Imagine if Michael Peck didn’t grow up in Melbourne, a city that has embraced graffiti as an art form. Would he have gone on to discover oil paint or would he have been marginalized by society and bereft of a creative outlet?
I'll try not to slip into a passionate ode to Melbourne and instead focus on the immensely talented Peck.
I originally thought that his slick oil compositions were inspired by the recent oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, so it was surprising to discover that his works predate these events.
Reservation, 2009, oil on linen, 143 x 143 cm
Birds feature throughout the series. With a bird for every beast, it’s almost as if the unidentified beast is lurking in the edges of the frame. The images are smouldering with a sense of foreboding that this “beast” will strike forth.
Sound, 2009, oil on linen, 61 x 61 cm
The silence of the faceless subjects is deafening, yet they appear inherently innocence and evoke a sense of warmth within this otherwise bleak post-apocalyptic world.
Dorothy, 2009, oil on linen, 137 x 137 cm
Untitled, 2008, oil on linen,167 x 167 cm
You can catch Michael Peck's work at the Dickerson Gallery, Sydney from October 20th.
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