Gippsland artist Janine Riches draws on inspiration from the Australian outback and childhood nostalgia. 

“I like to distort and abstract the reference into shapes and form and through various painting techniques I create a  rustic and weathered  appearance. The viewer can look for stories. Some of my work is the Australian Landscape and others reference childhood and family history, sometimes I try to incorporate both.  I believe we are all connected in some way. I have a passion for the indigenous culture and I love the earthy colors and the shapes of rocks, trees and the way in which there is so much order, repetition and balance to the Australian Outback“

Janine's creative progress can be gauged from the beginnings of her career painting clothing for the Channel Nine Bugs Bunny Show in the 1980’s. Following on from her discovery of pastels oils, and acrylics, Riches is completing a Bachelor of Fine Art and her current practice  focuses on ambitious large oils where the multilayered style reveals what was once beneath....intriguingly, just enough to create a story. Her works sway between abstract and playful, sometimes celebrating the palest of palettes, sometimes strong and colorful. The idea of art she believes connects us as a community. This artistic notion is translated in her way of creating and re-telling; it is embedded in the paint, the manifestation of which has the practical function of bringing us together.

In order for the light to shine so brightly, the darkness must be present. Quote:
Francis Bacon http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/f/francisbac119506.html

I love telling stories through my paintings. My usual style of painting is to use geometric abstract shapes where figures are not immediately obvious and deliberately concealed in the paint. Recently I have been reminiscing through old black and white family photos taken during my early childhood
in the 1960’s. The paintings from The Children Series are illustrations inspired by that time, featuring my mother Valerie, two older sisters Michelle and Denise, my brother Andrew, Cousins, Neighborhood Kids and of course me. This is an investigative study of childhood stories to explore and understand these early years. As Minmia says in her heartening book, Under the quandong tree, “you can’t be at peace with the world until you are at peace with yourself” (p4) I deem these paintings have begun a healing process within me.

 I am not sure what has inspired this recent style of painting. It could be a beautiful painting by Australian Artist Richard Bogusz that my husband bought me 25 years ago or my attraction to the ancient Black Figure style of painting for its minimalistic and simple story telling. The Black Figure style painting was common in Greece between the 7th and 5th centuries BC. During this period opaque black figures were painted on Greek vases
resembling the silhouette. The figures are narrative, telling stories with pictures, the decorations on the vases tell us about their ancient world. This style flowed naturally and freely and was completely impromptu. To my surprise I found a few sketches I had drawn when I was a child amongst my mother’s things. They were in a very similar style to the paintings I have done in this series giving me confidence to continue the series in this
manner.
 My aim is for the paintings to have a rustic, aged appearance as if they had been in a shed for years and finally brought to light the same way discovering old photos and diaries might reveal stories long forgotten. The photos have cracks and white marks on them from age I have tried to emulate that in the paintings.
 I was born in Oakleigh in 1962 and lived in Springvale Victoria during the sixties. It was a simple life, and our entertainment came mostly from playing games with our neighbourhood friends or hanging around the house with mum and my siblings. Mum liked to tell us stories about our ancestors and
there was one part of our family history that roused my interest. This was the story of our ancestor who was said to be an Aboriginal Pearl Diver from Broome. Mum was so proud of this possibility and I am too and have spent many years researching her with limited success due to the lack of a birth record. I have contacted various agencies, including state libraries and have found nothing to contradict this story, and in fact my research along with reading the book written by Anna Haebich ‘For Their Own Good” has helped me realise many families in Australia may share a similar story and resonate with it. I feel this story needs to be shared not only for the memory of my mother and mysterious great grandmother Annie Clark, but also to help bring together the two cultures as Bart, an indigenous cultural tour guide from Broome so articulately put it – “reconciliation is
about bringing cultures together”.
 I am hoping to investigate this further in a future series, for now the following paintings are from  memories of my childhood.

I was a dreamer as a kid and always drawing so for a weekly treat Mum would buy me one new Derwent pencil. I would dream about getting the whole 72 pack someday. I was never able to achieve much of a collection because I liked the thick opaque colour achieved by pressing hard and my pencils would be worn down to an inch long after I had used them. I am still heavy handed with paint the more layers the better.
I wonder what my Mum would have done with her life if she had a crystal ball. Mum always wanted a Dr Zhivago coat after she saw the movie and the coat she is wearing in the photo was her version Mum loved her knee high black boots and would dance around the house singing “These boots were made for walking”. Springvale in the 60’s was a developing suburb with a melting pot of new immigrants. In Lewis street we had a mix of German, Yugoslav and Italian Neighbour’s and we were fortunate to have been exposed to different cultures and their delicious food.
Playing schools with the Italian girl next door, whose family was large and colourful and their kitchen always had something delicious on the stove.
Our Italian Neighbours backyard resembled a mini market garden with produce and bottles of tomato sauce lining the walls of their garage. We had great fun jumping bare foot on grapes in barrels to make wine.
We played simple games outside like hopscotch or dress ups with the neighbourhood kids.
We went to ballet at the local Scout Hall and Mum sewed our costumes. We had liquorice on Saturday mornings before ballet and while I loved ballet for the people watch opportunity, I was never very good at it. In 1973 Mum finally gave up on ballet for me and took me to oil painting lessons. We went on a Wednesday night after school in Oakleigh with Murial Balmain. Murial’s backyard studio smelt of gorgeous oil paint and turpentine and my love for painting had begun.

