The Dawn Patrol boys
Gallery 139
on location, King Edward Park, Newcastle
Back in May 2015, I too woke before dawn and met the boys on location in Newcastle to experience what the allure of painting dawn was all about in order to write an article and take some photos for my submission to the Hunter Lifestyle magazine. For those of you who don't know me, I am not a morning person and this was hard task for me.
I grumbled at the alarm and winged to myself as I got dressed in the chill of the morning and head out to meet the boys at the look in King Edward Park, Newcastle. Of course, it was worth the passing pain and I was given a glimpse behind the scenes. And it was a marvellous sight these 3 artists working together, separately and with a purpose. Each knowing what they needed to get done in the limited time the dawning of the sun gave them.
The photo above now revealing more about each artist's process than I realise I was capturing at the time. Dino Consalvo on the left, painting directly onto his hardboard, this work later becoming Wistful in the current exhibition. Peter Lankas in the middle completing one of his "en plain air" works on paper. This process he replicates in the studio by finishing a painting in one setting to achieve the same immediate and gestural paint application. John Earle on the right, having already played down his base colours on location now taking a photo of the moment he wants to immortalise so cleverly onto his board. John will later build up this painting with layers and layers of paint in such a way that it will trick our eyes into almost believing we are seeing a photograph of the scene.
I am so excited to have the exhibition Dawn Patrol in Gallery 139 and very lucky to be able to spend my days among these amazing works for 3 exhibition weeks. It truly is the best part of owning my own gallery.
~ Ahn Wells
Dino Consalvo, Peter Lankas, John Earle painting on location [left - right]
Dawn Patrol opens at Gallery one3nine appeared in the June|July 2015 issue of Hunter Lifestyle page 92.