There’s the Archibald portraits but there’s also the other stuff; a painting of a home aquarium where a scuba diver is caught in the tentacles of an octopus, the cast of Seinfeld are looking for their car in that famous episode, Michael Jackson and Bubbles the chimp sit in a cloud while a jet skiier zooms along a lake below.
There are also the stills from movies and TV shows from Jaws and Rambo to Magnum PI and the Dukes of Hazzard. Welcome to the wonderful world of Marc Etherington’s art.
Etherington is a self-taught artist who took up painting when he was housebound one snowy winter in Canada 12 years ago. He’s been selected as a finalist in the Archibald Prize for the last four years in a row and twice for the Sulman Prize.
His portraits of artists Del Kathryn Barton, Ken Done and Paul Williams stopped me in my tracks in the Art Gallery of NSW and the story behind this year’s self-portrait ‘Me and Granny’ reveals as much about his personality as his painting skill.
His use of colour and composition combine with his imagination to take us into an alternate reality at times nostalgic, absurd or humorous but always tapping into something we can connect to.
Pop culture references from 80s and 90s TV shows and movies are interpreted in his distinctive style and trigger memories for those who loved them.
He’s been in over 20 group shows, has had 6 solo shows and his much awaited show ‘Couch Potato’ opens at Michael Reid in Sydney on 9 August 2018, about a week after this podcast goes online.
This interview was recorded in Etherington’s home in Sydney where he had wooden sculptures he’d been working on on the bookcase nearby. He’s self-effacing, honest and committed to his art and it was a thoroughly enjoyable interview. To hear it, press ‘play’ beneath the feature photo above.
Upcoming events
- Solo show ‘Couch Potato’ Michael Reid Gallery, Sydney, 9 – 28 August 2018
- Sydney Contemporary, Sydney, 13 – 16 September 2018
Show notes
- Marc Etherington at Michael Reid
- Marc Etherington on Instagram
- Del Kathryn Barton
- Ken Done
- Ken Done video on Talking with Painters YouTube Channel
- Paul Williams
- Lynda Draper
- Idris Murphy
- Kate Etherington on Instagram
‘Del Kathryn Barton and Magic Dog’, 2015, acrylic on canvas, 89 x 120cm, finalist Archibald Prize 2015
‘King Ken (Ken Done in his studio)’, 2016, acrylic on canvas 155.5 x 201cm, finalist Archibald Prize 2016
Paul (Paul Williams in his studio), 2017, acrylic on canvas, 144 x 164cm, finalist Archibald Prize 2017
‘Me and Granny’, 2018, acrylic on canvas, 143 x 163.5cm, finalist Archibald Prize 2018
Seinfeld painting
‘The first time I met Michael Jackson was in the belly of a crocodile’ acrylic on plywood
2016 work
‘If I met Chuck Norris at Comic Con’
Instagram caption: ‘This is me and my future dog called Granny. I’m not gonna stop carving these until I find him. Which hopefully is soon because my hands hurt’
Painting of Robert Smith, singer of The Cure, with sculpture of his chewing gum collection
‘That’s life though’, 2017, acrylic on canvas, 140 x 160cm, finalist in Sulman Prize, 2017
Selection of iPhone paintings for upcoming show ‘Couch Potato’ at Michael Reid Sydney (photo: Instagram page of Michael Reid @michaelreidart)
