• ‘Let this distance not grow...' Hands are things we notice in others, on which we place great reliance as an...

    ‘Let this distance not grow...'

    Hands are things we notice in others, on which we place great reliance as an indicator of character. Like the face, they are prime areas for the expression of individuality.

     

    The human hand acts as a conduit to our fifth sense: touch. And with the eye in tow, the hand is our main source of contact with our physical environment–they can see around corners, and in the dark–they can function at a distance from our bodies, so ubiquitous with the involvement of human affairs. Especially the tender type.

     

    Ghostly yet tender, The Lovers brings together a suite of intimate compositions by Natasha Walsh focusing on touch and desire rather than eyes looking. Pulling loosely from paintings passed, such as Caravaggio’s The Loot Player, ca. 1595, Natasha is experimenting with the gesture of her hand painting that of her lovers.

     

    Please contact the gallery for a list of available works. Scroll down for a poem written by Natasha.

  • Natasha Walsh The Lovers I, 2024 oil on copper 15 x 20 cm
    Natasha Walsh
    The Lovers I, 2024
    oil on copper
    15 x 20 cm
    Enquire
  •
    • Natasha Walsh The Lovers II, 2024 oil on copper 8.8 x 9 cm
      Natasha Walsh
      The Lovers II, 2024
      oil on copper
      8.8 x 9 cm
      Enquire
    • Natasha Walsh The Lovers III, 2024 oil on copper 9.5 x 10 cm
      Natasha Walsh
      The Lovers III, 2024
      oil on copper
      9.5 x 10 cm
      Enquire
    • Natasha Walsh The Lovers IV, 2024 oil on copper 9.8 x 10.5 cm
      Natasha Walsh
      The Lovers IV, 2024
      oil on copper
      9.8 x 10.5 cm
      Enquire
    • Natasha Walsh The Lovers V, 2024 oil on copper 11 x 10 cm
      Natasha Walsh
      The Lovers V, 2024
      oil on copper
      11 x 10 cm
      Enquire
    • Natasha Walsh The Lovers VI, 2024 oil on copper 9.4 x 8 cm
      Natasha Walsh
      The Lovers VI, 2024
      oil on copper
      9.4 x 8 cm
      Enquire
    • Natasha Walsh The Lovers VII, 2024 oil on copper 9.5 x 9 cm
      Natasha Walsh
      The Lovers VII, 2024
      oil on copper
      9.5 x 9 cm
      Enquire
    • Natasha Walsh The Lovers VIII, 2024 oil on copper 10 x 9.8 cm
      Natasha Walsh
      The Lovers VIII, 2024
      oil on copper
      10 x 9.8 cm
      Enquire
    • Natasha Walsh The Lovers IX, 2024 oil on panel 10 x 10 cm
      Natasha Walsh
      The Lovers IX, 2024
      oil on panel
      10 x 10 cm
      Enquire

  • The Lovers.

    By Natasha Walsh

    My fingertips
         glide
    upon a current, charged
    with your scent

    Thousands of fine filaments
    Rise
    on its waves, bridging
    a bitter-
         sweet
    separation

    Let this distance not grow
    to be too great
         nor too deep
    For this fine wire
    of perfect percipience,
    should Snap

    Let it not become a chasm
    too long or too far
    Till our spirits
         humbly
    meet once again,
    On those crystalline shores

    Beyond
    this border,
    guarded by the senses
    Eyes, turned inward,
         Sightless.
    In your lightness,
    mirrored,
    I perceive my own dark
    night

    Old wounds
    long neglected,
         Banished
    by fear, to be hidden
    Beneath judgement and shame

    Brought into the sun-
    light restored, they flutter,
    fragile
    ugly
    things, no more.

    Yet still, I hesitate.

    A dream.
    my hand suspended
         trembling
    in a formless
    void

    So, laden
         with longing
    is this painted caress

  • Bio.

    Bio.

    'My practice thrives on experimentation... I actually don’t enjoy confronting my reflection. At times the vulnerability of this can be very disheartening and unpleasant.'

    Natasha Walsh's practice is informed by an understanding of the artist as an alchemist. Known for her transformation of pigments on copper surfaces, Walsh's work acutely observes delicately-painted figures that emerge from the surface. ‘From the moment that I prepare the surface, it begins to naturally oxidise. I experiment with applying different ground pigments which change colour in response to this process. These paintings visibly age as I work on them. As such, my attempt to transfix time is inherently impossible and this interests me.’

     

    Walsh has been a recipient of multiple awards, prizes, and scholarships, including The Brett Whiteley Travelling Art Scholarship, Mosman Art Prize, and The Kilgour Prize, and has been a finalist in The Archibald Prize four times, The BP Portrait Award (London National Portrait Gallery), The Royal Scottish Academy Annual Exhibition (Edinburgh), and The Royal Academy of Arts Summer Exhibition (London).

     

    Request available works / Join Natasha's preview list.