Lives of their own: Stories Behind Precious Objects

During a recent visit to Melbourne I managed to pop into Flinders Lane Gallery, up the flight of stairs in the Nicholas Building, 37 Swanston St. I especially wanted to see Hobie Porter’s work. I attended a workshop with Hobie years ago at Toowoomba and learnt so much about painting with oils and colour. Hobie had two works in the show …paintings of leaves.

Hobie states he enjoys their organic, lyrical and textural qualities but their gravitas lies in their suggestive qualities stimulating readings of fragility and mortality.

The level of detail was incredible, the leaves seemed so real they were almost popping from the surface, you could sense how dry, fragile and paper like they were.

Hobie Porter’s “Tapestry 4”, 2022. oil on linen