Medley – 122x122cm

Michael WHITEHEAD 
Australian Artist, Noosa QLD

“A painting has to be instinctive and have a sense of urgency but yet remain precise – If paint runs across a canvas it’s because I’m happy for it to go there or I have encouraged it to do so.  Every stroke, every line, is intended to leave a record of its journey.”

After more than two decades of gallery representation as a full-time artist, Michael Whitehead has firmed his place as one of Australia’s most exciting contemporary abstract artists. Today, Michael works from his studio in Noosa’s beautiful hinterland, where he explores his creation of large layered abstracts.  Contemporary works in which each brush stroke challenges the previous one and oil is pitted against acrylic to create deliberate tension, resistance, and intensity. He uses large blocks of colour layered to capture or reflect light or a moody palette where the under-painting appears to be attempting to break through to provide a fleeting glimpse of a secret world beneath.