Katherine Edney

artists/katherine-edney

Katherine Edney

Self Portrait (Time & Time Again) 3
2008/2009 oil on board 24×45cm

Within painting, there are numerous possibilities for the ways in which a narrative can be compositionally presented in order to communicate a particular emotion or story. Traditional devices including gesture, facial expression, interaction of figures and symbolism establish foundations within the composition to facilitate a narrative response and formulate questions as to the how, what and why. This formal language may also be considered in addition to other concepts surrounding the term narrative itself. The notion of narrative as something which is fluid also encompasses issues of time, movement, and continuity; idea’s which seemingly contradict the static temperament of painting.

Through research for my Master of Fine Arts at COFA, I found that the methodologies of continuous narrative paintings from the Renaissance echoed certain theoretical concerns within contemporary cinematic narratives. While painting and film maintain a relationship to some degree because they are both visual media, (in reference to colour, tone and symbolism), the most interesting parallel is the depiction of time. This correlation between painting and film, where elements of the narrative are compositionally presented in a non-linear way, has had the most important influence over the production of recent work.

Certain structures within film, such as event ‘order’ and sequencing resonate correspondingly to the stylistic approach sustained within my work. This ‘jig-saw’ method presents individual paintings (or canvases) akin to pieces of a story which have been sliced up, and placed back together out of their ‘chronological’ order. These chosen snippets may represent a scene or emotion, and uphold their own position or viewpoint in relation to another image or painting.

These unmatched sequences of images, similar to the unmatched sequences in film, can disrupt the perception and flow of space, and sense of narrative order. When sequences are viewed out of order, the perception of events within the narrative change. The viewer may strive to construct the meaning of the work dependent upon each image’s relationship to another, in turn forming the underlying narrative.

Exhibitions

2009
Small is the New Big
Katherine Edney
2008
The Young Ones

Biography

1983
Born Sydney. Lives & works in Sydney
2005-2008
Master of Fine Arts by Research (Painting). College of Fine Arts (COFA), UNSW
2001-2004
Bachelor of Fine Arts with Honours Class 1. College of Fine Arts (COFA), UNSW
2003
Outback Drawing Field Trip, UNSW. Fowlers Gap, Mtawintji National Park, and Lake Mungo
2003
Short course: Grand Narrative Painting. Lecturer: Peter Pinson. COFA, UNSW
2000
Short course: Drawing the Human Face. COFA, UNSW

Exhibitions

2009
Fractures in Time, Robin Gibson Gallery
2008
The Young Ones, Robin Gibson Gallery
Hidden Fractures; A Narrative in Time, Ivan Dougherty Gallery
Metro 5 Art Award (finalist), Metro 5 Gallery, Melbourne
Metro 5 Art Award Travelling Exhibition, Benalla Regional Art Gallery, Victoria
4th Wirral National Open Art Exhibition, Williamson Art Gallery, Liverpool, UK
Warringah Art Prize, Art Focus Gallery
2007
Mosman Art Prize, Mosman Art Gallery
Warringah Art Prize (winner), Warringah Printmakers Studio
Willoughby Art Prize, Civic Centre, Chatswood
St. Josephs Annual Art Show, St. Josephs College
2006
Sass and Bide Art Award, Finalist Exhibition, COFA Space
Mosman Art Prize, Mosman Art Gallery
Art on the Rocks, Billich Gallery
Self Raising: Emerging Artist and Design Award Exhibition, Kudos Gallery
Warringah Art Prize, Warringah Printmakers Studio
Waverly Art Prize, Waverly Community and Arts Centre
Willoughby Art Prize, Chatswood
Art for Art Show, St. Augustines College
2005
Hatched: National Graduate Show, Perth Institute of Contemporary Art (PICA), Perth
Mosman Art Prize, Mosman Art Gallery
Jenny Birt Award (finalist), COFA Space
2004
5 Emerging Artists, Michael Commerford Gallery
Art on the Rocks, ASN Gallery
Mosman Art Prize, Mosman Art Gallery
Etc., Kudos Gallery
COFA Annual 04 Honours Graduate Show, College of Fine Arts, UNSW
Art for Art Show, St. Augustine’s College
2003
Art on the Rocks, ASN Gallery
COFA Annual 03 Graduating Show, College of Fine Arts, UNSW
Imaging the Land, COFA Exhibition and Performance Space
Emerging Artist and Designer Award, Kudos gallery
Mosman Youth Art Prize, Mosman Art Gallery
2002
UNSW Union Art Prize, UNSW
2001
Warringah Art Prize, Warringah Printmaking Studio
2000
Artexpress, David Jones, Sydney

Awards

2007
Warringah Art Prize
Warringah Art Prize People’s Choice Award
2006
Viktoria Marinov Scholarship for Art at COFA
1997
Winner NSW/ACT category, Telstra Phone Card Design Competition

Bibliography

  • Rich body of work impresses Manly Daily June 2008
  • Success vindicates the choice to paint Manly Daily July 2007
  • Warringah Art Competition The Splash! July 2008
  • Grade Expectations Eye 4: Arts Xpress Magazine June 2005
  • Shape Shifters Arts: Weekend Australian June 2005
  • Katherine Edney COFA Hatched 05 National Graduate Show Exhibition and Symposium Catalogue May 2005
  • A Brush with Fame Arts: Manly Daily May 2004
  • Artexpress Manly Daily 2001
  • Telstra Got Message Manly Daily 1997
  • “The Betrayal (The Cook, the Pig and the Spoon)”. Image of work used for promotion and information pamphlet of the Fine Arts degree at the College of Fine Arts, UNSW

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