JAMES ERSKINE
Liverpool ‘Till I Die
10 December - 19 December 2020
*All proceeds from this exhibition will be donated to ‘Lou’s Place’ - Sydney only daytime women’s refuge
www.lousplace.com.au
I haven’t painted since my early teens, but earlier this year my wife Jacqui gave me some watercolours and wonderful paper and I tried my hand.
All the paintings were painted outside, chill or shine. All from memory, of special places in my life. With the exception of a few attributed “after” to those who influenced the work, including William Turner, Luc Tuymans, John Beard and Lloyd Rees. I drew inspiration from their colours, movements and emotion.
I was influenced by the weather, time of day, stillness, beauty and calmness of those memories. Some works were intended to be larger but were eventually ‘torn down’ to the size where I thought the composition worked best. Some took weeks to complete, others almost instantaneously.
Encouraging comments from family, friends and a few artists gave me the idea that I could do a show for charity. I plucked up enough courage and decided to give it a go. I called Alexa Haslingden, the Chair of Lou’s Place, a wonderful local charity looking after women in crisis. Alexa’s enthusiasm determined my charity of choice and I ended up completing 48 works, 100% of all sales will go to Lou’s Place.
They have all been beautifully framed with museum glass by Parkers Sydney Fine Art Supplies (the best) who very kindly donated the frames at cost. A huge thanks to Derek Parker.
A good friend, Michael Dhillon, the proprietor of Bindi Wines, in my view he produces the best pinot and chardonnay in Australia, kindly donated all the wine for the opening, again a hearty thanks Michael.
Also, Adam Sims who encouraged me from start to finish. Thank you so much.
In closing, I hope that you enjoy some of these works, and that the bring a sense of peace in these turbulent times. They certainly gave me solace.
James Erskine - November 2020
Lou’s Place
Started in 1999 in a terrace in Kings Cross, Lou’s Place is a unique, community based refuge for women in crisis, feeling isolated or needing support. Most of the women who visit Lou’s Place have experienced multiple traumas in their lives, the majority are facing issues of homelessness , domestic violence, mental health and addiction. Lou’s Place receives no government funding and relies on the generous support of friends, foundations, and some corporate partners.
We are a low barrier centre which means you can still be struggling with addiction and mental health issues and as long as you are safe to come into the house, you are welcomed at Lou’s. We meet clients where they are and work from there. We also work with all women for as long as they need help. There is no cut off time to clients’ ability to assess Lou’s because we know every women’s recovery is different. And most importantly, we work with clients to address the underlying trauma that has contributed to their issues so they can heal and rebuild their lives. And stop the cycle.
In the past 21 years, Lou’s Place has helped over 175,000 women. Please help us help more women. “
Alexa Haslingden
Chair
https://www.lousplace.com.au/