Self-portrait in Hong Kong tailored suit, 2002
oil and wax on linen 153 x 153 cm 
Rue da la Croix...Portrait of John Kelly, 2002
oil & wax on linen 153 x 153 cm |
2002 - 2006 France ‘Thinking about my work from the past 25 years or so, I have come to realise that it has always had a strong autobiographical focus although that might not have always been obvious to the viewer.’ Terry Batt is a storyteller who relies on associations and memories to trigger ideas for his works, explaining: ‘I resist the temptation to create paintings where the narrative is a literal translation of a memory or a series of memories.’ Self-portrait in Hong Kong tailored suit, 2002, was exhibited in ‘Point of no Return’ at Niagara Galleries in the same year in which it was painted. The work is a meditation on the artist’s thoughts about his life and career. Having recently spent four months away from university participating in an artist-in-residence program in France, Batt had reached a point where he believed the only way forward was to return to painting full time. Self-portrait in Hong Kong tailored suit is nostalgic in tone. The artist surrounds himself with personal objects such as a collection of toys and is flanked by two sculptures that hark back to his time at RMIT. These sculptures represent a humorous aside to his fellow lecturers, in painter Andrew Sibley’s words, the ‘brothers of the brush’. Terry Batt stands isolated in the painting, hooded and clothed in an old-fashioned suit, seemingly caught in a state of vulnerability, set against a backdrop of 1950s green and chequerboard linoleum. These elements reference his father and his son. The suit made in Hong Kong is reminiscent of the regimental tie given to him by his eldest son, Micah, who is an officer in the Australian Army. The suit, tie, polished shoes and gait also mirror Batt’s memories of his father, who made a living as a commercial traveller, selling products throughout regional Victoria. 
Stepping out: Self portrait in Brooks Brothers tie, 2006
oil and wax on linen 152 x 152 cm |
2006 USA
America has proved a strong magnet for many artists over the years. Terry Batt and his family lived and travelled around the United States on numerous occasions. The Great Lakes area situated in the upper mid-west region of North America is a haven for freshwater fishing, nature walks and outdoor adventure camping. Batt’s youngest son, Lincoln, backpacked across the Lakes and worked on the Illinois-Wisconsin border to help pay for college tuition fees. Lure of the Land o’Lakes, 2006, acknowledges Batt’s youngest son’s attachment to the Lakes area. The title pun on attraction and locally made lures that Terry Batt collected provides a humorous edge to the painting. The lure also takes on an independent life of its own much like the characters invented for ‘Brush de Boogie’.
The strong formal emphasis in the painting is reinforced by opposing horizontal and vertical forms that firmly anchor and balance the composition. Large areas of colour add intensity and an illusion of depth. While the tree branches, dark foliage and black shadows form silhouettes that create an important and contrasting negative space.
Batt’s aim is to make colour ‘turn the corner’, to advance and recede on a flat surface. The painting recalls old-style advertisements and travel posters but it is a work that is firmly situated in the present.
America has proved a strong magnet for many artists over the years. Terry Batt and his family lived and travelled around the United States on numerous occasions. The Great Lakes area situated in the upper mid-west region of North America is a haven for freshwater fishing, nature walks and outdoor adventure camping. Batt’s youngest son, Lincoln, backpacked across the Lakes and worked on the Illinois-Wisconsin border to help pay for college tuition fees. Lure of the Land o’Lakes, 2006, acknowledges Batt’s youngest son’s attachment to the Lakes area. The title pun on attraction and locally made lures that Terry Batt collected provides a humorous edge to the painting. The lure also takes on an independent life of its own much like the characters invented for ‘Brush de Boogie’.
The strong formal emphasis in the painting is reinforced by opposing horizontal and vertical forms that firmly anchor and balance the composition. Large areas of colour add intensity and an illusion of depth. While the tree branches, dark foliage and black shadows form silhouettes that create an important and contrasting negative space.
Batt’s aim is to make colour ‘turn the corner’, to advance and recede on a flat surface. The painting recalls old-style advertisements and travel posters but it is a work that is firmly situated in the present.
Lure of the Land o’Lakes, 2006
oil & wax on linen 152 x 152cm |
Rodd ‘n Gunn, 2015
oil on linen, 150 x 120cm |