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ARTIST'S HISTORY  1

THE ART OF AUSTRALIA

THE EARLY

YEARS

LASSETER

A VANISHING

LIFE

INTIMACIES

CHRISTOPHER McLEOD

Christopher McLeod was born in Brisbane in 1939. He was educated in Darwin and his early experiences and later visits to the Northern Territory have always had a profound influence on his work. Christopher is largely self taught except for some early advice from JON MOLVIG, his mentor and his paintings have progressed from landscapes to narrative themes over the years. His work is known for his lavish use of colour, balanced asthetic images, his quirkish approach to his subjects and an often humorous approach to Australian culture.He has worked mostly in a square format since 1985. His work is often featured in the media, he has completed many commissions in a variety of mediums and he exhibits regularly around Australia. Early career highlights include meeting Albert Namatjira when he was a boy, finalist in the Caltex Junior Art Prize, first Solo Exhibition at the Kennigo Street Gallery, Exhibitions at the Design Arts Centre, Selection for the H C Richards Prize at the Queensland Art Gallery, and a painting removed from the Q A G by police for obscenity which may or may not be relevant.

Following a period of overseas travelling he exhibited the first of his many Series, LASSETER at the Cintra House Gallery in 1987. The Series was reviewed in the Sunday Mail and has been used as reference material on this colourful figure in Australian History. Most of Christopher's work after this Exhibition revolve around themes shown as a Series. The artist researched the Exhibition in the Northern Territory with Jon Molvig where they met many of the old miners who had known Lasseter, and they visited many of the locations passed on to Christopher by his father who had gone searching for the famous reef from the Weather Station at Giles in the early fifties.

A VANISHING LIFE was opened in Melbourne at the Capricorn Gallery in 1988 by Dr Magnus Clarke, and later at the Ardrossan Gallery in Brisbane where the Exhibition was opened by the then Leader of the Opposition Wayne Goss. Originally planned as a celebration of the Australian Aborigines the Series developed into a comment on the changing environment and included many large paintings including "A PERFECT SPOT FOR A JAIL" the tryptich "WALKABOUT" and the very beautiful "TURTLE BEACH". The Series was reviewed in the AGE, The Courier Mail and was shown on Television.

In 1990 the Series IMAGES was shown at the Ardrossan Gallery in Brisbane and opened by the new Premier of Queensland the Hon. Wayne Goss and later moved to the Capricorn Gallery in Melbourne and was opened by Sir Zelman Cowan the former Governor General of Australia.The Series was based on the lives of the Artist and his friends and recieved wide media coverage in both Cities and the painting THE BATH recieved particular attention because of its risque content for the time. The Series also spawned a mini Series MULTIPLES which was an experiment with multiple moving images, which was first shown in Melbourne and then transferred to the Artist's first Sydney Gallery, EAGLEHAWKE Gallery in Glebe.