Heritage Hill Museum & Historic Gardens

Published: 05 May 2008

Glow

Distant Plains

Glow is a collection of works coming from two different angles, but with one unifying theme. It features a number of pieces that focus on light diffused through water, with others illuminating African wildlife in its natural habitat.

Glow is a collection of works coming from two different angles, but with one unifying theme. It features a number of pieces that focus on light diffused through water, with others illuminating African wildlife in its natural habitat.

The exploration of the marine environment is a recent development in Birgit’s artworks. Inspired by the luminescence, colour and form of the jellyfish at the Melbourne Aquarium, Birgit soon became obsessed with exploring the possibilities of an underwater series. This ranged from pieces which were abstract impressions (of both the environment and its inhabitants), “action” shots, as well as a strange kind of portraiture. As with all Birgit’s works, the sense of light is as much the point of focus as the creatures actually touched by the beam itself. Jellyfish and underwater scenes are a just beautiful means of capturing the magic of that illumination.

The strength of light is also followed through in Birgit’s African wildlife works. Obviously, capturing the character and essence of the animal in these pieces is a priority. And Birgit’s obsession for fine detail is given free reign in these involved paintings.

Birgit Verhagen