References

• Artist Richard Bogusz
• http://www.rbogusz.com/
• Nancy Sinatra These boot were made for Walking
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SbyAZQ45uww
• Migrant Hostel Westall
• http://www.enterprisehostel.org/
• Under the Quandong Tree by Minmia p4
• http://minmia.com.au/site/creative.php
• Murial Balmain
• http://www.oakleigh.com.au/listing/art-schools/muriel-balmain-fine-art-studios/769476/
• Dr Zhivago 1965
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doctor_Zhivago_(film)
• http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/f/francisbac119506.html

Book reference:

•  Black Figure Painting ‘Art Through the Ages’ Fourteenth Edition Fred S. Kleiner pp: 110 chapter 5
•  http://uwap.uwa.edu.au/collections/anna-haebich Book Title: For their own Good
•  Photo Credits – unknown and my own
•  Verbal Reference (permission given) Bart Pigram Narlijia Cultural Tours Broome
•  http://www.narlijiaculturaltours.com.au

Janine Riches is represented by:
Abi Edwards Gallery
Jinks Creek Winebar, Gallery & Accomondation.
Gembrook-Tonimbuk Rd, Tonimbuk Road VIC 3815
Phone: (03) 5629 8502
http://www.jinkscreekwinery.com.au/
Libby Edwards Art Consultancy & Online gallery
http://www.libbyedwardsgalleries.com/

Painting for me is like a family member, it is an integral part
of my life that brings me joy. This messy, time consuming,
expensive passion inspires me to constantly  explore and challenge myself.
Janine

Exhibitions

2016: Solo Exhibition – Children - Abi Edwards Gallery at Jinks Creek Wine bar Tonimbuk

2016: Solo Exhibition – Katherine Northern Territory Abi Edwards Gallery at Jinks Creek Wine bar Tonimbuk

2014 Solo Exhibition –Lyrics - Abi Edwards Gallery at Jinks Creek Wine bar Tonimbuk

2013- Solo Exhibition- Masquerade- Abi Edwards Gallery at Jinks Creek Wine bar Tonimbuk

            Libby Edwards Gallery-Group Show

2012- Solo Exhibition- Broome- Abi Edwards Gallery at Jinks Creek Wine bar Tonimbuk

           Group Show-Libby Edwards Gallery Armadale “Femme Fatales”

           Art Gippsland-Group Show-West Gippsland Art Centre

2011 Solo Exhibition- Street Art- Abi Edwards Gallery at Jinks Creek Wine bar Tonimbuk

          Libby Edwards Gallery Group Show ‘Small Works”

         Libby Edwards Gallery Group Show “Contempo”

          Art Gippsland-Group Show West Gippsland Art Centre

2010- Solo Exhibition- The White Show” Abi Edwards Gallery at Jinks Creek Wine bar Tonimbuk

          Art Gippsland-Group Show West Gippsland Art Centre

          Libby Edwards Gallery Group Show “Contempo”

          Art Melbourne-Group Show

2009- Solo Exhibition- Alice – Abi Edwards Gallery at Jinks Creek Wine bar Tonimbuk

          Group Exhibition-Port Art Gallery Port Melbourne

          Solo Exhibition – West Gippsland Art Centre Warragul “Alice    

         Art Gippsland-Group Show West Gippsland Art Centre

2008 – Group Show -Art Melbourne –Gippsland Artists

              Art Gippsland-Group Show West Gippsland Art Centre

2007- Group Show Ficifolia Festival-Drouin

           Art Gippsland-Group Show West Gippsland Art Centre

2006- Art Gippsland-Group Show West Gippsland Art Centre

2005- Art Gippsland-Group Show West Gippsland Art Centre

2004- Art Gippsland-Group Show West Gippsland Art Centre

2003- Art Gippsland-Group Show West Gippsland Art Centre

2002- Art Gippsland-Group Show West Gippsland Art Centre

           Group Exhibition Theatre Works Acland Street St Kilda

           Group Show   Bunyip Hill view Hostel Exhibition

           Group Show Artistcare Gallery South Melbourne

          Group Show Daffodil day Telstra Centre Melbourne

          Group Show Sustainable Living Festival Federation Square

2001-Bunyip Hill view Hostel Group Show

2000 –Walker Street Gallery-Group Show-The She Exhibition

             Group Show Ficifolia Festival-Drouin

             Group show Mornington Rotary Exhibition

1997-Bunyip Art Show-Group Show

1996-Student Exhibition-West Gippsland Art Centre

          Bunyip Art Show

         Walker Street Gallery-Group Show-The She Exhibition

1987-1990-

       Hand painted Clothing for the Channel Nines Cartoon Show