joshua yeldham surrender tree - arthouse gallery · joshua yeldham surrender tree — 2 ... there...

Surrender Treejoshua yeldham

Child of the Bend – Smith’s Creek

charcoal on unique carved pigment print on cotton paper

160 x 150 cm (1/9) arthouseGallery

joshua yeldhamSurrender Tree

— 3 —— 2 —

Surrender Tree - nOVeMBer 2013

yeldham’s work is a mapping of multiple realities. It charts the artist’s travels among the mangroves, the

disused oyster leases and along the salty foreshores near Pittwater. yeldham’s cartography moves within

this world and without. He is not limited by the materiality of reaching tree limbs or the muddy matter

of swamps. His paintings and photographic works move beyond the human-perceived environment.

Instead, he deliberates on the fragile spaces in between, the liminal places in his heart and mind where

imagination soars and intellect sings. He says, ‘the space between two lines is what connects us.’

yeldham has been preoccupied, for many years, with the intersection of cultures. India, Malaysia,

Indonesia, indigenous Australia; his influences have been a ‘world music’ version of art aesthetics. This is

true in a literal sense too, as he has often incorporated musical instruments into his large scale paintings.

This recent body of work was created to the accompaniment of Indian tabla music; moving in the studio

along with its rhythms and syncopations.

His strength and freedom is his rejection of intellectual trends. He is more interested in spiritedness, in

vital vibrations, of meridian lines within the human form and across the longitudes of the globe, and

incorporating these primitive delineations into an expanded experience of nature.

If fertility has been a thematic in the past, the artist’s sense of self as an entity, which forms part of

greater entities, is now an absorption. yeldham works as spiritual journeyman. He swoops, like his

constant daemon-spirit or guardian owl, across these paintings which have been carved and caned,

indigo-incised and marked, in time with his heart beat, in tempo with his private prayers. as journeyman,

yeldham, ‘can’t help but weave stories, making maps in an attempt not to get lost.’

yeldham’s differentiation is his skillful artisanship. He uses sanders, carving tools, knives: line work in

indigo, scored with calligraphic elegance, and then he applies and rubs back the oil paint. Sometimes

he adds shells, instruments, the skeletal remains of Japanese fans. This requires fine workmanship,

consistent and detailed precision. as yeldham says, ‘By eating into the wood, I create new stories. There

is decay and new life. This is a deeper form of navigation.’

In a new conceptual turn, yeldham has elaborated on his deep and instinctual fascination with the

partly submerged trees near his home. like the Surrender trees which feature in his new work, he spreads

his limbs in search of light and stability. His interest in his local environment is one of discovery and of the

unexpected. These are rituals of exploration, sensual and tactile. The isolated ecologies he finds during

his boat trips up the Hawkesbury reveal the vulnerability of the land and the artist’s own battles with

fearful dreams and darker mysteries.

The new work is manifested through photography. On thick paper, heavier than canvas, he hand-prints

photos taken from his mobile phone. Then he casts a shadow of colour and begins his particular method

of carving. The result is an investigation into light. Where the paper is carved, the light is iridescent. There

is a glowing intensity to these photo-media works. They are spirited by the carving, animated by the

revealing method of cutting into what is familiar and allowing it to become strange and uncanny.

Whether an elephant-head rocky outcrop, a submerged double male/female tree of loping limbs or his

own son pointing towards infinity, with an empowering matador jacket across his innocent shoulders,

these works are confounding. They emanate fresh energy. When yeldham cuts back into the image, he

scars the scene, a devotional methodology, a tattooing of clan-like belonging. This can be interpreted

as a means of connecting and merging with the landscapes he so loves and relies upon for his strength

and courage.

There is an unearthly quality to these monochromatic works. Cosmic awareness and spiritual wonder:

these are ethereal and shadowy scenes which suggest all that we do not comprehend. each carving

into the photographic paper opens up to a shaft of white light and suggest ghosts of the past and

presences from the future. They confer a celebratory atmosphere, an inclination towards thanksgiving.

across each tree limb and across the still water of the river, yeldham leaves a spectral trail. This perhaps

represents an acceptance of mortality and a joyful praise for the vitality of present life.

Prue Gibson

arts writer, lecturer and author

— 4 —

elephant rock – yeoman’s Bay

oil and cane on carved board

152 x 204 cm

— 6 —

Owl of Tranquillity – Morning Bay


204 x 152 cm

— 9 —

Falling Water – yeoman’s Bay


200 x 244 cm

— 10 — — 11 —

In Search of light – Pittwater

carved paper with shellac

100 x 120 cm

Blue Wood – Smith’s Creek


100 x 120 cm

— 12 —

In Search of Owl Wood

oil, cane, shells and musical instrument on carved board

153 x 204 cm

— 14 —

Surrender Tree – Morning Bay

oil on carved board

204 x 152 cm

— 17 —

Temple of Forgiveness – Morning Bay


152 x 204 cm

— 18 — — 19 —

Fertility Song – Smith’s Creek

unique carved pigment print on cotton paper

160 x 150 cm (1/9)

