Just as renowned British artist John Constable looked to his beloved home Dedham Vale for divine inspiration, so Joel Wolter sees the beauty of Victoria’s south-west coastline. Joel thrives on drawing (etching and painting) attention to the striking relationship between manmade structures and the natural world. Corio Bay, You Yangs, 13th Beach, St Mary’s Cathedral and the Geelong Railway Station are just some of the region’s landscapes that have caught Joel’s artistic eye.
“There’s a tradition and legacy of artists who’ve looked to their immediate environments, surroundings and hometowns so I like to do that too in my work,” Joel contends. He muses that Geelong has a “19th Century European quality” which he finds “unique and captivating”. “I like the skyline,” he utters softly, as though mentioning the skyline takes his mind to a peaceful place.
His fervour for his homeland draws him to Constable, Rembrandt van Rijn and James McNeill Whistler for their telling landscape artistry and the latter two also for their printmaking abilities. In the same vein, Joel admires modern day artists like Rick Amor, Jeffrey Smart and Peter Booth. Joel recalls exhibiting at the 2011 Rick Amor Print Prize, considering it “a great acknowledgement” to display his work at the namesake show of “one of (his) favourite artists”. Now Joel has a new prize in his sights: presenting his largest solo exhibition to date.
Read more about Joel’s preparations for his largest solo exhibition coming to Geelong Gallery this October.
