Untitled Document

Bernard Ollis
	The Zig Zag Path, 2006 Oil on canvas 140 x 160 cm Wild Nights, 2006 Oil on canvas 140 x 160 cm Vaudeville Act, 2006 Oil on canvas 160 x 140 cm The Train Ride, 2006 Oil on canvas 92 x 76 cm A Pleasant Drive in the Country, 2006 Oil on canvas 50 x 40 cm The Jury, 2006 Oil on canvas 140 x 160 cm Viaduct, 2005 Oil on canvas 160 x 140 cm The Visitor Returns, 2005 Oil on canvas 160 x 140 cm The Band Returning 2, 2005 Oil on canvas 160 x 140 cm Lovers and Lamp Post, 2005 Oil on canvas 25 x 20 cm Evil Doings, 2006 Oil on canvas 46 x 36 cm Creature Comforts, 2005 Oil on canvas 160 x 140 cm Dog Capers, 2005 Oil on canvas 36 x 46 cm Granada Procession, 2005 Oil on canvas 160 x 140 cm	Bernard Ollis will be exhibiting his recent paintings in an exhibition 'The St Peters Suite' opening on Thursday 29 June and concluding Saturday 22 July 2006 at Michael Nagy Fine Art, 53 Jersey Road, Woollahra, Sydney. Bernard has had a distinguished career in art making and his works are represented in major public and private collections in Australia and overseas. He hails from the UK and received his Masters of Arts (painting) from the Royal College of Art in London. In 2005, Ollis was awarded the Conrad Jupiter Art Prize by the Gold Coast City Art Gallery, Queensland. In addition, Bernard Ollis is the Director of the National Art School in Sydney. Bernard Ollis's work has always been characterised by a wonderful sense of play and an infectious feeling of optimism. Large colourful off-beat and frequently whimsical, his works are often produced in a 'proto-naïve style' that often reflects his current preoccupations. Relationships, the theatre, travelling, the dance floor, suburbia, exotic animals, teaching, vertigo, swimming, day dreaming, eating, listening to music, enchantment. Ollis's joyful paintings appear to celebrate the pleasure principle offering viewers enchanting scenes full of colourful animals, people and events. He locates his paintings in the realm of the theatre of stage and circus which in themselves come laden with potent symbolism. Despite the gaiety of mood sometimes portrayed in Ollis's work there is often something poignant about that jolliness, invoking in the viewer a nostalgia for the lost world of childhood innocence. For a time when we believed a clown could be really very happy and not a manic depressive in drag. Ollis writes "I have often said my paintings are like writing half a sentence and allowing the viewer to complete it. I give clues and symbols and possibilities for interpretation but the rest is up to the spectator". Certainly any discerning spectator will be intrigued by Ollis's view of humanity. His attention to detail that makes up mans daily existence is a characteristic that is usually shared by the novelist rather than the painter, and herein may lie an answer to the unique and powerful qualities of the work. Ollis's canvases have a bold bouncy optimism mixed with an element of black humour that is catchy. He captures both these elements by the use of bright, off-beat colours, inventive pattern and odd distortions. Last but not least is Ollis;s marvellous compositional gifts which allow him to conjure up bits of Breughel, Chagall, Ensor, Beckmann, Dix and Paula Rego without once losing his own individual touch. Barbara Tuckerman art curator writes "In these sensuously handled and dynamically composed paintings Ollis depicts a delightful world, yet subtly disturbs any sense of complacency by awakening our awareness to the fragility of happiness". Raymond Rousel wrote in his book Impressions D'Afrique "But all this is only an illusion, a reflection. Let's be content with the beauty of the mirage, since that is all there is". BIOGRAPHY 1951 Born in Bath, England 1976 Arrived in Australia Studies 1969 - 1970 Foundation Studies Cardiff College of Art and Design, Wales UK 1970 - 1973 Diploma of Art and Design, Cardiff College of Art and Design, Wales UK 1973 - 1976 Master of Art (Painting), The Royal College of Art, London UK Lecturing and Administrative Experience 1974 - 1976 Visiting Lecturer, Various British Art Schools 1977 - 1978 Lecturer Fine Art, Darwin Community College (University Northern Territory) 1978 - 1982 Head of Painting, Drawing and Sculpture Section, Darwin Community College (University Northern Territory) 1982 Acting Head of Visual Art Department, Darwin Community College (University Northern Territory) 1982 - 1994 Head of Painting, La Trobe University (Victoria) 1994 - 1996 Senior Lecturer/Head of Fine Art, La Trobe University (Victoria) 1996 - 1997 Head of Painting Department, National Art School (Sydney) 1997 - 1998 Head of Studies, National Art School (Sydney) 1998 - Present Director, National Art School (Sydney) Solo Exhibitions 1972 - 1973 College of Art Gallery, Cardiff Wales - College Art Gallery, Cardiff, UK 1974 - 1975 Commonwealth Institute Gallery, London UK 1976 The Africa Centre Covent Garden, London UK 1976 The Royal Commonwealth Society, London UK 1978 Warehouse Galleries, South Melbourne Victoria 1981 Macquarie Gallery, Sydney NSW 1982 Macquarie Gallery, Sydney NSW 1984 Macquarie Gallery, Sydney NSW 1984 - 1986 Visual Arts Board, Bernard Ollis, The Australian Tour - Exhibited at: Undercroft Gallery for the Perth Festival University of Western Australia Hawthorn City Art Gallery, Victoria Warrnambool Art Gallery, Victoria Ararat Gallery, Victoria Mildura Arts Centre, Victoria Shepparton Regional Art Gallery, Victoria Muswellbrook Art Gallery, NSW Bathurst Regional Gallery, NSW Orange Art Gallery, NSW Benalla Art Gallery Victoria Wagga Wagga Art Gallery, NSW Bendigo Art Gallery Victoria (extended survey exhibition) 1987 Macquarie Gallery, Sydney NSW - Powell Street Gallery, South Yarra Victoria 1988 Macquarie Gallery, Sydney NSW - Roz Macallan Gallery, Brisbane Queensland 1989 Macquarie Gallery, Sydney NSW 1990 Macquarie Gallery, Sydney NSW 1991 Powell Street Gallery, South Yarra Victoria 1992 Retrospective Paintings and Pastels, Macquarie Gallery, Sydney NSW 1993 Botanical Gallery, South Yarra Victoria 1994 Bendigo Art Gallery, Victoria 1996 Australian Galleries, Melbourne Victoria 1997 Hot Bath Gallery, Bath UK 1998 Mary Place Gallery, Sydney NSW 1998 Sydney Theatre Company, Sydney NSW 1999 Michael Nagy Fine Art, Sydney NSW 2000 Michael Nagy Fine Art, Sydney NSW 2002 Stella Downer Galleries, Sydney NSW 2006 Michael Nagy Fine Art, Sydney NSW Selected Group Exhibitions 1970 Welsh Arts Council (acquisitive), Cardiff Wales - Stowels Trophy Award - Institute of Contemporary Art, London, UK 1973 Brunel University with David Hockney, Peter Blake and Ron Kitaj, London UK 1974 Commonwealth Institute Arts Centre, London UK 1975 "New Contemporaries of British Art" Camden Arts Centre, London UK - "Northern Young Contemporaries", Manchester UK 1976 The Royal College of Art Gulbenkian Hall, London UK 1977 "Work on Paper" Macquarie Galleries, Sydney NSW 1978 Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory, Darwin NT 1980 College Gallery Darwin Community College, Darwin NT - Browns Mart Theatre Company, Darwin NT 1981 Contemporary Arts Society, Adelaide SA 1982 Macquarie Galleries, Sydney NSW - "Urban Environment" Travelling Exhibition, Ivan Dougherty Gallery Sydney and Regional Galleries of New South Wales 1983 Anima Galleries, Adelaide SA 1985 "On the Beach" Arts Council of Australia, Regional Tour of NSW and Victoria regional Galleries 1986 Solander Gallery, Canberra ACT - Art Space, Bendigo Victoria 1987 University of New South Wales Purchase Prize, University Gallery Sydney - Art Space, Bendigo Victoria 1988 9" x 5" Centenary Exhibition touring NSW and QLD regional Galleries - Art Space, Bendigo Victoria 1989 Fremantle International Print Award Exhibition, Fremantle Gallery WA - University of New South Wales Purchase Prize, University Gallery Sydney - Art Space, Bendigo Victoria - Lake Macquarie Invitation Prize, University Gallery Sydney NSW 1990 Solander Gallery, Canberra ACT - Art Space, Bendigo Victoria - Lake Macquarie Invitation Prize University Gallery, Sydney NSW 1991 Solander Gallery, Canberra ACT - Art Space, Bendigo Victoria - Lake Macquarie Invitation Prize University Gallery, Sydney NSW 1992 Summer School Tutors Downs Gallery, University of Southern Queensland 1992 "Artists Play" Westpac Gallery, Melbourne Victoria 1994 QDOS Gallery, Lorne Victoria 1994 La Trobe University, Bundoora Victoria (staff exhibition) 1995 "Victorian Vistas", Rialto Melbourne Victoria 1995 Australia Felix Benalla Easter Arts Festival, Victoria 1995 "The Mask" Amnesty International, Art Gallery of New South Wales 1995 "The Comedie Humane" Co-curated Australian Galleries, Sydney 1995 - 1996 "Sport, The Most Accessible Theatre in the World" - Adelaide Festival Centre, South Australia (touring) 1996 Prime Television Invitation Prize (Touring) from Ballarat Gallery, Victoria 1996 Jeans for Genes Royal Hospital Appeal via Art Gallery of New South Wales 1997 Dominique Segan Drawing Prize, Castlemaine Victoria 1998 Pas D'Accrochage En Publique (Not a Public Hanging) National Art School 2000 Sulman Prize, Art Gallery of New South Wales - Olympic Arts Festival Sydney (Various Locations) 2001 Manly Art Gallery, The Studio Tradition (Touring) 2001 Sulman Prize, Art Gallery of New South Wales 2002 Sulman Prize, Art Gallery of New South Wales 2003 "Beneath the Surface" Cell Block Theatre, NAS, Sydney NSW 2003 Dobell Prize, Art Gallery of New South Wales 2004 "Drawcard" Cell Block Theatre National Art School 2004 Hong Ik University Gallery, Seoul South Korea 2004 Doug Moran Portrait Prize Mitchell Library (Touring Australia) 2004 "Spectrum" NSW Parliament House - FONAS Exhibition 2005 "Drawcard" Cell Block Theatre National Art School 2005 "Dog Trumpet" - Michael Nagy Gallery, Sydney NSW 2005 "Drawing the Line" - Cell Block Theatre National Art School (academic staff exhibition) 2006 Hong Ik University Gallery, Seoul South Korea Awards and Prizes 1975 Artist-in-residence Maltese Studio International Youth Arts Festival British representative 1975 Artist-in-residence Paris Studio Cité Internationale des Arts France Paris Studio, Cité International Des Arts, France (artist in residence) 1976 John Minton International Painting Prize, London UK 1977 Sir Fredrick Richards' Travelling Scholarship (drawing), UK 1982 Gold Coast City Art Awards, Queensland 1983 Commissioned series of paintings for Napoleon Brandy Advertising Campaign 1984 Visual Arts Board Australia, Council Grant 1988 Heritage Arts Festival Award, Queensland 1989 Selected for Sydney Children's Choir catalogue 1992 Selected by Melbourne Theatre Company for season's brochure 2000 Olympic Arts Festival 2005 Conrad Jupiter Art Prize, Gold Coast City Art Gallery, Queensland Selected reviews 1978 McCulloch, Alan, Surviving the Shock of Ockerdom, Herald, May 1978 Makin, Jeff, An Englishman with a Darwin Connection, The Sun, 28 June 1981 McLachlan, Tim, Sydney, National Times Review, March 1981 Lynn, Elwyn, Sydney Galleries, Weekend Australian, 1 August 1981 A Month in Review, National Times, August 1981 Borlase, Nancy, It all there the Beer, the View and the Colour, Sydney Morning Herald 1983 Artworks go on Show, Mildura Paper 1983 Art is Vibrant and Colourful, Mildura Paper 1983 Art on Show, Mildura Paper 1983 At the Gallery, The News, Shepparton, 15 September 1984 Tobias, Jill, Bendigo Artist's Work Home to Roost, Bendigo Advertiser, September 1984 McGrath, Sandra, Place Conveyed as State of Mind, The Weekend Australian, 18 February 1984 The Bulletin, 24 July 1984 Wolseley, John, Bonjour Monsieur Ollis, Macquarie Gallery, Bulletin 1985 Catalano, Gary, Australian Ugliness as seen by English Eyes, The Age, June 1985 Chanin, Eileen, and Ollis, Bernard, Constructivism, Macquarie Galleries Bulletin 1986 Malcolm, Terrance, How to Handle Child?s Play, Sydney Morning Herald, February 1986 Black, Sharyn, Ollis Rocking the Boat, BCAE Student Magazine 1988 Catalano, Gary, A Review of the Year in the Galleries, The Age, December 1988 Chanin, Eileen, New Art 11, Macquarie Gallery Bulletin 1988 Catalano, Gary, Fantasy Moves Out of the Fairground, The Age, 17 February 1988 Constantine, Fran, 9 x 5 x Mail The Centre Gallery, Queensland 