JAN Allsopp is the chosen artist for Coffs Harbour Regional Gallery’s first exhibition of the year.

It was a move to her beloved family holiday home at Valla Beach that inspired a trajectory to a new approach to her work that you will see at the exhibition.

In 2016, when she settled into the Valla Beach home, Jan wanted to represent her happy memories and experiences in paint but struggled to create something she felt truly captured their spirit.

By switching from representational painting to non-objective painting, Jan experienced an opening up of expressive opportunity.

Jan moved her studio back to her Coffs Harbour home in 2020 and has been working to create the
body of work which makes up the upcoming exhibition called ‘Complex Simplicity’.

It’s a vibrant collection of artworks by Jan, a self-expressed ‘happiness enthusiast’.

Freshness and fun combine in the colourful show, a solo exhibition of work opening on 22 January 2022.

And it’s a humdinger of a dynamic exhibition lasting almost four months, closing on 28 May, featuring a range of inspired and inspiring activities including an Artist’s Talk, and an interactive Drawing for Happiness workshop, with more to be announced.

Full of bright, happy colours, Allsopp’s works are the product of creating within self-imposed boundaries such as limited colours or scale of work.

The Complex Simplicity title refers to her multi-layered works with recognisable shapes, textures and colours.

“I’ve been lucky enough to have a sneak peek at Jan’s incredible work having spent some time with Jan in her home studio,” said Lisa Knowlson, Acting Gallery Museum and Public Art Coordinator.

“What really impacted me straight away was the vibrancy of her works, and the underlying messaging around happiness and mental health was very evident.

“We have developed a number of fun and engaging programs including interactive workshops that I feel will appeal to people of all ages.”

The show is linked to Allsopp’s ‘Creating for Happiness’ – a resource the artist has developed around building both an artistic and ‘happiness’ practice.

Following two years of adaptation, creative resilience and various rolling changes, this exhibition offers visitors the opportunity to recognise the role of happiness in their lives as well as finding ways to embed it in their routines.

The show is offering interactive experiences such as allowing visitors to immerse themselves in layers of colour and embrace the opportunity to create like the artist by layering colour shapes on the Gallery walls in “the room without a roof” – more details to be announced.

 

By Andrea FERRARI