A Coastal and Desert Dreams exhibition will take place at The J Art Space from 1-29 September in Noosa Junction.
The artist, Paul Meertens, is a retired social researcher/administrator who moved to the Sunshine Coast in 2018.
He lived most of his working life in Melbourne and moved to Canberra towards the end of his career.
While in Canberra he discovered urban sketching and enjoyed honing his drawing skills by attending local sketching events.
In Noosa, Paul has been involved in the Water Colour Group at Wallace House and has exhibited regularly there. More recently he has experimented with acrylics as he has a love of bright colours.
Paul is an avid bushwalker and inspired by the nature of the Sunshine Coast.
He also loves travelling in remote parts of Australia and prefers to work en plein air, as he finds this helps capture the sense of place of a location. At other times when it hasn’t been possible to visit particular areas, he searches for books and magazines or uses his imagination to find inspiration for his work.
The exhibition largely features landscapes it and also includes some works on musical topics such as a tribute to some of the great jazz musicians and a painting of a didgeridoo player.
While straying a little from the main theme of the exhibition, the musical references are in keeping with the venue, which is a much loved, local concert venue.
Whenever possible Paul has taken the opportunity to attend workshops with other artists. From these workshops and other influences he has embarked on a journey of developing his own personal painting style.
The art exhibition is opening on Thursday 7 September from 4pm at the J Art Space, Noosa Junction.
For more information email paulmeertensart@gmail.com
