Tom Carment

From Sharne Wolff…

A long term resident of inner city Darlinghurst, artist and writer Tom Carment is fascinated by the minutiae of the city and its evolution over time. Carment’s method is old school and he chooses to pound the pavements on foot. With his painting gear in a rucksack he’ll stroll through Sydney’s streets to paint or draw from an urban footpath, or, with a canvas propped on his knees, from a spot on the grass in a seaside park. Attracted by the light and emotive qualities of his subject, his work is produced quickly to capture a particular time of day.

A particular fan of what he terms Sydney’s “happy anarchy”, the subjects for this show include Sydney’s varied buildings, trees, beaches and streetscapes. Turning familiarity on its head, Carment breathes new life into otherwise mundane buildings – the Hyatt in Kings Cross, an Elizabeth Street office block and the red brick flats of Maroubra. Maroubra’s beach and its local surfers are another popular subject, while the flame trees of Cooper and Hyde Park and the jacarandas of Sydney’s suburbs also feature. Stepping outside the city, Carment depicts small visions of bush and farming areas in NSW and Victoria, as well as scenes of WA’s Margaret River. With their locations easily identified through each work’s title, the artist catches small poetic moments in otherwise ordinary places. Coinciding with his appearance in the first Dobell Australian Drawing Biennial (held at the Art Gallery of NSW), this exhibition also provides the launch pad for Carment’s newly published artist book entitled Seven Walks.

Until December 20
King Street Gallery, Darlinghurst
Pic: Tom Carment, Sydney Jacarandas, oil on linen 55x101cm. Courtesy the artist and King Street Gallery.