1989 Farrel, Katrina, Jumping in the Deep End, Australian Arts 1990 Chanin, Eileen, Inside World, Macquarie Gallery Bulletin 1991 Image: The Body Swap Shop, Bathurst Regional Gallery 1991 Robert, Rooney, No Rest for the Wicked, Weekend Australian, February 1992 Fern, Lynette, Sculptural Tensions, The Sydney Morning Herald, February 1993 Borough Galleries, Seven Regional Artists, August 1993 Pollard, Pat, The Body Swap Shop, The Western Times, August 1995 The Power of Ten, Herald Sun, April 1998 Morgan, Joyce, New Era as Disharmony goes by the Board, Sydney Morning Herald, 11 February 2004 Verghis, Sharon Art Teacher draws a line at poor skills The Sydney Morning Herald 12 June 2005 Hill, Peter, Line Honours, The Sydney Morning Herald, 4 September Catalogues and Books 1983 Paroissien, Leon, Australian Art Review, Warner Assoc. Press 1984 Bendigo Art Gallery Bernard Ollis Australian Works, National Touring catalogue 1988 Drury, Neville, New Directions in Contemporary Art, Craftsman House, Sydney 1990 Germaine, Max, Artists and Galleries of Australia, Craftsman House, Sydney 1991 Chanin, Eileen, ed Contemporary Australian Art, Craftsman House, Sydney 1992 Drury, Neville, Images in Contemporary Art, Craftsman House, Sydney 1993 Hayes, Susan, and Gervasoni, Clare, Artistic Insights, Harcourt Brace Jovanonvich, Sydney 1994 McCulloch, Susan, The Encyclopaedia of Australian Art, Allen and Unwin, Melbourne 1995 Gervasoni, Clare, and Paterson, Susan, Catbuster Art, Macmillan, Melbourne 1995 Who's Who of Australian Visual Arts (2nd edition) Reed International Publishing 1996 Paterson, S. and Gervasoni, C. Catbuster Studio Art, Macmillan, Victoria 1997 Paterson, Susan, From Bendigo to Bath, Hot Bath Gallery, Bath, UK 2005 Li, Jingzhe, Australian Contemporary Painting Shanghai People's Fine Art Publishing House Contributions to Books, Journals and Magazines by Bernard Ollis 1975 Ollis, Bernard, Malta seminars become Carnivals Commonwealth News 4 June 75, Volume 1976 Ollis, Bernard, chapter in Picard Phyllis If You think Your Child is Gifted, Allen and Unwin, London 1980 Ollis, Bernard, Peter Colett, in Scarlett Ken Australian Sculptors, Nelson, Melbourne 1980 Ollis, Bernard, catalogue preface introduction to David Middlebrook American Artist in Residence, Chandler Coventry Gallery 1983 Ollis, Bernard, An Artists view from Darwin, Australian Art Review Chapter on Northern Territory. Ed Paroissien, Leon, Macmillan Press 1992 Ollis, Bernard, in Hayes, Susan, Flora and Fauna, La Trobe University 1998 Ollis, Bernard, History of the National Art School, NAS website 1998 - 2002 Ollis, Bernard, Foreword National Art School Degree Show Yearbook 1999 Ollis, Bernard, Craft Arts International – Art Schools in Australia 2001 Ollis, Bernard, Foreword The Studio Tradition 2002 - 2005 Ollis, Bernard, Foreword National Art School Prospectus 2002 - 2005 Ollis, Bernard, Foreword National Art School Honours Yearbook 2005 Ollis, Bernard the Band Returning 2005 full page colour image appearing on front cover of Antiques & Art in Queensland November 2005 - March 2006 edition 2005 Ollis, Bernard, Foreword Walking the Line National Art School Academic Staff Drawing Exhibition Catalogue Collections Art Bank, Sydney NSW Australian National Gallery, Canberra ACT Bathurst Arts Centre, Bathurst NSW Bendigo Art Gallery, Bendigo Victoria Castlemaine Art Gallery and Historical Collection, Victoria Cultural Centre, Valetta Malta Darwin University, Northern Territory Gold Coast City Art Gallery, Surfers Paradise Queensland Grafton Regional Gallery, Grafton NSW Herald Sun Art Collection, Melbourne Victoria McGregor Collection University of Southern Queensland, Toowoomba Queensland Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne Victoria New England Regional Art Museum, Armidale NSW Orange Art Gallery, Orange NSW Parliament House, Canberra ACT Queensland Art Gallery, Brisbane Queensland Royal College of Art, London UK Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, Victoria The Commonwealth Institute, London UK Welsh Arts Council, Cardiff Wales