Matt Carney Oil Paintings Bruny Island, Tasmania

Matthew graduated from Tasmania's School of Art in Hobart in 1987 with a bachelor degree in Fine Art. Initially painting was his passion. As he was exposed to different mediums he began his sculpture practice and completed a double major in both Sculpture and Painting.

When he was living and working in London at Heaven Nightclub, he was working primarily as a painter, designing back drops for the slew of famous artists that would perform there. Moby, Madonna, Kylie Minogue, Boy George. The list is endless, and of course, the weekly, extravagant drag shows.

When Matt became a dad he found his way back to painting after a long break. He wanted to be able to have Calpurnia in the studio with him but neither fabricating the steel sculptures or lost wax bronzes were activities a baby could watch safely. When Calpurnia was only a few months old, we were visited down on Bruny Island by his old flatmate friends from his London days, Harriet Barber, Danny Thompson and their two daughters, Dorelia and Maeve, who was the same age as Calpurnia. Harriet was a renowned figurative and plein air painter from the Dorset region in the United Kingdom. You can find out more about her here.

She encouraged Matt to start painting again and as a result he created this series of different vistas from our time living on Bruny Island.