Carly Le Cerf: Familiar Territory

Each week this February KAB Gallery is featuring a new Australian artist’s work for you to view and purchase as part of our annual Contemporary Collectable exhibition. Each of the three artists featured are unique to the next with amazing contrasts in their style, technique, and subject matter.

Introducing Carly Le Cerf (Feb 1 – 11)

Carly Le Cerf is a contemporary Australian artist based in remote Western Australia. Originally from the United Kingdom, she moved to Western Australia as a child and now has a deep connection with the land around her. Her art is a direct reflection of this love for her familiar landscape.

I have seen her speak of herself as a “woman of the land” and express her love of Australia. Located in Mount Barker, a part of Australia’s most rugged landscape, her home provides a professional studio with views extending from Porongurup and the Stirling ranges to Albany in the other direction. Carly explains that the rural views offer vast inspiration and seasonal interest for her to draw from.

“Where I live is mostly agricultural and provides me with an endless source of inspiration. The seasons and the farming calendar ensure variety in my work”

Her paintings are created in the studio and her time is quite structured. Carly generally creates art everyday from around 9am – 3pm, or “longer if I have a show coming up” she told me. While her regime is disciplined to ensure quality time is spent at the easel her ethos remains open and intuitive. Carly always aims to paint what makes her heart sing. “In my experience if you are true to your practice, someone else will love it too. It’s so nice when you connect with your audience in that way,  that they appreciate the same things as you do.” she says. 

Carly creates extraordinary aerial landscapes which engage the viewers eye from any distance. The sweeping plains and land patterns are depicted within a complex composition of lines and textured tones.

When looking closer at Carly’s artworks you will notice her unique style and combination of mediums. The surfaces are waxy and built up with layers of media that have been worked, pigmented, and etched. The multiple layers are complex and interesting, drawing in viewers hoping to learn more about her process and technique. “I paint with a mix of media. I use a process of layering molten wax, oil paint and raw pigment, derived from traditional encaustic painting techniques. These mediums enable me to translate the differing textures found in the landscape.” says Carly. 

It is most interesting to explore the surface because it tells a hidden story of her creative process. Each artwork has its own history of layers, scraping, drips, heat, temperature variation and paint. “I have some large nails in my wall which I use to hang my cradled boards on whilst I am working. Working upright gives me some interesting drips with the wax and also enables me to stand back and check the perspective. I also have a huge workbench that I lay my work flat on. Working flat is the traditional method of encaustic painting and I need to paint in this way if I am glazing or carving in.”

Technical aspects aside, while admiring Carly’s art I can’t help but feel a sense of familiarity. The paintings remind me of the comfort felt after returning home from travelling abroad. Looking out the window of my landing plane to see the familiar landscape far below is one the greatest joys of travel. It’s that warm “good to be home” feeling which I’m sure many viewers and collectors of her work will attest to as they are no doubt enjoying that same feeling right now while admiring her work. 

A series of 6 gorgeous artworks are featuring at KAB Gallery for the week. Take this unique opportunity to view these beautiful artworks in person at KAB Gallery and pick a favourite to enjoy for yourself. The palettes are earthy, homely and sure to suit both contemporary and traditional interiors alike. Carly insists on quality and luxury finishes for her art, which means each is beautifully custom framed and ready to position. “Framing has always been important to me. I also love natural frames and always choose Australian hardwood timbers for my framing. I just love a Tasmanian oak box frame, it doesn’t distract from the work and finishes the piece off professionally.”

KAB Gallery are excited to welcome Carly Le Cerf as this years first Contemporary Collectable artist. Join us at KAB Gallery and online to view a selection of original artworks by Carly Le Cerf featured for exhibition 1st – 11th February 2018

About the author

Kerry-Anne Blanket

Director & Curator - KAB Gallery

KAB Gallery’s Kerry-Anne Blanket holds a Bachelor of Visual Arts and two Masters degrees (Hons) from the University of Sydney. With an extensive career in art education along with the management of museums and investment art galleries, Kerry-Anne can offer premier art consulting to her clients and source specially requested works. 

She has a keen eye for detail, comprehensive art market knowledge and a love of all things beautiful. Kerry-Anne works directly with artists and collectors alike to curate interesting and eclectic exhibitions.