By Callum Ludwig
An opportunity to meet an Upper Yarra artist over a glass of wine is coming up, with any and all are welcome to come for a chat and to see some of his latest works.
Through the YAVA gallery, Woori Yallock resident Jerry Osadczuk will be at Steels Gate Wines in Dixons Creek from 6pm on Thursday 14 March for a launch of a small exhibition of his work.
Mr Osadczuk said the exhibition is a mixture of things he has been working on, with about eight paintings to be on display.
“It is a mixture of abstract and traditional landscape pieces and the inspiration is from western and central Australia, the colours in the paintings are going towards that area,” he said.
“I worked in Kalgoorlie for a while, so that’s mainly where I liked the colours of the ochres and things like that.”
Mr Osadczuk has a background in Sumie, a form of Japanese ink painting and printmaking which is what inspired him to create the landscape works he does.
“It’s all to do with the wrist action, a lot of people make the mistake of holding the brush like a pen and they think they’re going to draw with it but you’ve got to hold it and you have to have a really limp wrist,” he said.
“It sounds ridiculous but that’s how you get the flow of the thing, almost waving your wrist around to get that flow going, though you still have to know what you’re doing.”
Mr Osadczuk has also twice been a finalist in the Cliftons Art Prize, which invites entries from Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong and Singapore and is awarded for the best works of painting, drawing or photography.
Ms Osadczuk said he does most of his paintings while on the floor.
“The only time I put my paintings on an easel is when I finish them off, such as if I want to use a few different colours or fill a part in that I thought should be filled in,” he said.
“I don’t actually have a lot of ideas about where I’m going until I see what’s happening once the colours go into each other, because a lot of the time it’s hit and miss and you don’t feel a hundred per cent what’s going to happen because paint’s still wet,”
“That’s why I don’t often and don’t like to do commissions, because I’m not going to do a carbon copy of what you saw.”
Tickets to come to the launch are free but attendees must RSVP prior in order to book their place at yava.org.au/yava-openings/launch-jerry-osadczuk-at-steels-gate-wines. Canapés are available upon arrival and any drinks are at restaurant prices.
