An explosion of colour

Arts

By Martin Tiffany

AS A LONELY, recently-married and pregnant young woman Glenise Clelland spent many hours sitting and chatting with women in Suva Market in Fiji. That was in the early 19605.

Those images of carefree and happy women and the vibrant colours of their dress were so strong that 20 years later she decided to paint these “mind pictures”. What resulted was an ex plosion of colour in her bold, almost haunting, style.

But it was quite by accident that she began painting Pacific images. As she

explains, it was not as though she one day planned to paint the images in her head.

I'.just happened. So began her love affair Pacific painting - what she calls cr acl 10 J In the early sixties her husband’s job took them to Fiji where they lived for a time - Finding herself at a loose end she would wander around Suva and, more ° ften ~han. ,han not ’ her meandering found her sitting among the seafood veg etables, root crops, handicrafts and other , items on sale at Suva Municipal Market, c , , , . . . r She would chat to the women as they so ld their produce and scolded their children who played around them. She absorbed the sights, sounds and smells of

her surroundings.

These images of gaiety, contentment and colour imprinted on her mind and years later she would often find herself lost in her Fiji experience. But it was not enough to have these memories stashed away in her head. She had to express them visually.

She had an advantage. She had what perhaps could be described as a creative pedigree. Born into a family wedding fashion business, Clelland attended art school and then joined the family firm.

This resulted in her winning a gold in the 1976 Queensland Fashion Awards.

Her development as an artist began from her early exhibitions of “tasteful” nudes, to designing wedding dresses for Brisbane socialites, then a six year period in costume design for the Brisbane Arts Theatre at the old Her Majesty’s Theatre. She also wrote and illustrated a

‘Going Home’: part of Clelland's Fiji collection

Glenise Clelland: surrounded by her wo [?]

successful series of children’s books, in association with the Queensland Cancer Fund. The books provided messages on sun-health and resulted in several merchandising off-shoots. She says she wrote the books out of boredom but they provided an important step forward in f .. .. r . u r her artistic growth.

About six years ago the Fiji images in her mind could stay locked away no longer. They had to come out. She had to express how she she felt. Although she has re-visited Fiji in recent year it was those early images that formed her early work.

Out came images of Fiji with depth and understanding of her subject matter.

It is no surprise that women and children are the subject of many of her Fiji

paintings. Portrayed in the lush tropical colours of the Pacific (most of her work is oil paint or pastel on canvas). Her women are not some mystical sexy, slim South Pacific beauty but real women amply built and true to life.

Her husband’s work also took them to Tonga, Vanuatu, Western Samoa and New Caledonia. This enhanced her passion for the Pacific and many of her paintings depict these countries and produce what she describes as a “visual feast of exotic tropical delights”.

Although she only began painting seriously six years ago she, already has a number of Australian art awards to her credit. In 1989 she was highly com

mended by the Gatton Regional Gallery

and in 1991 she was commended in the

Sunshine Coast Art Awards. But the most important award to date is the prestigious lain Fairweather Memorial, one of Australia’s most esteemed art awards.

Over the years Clelland has held a number of exhibitions in Australia, Fiji and New Caledonia. As a result of her more recent exhibitions in Fiji many of her Pacific mainly Fiji works now hang in the big hotels and resorts in Fiji.

Clelland’s artistic talents include

sculpting, carving and three-dimensional

work. She also finds time to work three days a week in a travel agency!

Although it is obvious Clelland’s art is much more than a hobby, she explains it is far from being a profession. Her paintings range from AS2SO to A 52500 but taking into account the cost of paints, canvas and frames, she is left with little in her pocket after a sale.

For the future she will continue with her painting very much influenced by the Pacific.

“People keep asking me when I will get over this Pacific thing. I tell them ‘I don’t know’,” says Clelland. She smiles.

“I hope it’s never.”

‘Morning Walk’: a Vanuatu “mind pic ture”