White Owl n/7

carved resin with cane and wire

55 x 30 x 30 cm

— 20 — — 21 —

Fertility Tree – Morning Bay

shellac on unique carved pigment print on cotton paper

160 x 150 cm (1/9)

Jude


160 x 150 cm (1/9)

— 22 —

Mother Tree – White lace


126 x 180 cm (2/9)

— 24 — — 25 —

Forgiveness – Smith’s Creek


160 x 150 cm (1/9)

Sway – Mud Island


160 x 150 cm (2/9)

— 26 — — 27 —

Colo Country


160 x 150 cm (1/9)

Troubadour – Morning Bay


150 x 160 cm (1/9)

— 28 — — 29 —



150 x 160 cm (1/9)

expedition to the Heron land


160 x 150 cm (1/9)

— 30 — — 31 —

Prayer Owl – Morning Bay

unique carved pigment print on cotton paperBackground image: A still from the U.K documentary film,

The White Owl (1922) by W. P. Pycraft and Oliver G. Pike

160 x 150 cm (2/9)

Sway – yeoman’s Bay


160 x 150 cm (1/9)

— 32 — — 33 —



150 x 160 cm (2/9)

anchor – Garden of Strangers


150 x 160 cm (1/9)

— 35 —

Pumpkin Point – Black Moon


102 x 153 cm

— 36 —

yeoman’s Owl

oil on carved linen

123 x 92 cm

— 38 — — 39 —

refuge – Smith’s Creek

carved paper with gouache

100 x 120 cm

Jonah – Smith’s Creek


100 x 120 cm

— 40 — — 41 —

little lion – Smith’s Creek

indigo shellac and cane on carved board

76 x 76 cm

Owl of Sweet Sorrow

indigo shellac, cane and oil on carved board

102 x 76 cm

— 42 —

eagle rock – Cottage Point


204 x 152 cm

— 44 — — 45 —

Owl rock – Smith’s Creek


120 x 110 cm

eagle rock – Shedding Skin


120 x 100 cm

— 46 —

yeoman’s Bay – Hawkesbury river

oil, resin and cane on carved board

200 x 244 cm

— 48 —

Hermit of yeoman’s Bay

oil, resin and cane on carved board

182 x 122 cm

— 50 — — 51 —

Kyoto – Smith’s Creek


120 x 110 cm

View from the Tinny – Smith’s Creek


100 x 120 cm

— 52 — — 53 —

In Search of Cherry Blossom’s – Smith’s creek


122 x 92 cm

Owl of Wild Wood

indigo shellac and oil on carved board

102 x 76 cm

— 54 —

Owl Wood – Morning Bay

oil on carved board

152 x 204 cm

— 56 — — 57 —

Temple of Stone – Smith’s Creek

carved paper with india ink

100 x 120 cm

Black Owl – Smith’s Creek

ink, oil and cane on carved board

122 x 92 cm

— 59 —— 58 —

Owl of yeoman’s rock

ink on hand carved pigment print

120 x 100 cm (1/25)

JOSH

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1. Child of the Bend – Smith’s Creek charcoal on unique carved pigment print on cotton paper (1/9) 160 x 150cm $12,000 pg. 0

