Elizabeth Barsham

Joined Artfinder: July 2015

Artworks for sale: 6

Australia

About Elizabeth Barsham

 
 
  • Biography

    My ancestors were among the earliest English settlers in Tasmania where wildlife and geology are exotic even by Australian standards. Living in my grandfather's house, I paint the history of Europeans in this remote landscape, creating  romantic, enigmatic images of desperation and determination. Nineteenth century literature, Heavy Metal music, Goth fashion, environmental degradation and climate change inform my art, creating a uniquely Tasmanian Gothic mythology.

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  • Upcoming Events

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    Previous events

    Event: Paintings by Elizabeth Barsham

    Dates: 5 Aug 2017 - 26 Aug 2017

    Venue: Sawthooth ARI Gallery, 160 Cimitiere St., Launceston, Tasmania 7250

    A selected exhibition of paintings created in the last five years - and every picture tells a story.
    I love stories. My childhood was divided between falling off ponies and reading books. I grew up with Greek mythology and French tales of chivalry, moving on to Icelandic sagas and German folk tales. My nose was always in a book, but very few were about Tasmania. We were hungry for own stories, and on the rare occasion when a new Tasmanian book was published, somebody in the family would buy it immediately. I became an amateur historian and full-time artist searching for a uniquely Tasmanian mythology and folklore. These paintings are part of that search.
    The exhibition includes several inspired by an Arts Tasmania Cultural Residency on King Island (in Bass Strait); others draw on such diverse sources as sketches done on bushwalks and family farms, current affairs and my father's photographs. All have a playful, surreal, twist and a dark, gothic sense of humour.

Links


There are no upcoming events

Show previous events Hide previous events

Previous events

Event: Paintings by Elizabeth Barsham

Dates: 5 Aug 2017 - 26 Aug 2017

Venue: Sawthooth ARI Gallery, 160 Cimitiere St., Launceston, Tasmania 7250

A selected exhibition of paintings created in the last five years - and every picture tells a story.
I love stories. My childhood was divided between falling off ponies and reading books. I grew up with Greek mythology and French tales of chivalry, moving on to Icelandic sagas and German folk tales. My nose was always in a book, but very few were about Tasmania. We were hungry for own stories, and on the rare occasion when a new Tasmanian book was published, somebody in the family would buy it immediately. I became an amateur historian and full-time artist searching for a uniquely Tasmanian mythology and folklore. These paintings are part of that search.
The exhibition includes several inspired by an Arts Tasmania Cultural Residency on King Island (in Bass Strait); others draw on such diverse sources as sketches done on bushwalks and family farms, current affairs and my father's photographs. All have a playful, surreal, twist and a dark, gothic sense of humour.


 

Biography

My ancestors were among the earliest English settlers in Tasmania where wildlife and geology are exotic even by Australian standards. Living in my grandfather's house, I paint the history of Europeans in this remote landscape, creating  romantic, enigmatic images of desperation and determination. Nineteenth century literature, Heavy Metal music, Goth fashion, environmental degradation and climate change inform my art, creating a uniquely Tasmanian Gothic mythology.