer gallery on Saturday 20 July, midday to 5pm. Bring a photo of your favourite beach or landscape and Andrew will paint it for you there and then.
More details at andrewduffin.com.au and follow on Instagram @andrew.duffin.art
More from our local artists
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