Born Sydney, 1969

Returning to stretches of south coast NSW, Gannon accumulates working drawings on site, sketching elements of weather or impressions of a landscape, in order to generate the content for his paintings back in his Sydney studio. The artist was a finalist in the 2011 Hazelhurst Prize.

Atmosphere is heightened by Gannon’s wonderful shrouding of diffused even light so that the detailed brush work of landforms float on the horizon line. A dream-like mood emanates from the misty bushland and cavernous hillsides. Following the success of Gannon’s past five solo shows at Libby Edwards Galleries, Gannon has created a solid following for his moody paintings. The 2012 series ‘Mountain’ explored his overnight experience of Kosciusko National Park in Autumn.

The artist reflected –

Atmosphere and light are the two most significant pictorial elements in a picture for me. One sets the mood and emotion of a piece work, the other dictates the clarity of an image. During that brief period (24 hours) the landscape was subjected to some of the most sublime and threatening conditions I had ever encountered. It is a physically dramatic place, the colours of the palette are limited, however they are bold and strong. It is undeniable beautiful, in its own way. It is not the alpine landscape of Europe or America, there is still that unkempt, untidy but uniquely Australian element to it. There was an immediate connection for me and certainly the prospect of making work from this landscape seemed distinctly possible…

At times I felt it necessary to try to convey the sheer physicality of the place, sharp edges, hard surfaces and unforgiving terrain. Then there are the atmospheric conditions which transform the landscape into something almost other worldly. Silence and purity that can make you almost believe that you are the only one… It is a place that immediately impresses itself on me and continued to move me long after I had returned home.