2. Elephant Rock – Yeoman’s Bay oil and cane on carved board 152 x 204cm $48,000 pg. 5

3. Owl of Tranquillity – Morning Bay oil and cane on carved board 204 x 152cm $55,000 pg. 7

4. Falling Water – Yeoman’s Bay oil and cane on carved board 200 x 244cm $60,000 pg. 8

5. Blue Wood – Smith’s Creek carved paper with shellac 100 x 120cm $12,000 pg. 10

6. In Search of Light – Pittwater carved paper with shellac 100 x 120cm $12,000 pg. 11

7. In Search of Owl Wood oil, cane, shells and musical instrument on carved board 153 x 204cm $55,000 pg. 13

8. Surrender Tree – Morning Bay oil on carved board 204 x 152cm $45,000 pg. 15

9. Temple of Forgiveness – Morning Bay oil and cane on carved board 152 x 204cm $45,000 pg. 16

10. White Owl n/7 carved resin with cane and wire 55 x 30 x 30cm $12,000 pg. 18

11. Fertility Song – Smith’s Creek unique carved pigment print on cotton paper (1/9) 160 x 150cm $12,000 pg. 19

12. Fertility Tree – Morning Bay shellac on unique carved pigment print on cotton paper (1/9) 160 x 150cm $12,000 pg. 20

13. Jude unique carved pigment print on cotton paper (1/9) 160 x 150cm $12,000 pg. 21

14. Mother Tree – White Lace unique carved pigment print on cotton paper (2/9) 126 x 180cm $12,800 pg. 23

15. Forgiveness – Smith’s Creek shellac on unique carved pigment print on cotton paper (1/9) 160 x 150cm $12,000 pg. 24

16. Sway – Mud Island shellac on unique carved pigment print on cotton paper (2/9) 160 x 150cm $12,000 pg. 25

17. Colo Country unique carved pigment print on cotton paper (1/9) 160 x 150cm $12,000 pg. 26

18. Troubadour – Morning Bay shellac on unique carved pigment print on cotton paper (1/9) 150 x 160cm $12,000 pg. 27

19. Surrender Tree – Morning Bay shellac on unique carved pigment print on cotton paper (1/9) 150 x 160cm $12,000 pg. 28

20. Expedition to the Heron Land shellac on unique carved pigment print on cotton paper (1/9) 160 x 150cm $12,000 pg. 29

21. Sway – Yeoman’s Bay shellac on unique carved pigment print on cotton paper (1/9) 160 x 150cm $12,000 pg. 30

22. Prayer Owl – Morning Bay unique carved pigment print on cotton paper (2/9) 160 x 150 cm $12,000 pg. 31

— 60 —

23. Anchor – Garden of Strangers shellac on unique carved pigment print on cotton paper (1/9) 150 x 160cm $12,000 pg. 32

24. Surrender Tree – Morning Bay shellac on unique carved pigment print on cotton paper (2/9) 150 x 160cm $12,000 pg. 33

25. Pumpkin Point – Black Moon oil and cane on carved board 102 x 153cm $26,000 pg. 34

26. Yeoman’s Owl oil on carved linen 123 x 92cm $28,000 pg. 37

27. Jonah – Smith’s Creek carved paper with shellac 100 x 120cm $12,000 pg. 38

28. Refuge – Smith’s Creek carved paper with shellac 100 x 120cm $12,000 pg. 39

29. Little Lion – Smith’s Creek indigo shellac and cane on carved board 76 x 76cm $8,500 pg. 40

30. Owl of Sweet Sorrow indigo shellac, cane and oil on carved board 102 x 76cm $19,500 pg. 41

31. Eagle Rock – Cottage Point oil and cane on carved board 204 x 152cm $45,000 pg. 43

32. Eagle Rock – Shedding Skin carved paper with shellac 120 x 100cm $12,000 pg. 44

33. Owl Rock – Smith’s Creek carved paper with shellac 120 x 110cm $12,000 pg. 45

34. Yeoman’s Bay – Hawkesbury River oil, resin and cane on carved board 200 x 244cm $60,000 pg. 47

35. Hermit of Yeoman’s Bay oil, resin and cane on carved board 182 x 122cm $42,000 pg. 49

36. View from the Tinny – Smith’s Creek carved paper with shellac 100 x 120cm $12,000 pg. 50

37. Kyoto – Smith’s Creek carved paper with shellac 120 x 110cm $12,000 pg. 51

38. In Search of Cherry Blossom’s – Smith’s Creek oil and cane on carved board 122 x 92cm $24,000 pg. 52

39. Owl of Wild Wood indigo shellac and oil on carved board 102 x 76cm $19,500 pg. 53

40. Owl Wood – Morning Bay oil on carved board 152 x 204cm $45,000 pg. 55

41. Temple of Stone – Smith’s Creek carved paper with india ink 100 x 120cm $12,000 pg. 56

42. Black Owl – Smith’s Creek ink, oil and cane on carved board 122 x 92cm $24,000 pg. 57

43. Owl of Yeoman’s Rock ink on hand carved pigment print (1/25) 120 x 100cm $5,500 pg. 58JOSH

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Cover:

elephant rock – yeoman’s Bay (detail)


152 x 204 cm

aCKnOWledGeMenTS

ali yeldham

Jo yeldham

Craig Barrett

John Coleman

eastgate & Jarman

Fidoso Picture Framing

Michel Brouet

Max Taylor

yeldham Family

Herbert Family

Scott livesey

Prue Gibson

Catalogue design:

William Mansfield

ISBn 978-0-646-90926-4

* Measurements are reflective of

the artwork sizes, not framed sizes

arthouseGallery

66 Mclachlan avenue

rushcutters Bay

nSW 2011

02 9332 1019

[email protected]

www.arthousegallery.com.au

joshua yeldhamSurrender Tree

— 62 — — 63 —

‘‘This body of work is the result of my

exploration through the Hawkesbury

River and Ku-Ring-Gai Chase National

Park. I have carved into paintings and

photographs of mangrove trees, digging

through the pigment and paint to reveal

their underbelly. A scarification of lines

that build a bridge over the void of

landscape towards my inner world.’’

arthouseGallery 66 Mclachlan avenue rushcutters Bay nSW 2011 | p. 02 9332 1019e. [email protected] | www.arthousegallery.com.au

joshua yeldham surrender tree - arthouse gallery · joshua yeldham surrender tree — 2 ... there...

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