Kate Turner Fairfax (b. Sydney) completed an undergraduate diploma in painting at the University of California, Los Angeles (1991) before receiving a Bachelor of Arts and Master of Art from the University of New South Wales, College of Fine Arts (1995).
Turner Fairfax meticulously paints from memory, slowly layering veils of oil paint to build up the surface over time, resulting in a rich density of luminous colour. She spends hours at a time mixing deep blues, warm greens, dusty pinks and golden yellows. Using a palette knife, Turner Fairfax scrapes and cross-hatches back through the surface, not only creating a luscious textured effect, but also revealing the painting’s histories. Forms and colours recede and emerge, light emanates from the surface and the subtle tonal gradations in the colour fields create fluctuations or shifts for the viewer. The paintings demand considered time from the audience as they draw viewers into the meditative serenity of these sparse yet vast compositions.
After completing a residency at Arthur Boyd’s Bundanon studio (1997), Turner Fairfax has exhibited in a number of solo exhibitions. Turner-Fairfax’s first solo exhibition at King Street Gallery Harbour (works from the desert) (1999) was followed by Summer (2001) and Winter (2002). Turner Fairfax has also held solo exhibitions at Liverpool Street Gallery, Harbour (2004), Evening (2005) and Sentinel (2011).
Turner Fairfax has exhibited in a number of group exhibitions including Australian Painting (2002) at the S.H. Ervin Gallery; The Packsaddle Exhibition (2002) at the New England Regional Art Museum, Armidale; Steven Harvey, Peter Sharp, Kate Turner: A tribute to Western Australia (2003) at the Holmes à Court Gallery, Perth; and Artists Artists (2011) at the Benalla Regional Art Gallery Victoria, curated by Robert Hirchmann.
Turner Fairfax is represented in a number of distinguished public and corporate collections including Artbank, The Macquarie Group Collection, Parliament House, Canberra and the Holmes à Court Collection.
Kate Turner Fairfax lives and works in Sydney.
- Writers:
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- Date written:
- 2013
- Last updated:
- 2013
