The Curators' Department

The adventures of William Yaxley

Published on the occasion of the exhibition The adventures of William Yaxley
Rockhampton Art Gallery, Queensland 9 April - 29 May 2016
Texts by: Glenn Barkley, Phil Brown, Tracy Cooper-Lavery and Diana Warnes

Curated by Diana Warnes, The adventures of William Yaxley presents a survey of an important mid-career Australian artist.  As a self-taught artist, Yaxley worked in isolation from Australian art centres to develop an idiosyncratic style. His approach is an instinctive, rather than a learned way of working, enabling Yaxley to visually communicate the essence of a place.

Yaxley is a story-teller, and his paintings depict idyllic scenes of farming life in both Central Queensland and Tasmania, but also of his travels around Australia.

He concentrates on the elements of texture, shape, colour, and movement, which he combines with an aerial perspective to depict regional locations and subject matter with an irreverent sense of humour.

This combination of larrikinism, sense of irony in the everyday, and an essentially raw approach to painting and sculpture, mark out Yaxley as an artist with a truly unique vision.

The Adventures of William Yaxley is touring to Ipswich Art Gallery and will be on display from 11 June to 7 August 2016.