“It is possibly the most benign and energising of all human addictions – the desire to create.  I suggest in paint wherever I can and let my mind do what it does best – subconsciously render its own reality.” – Darren Meader

Tasmanian artist Darren Meader has been a painter of the landscape since he was 18 years old.  Although he has lived in urban surrounds for most of his life, Darren has always held an endless fascination for the natural environment.  During childhood holidays throughout Victoria he developed a strong connection to all aspects of the land: from rural to remote, the high-country to the coast and he drew these landscapes endlessly.  His early working life as a geologist led him across the continent of Australia to many captivating places.

Darren finds the desire to capture thoughts and visions through the medium of paint very compelling, whether it be the outback, rural or urban Australia… he photographs the environments which he finds himself in, he absorbs the sights, the smells, the sounds, the tactile qualities… and then he immerses himself with the challenge to paint his response.

Whilst he is a realist, Darren enjoys the use of impressionistic brushstrokes and palette knife work to impart a painterly character.  The power of suggestion and the energy of fluent, confident strokes means more to Darren than sheer accuracy.  He keeps in mind the words of English painter, John Yardley “The more real you try to make something look, the less real it looks.”