Still wind 1991
graphite, oil stick on paper (framed)
75.9 x 59.5cm
Artwork: 796
Still wind 1991graphite, oil stick on paper (framed)
75.9 x 59.5cm
Artwork: 796
Fence 1992oil on canvas
152 x 137cm
Artwork: 797
Oh Sanity Blues 1993oil and acrylic on canvas
197.5 x 183cm
Artwork: 858
No Net, Not Yet 1996acrylic on canvas
168 x 153cm
Artwork: 892
Under Capricorn 1996acrylic on polycotton
168 x 152cm
Artwork: 897
I(Spiral Sanity)N 1997acrylic on canvas
213 x 181cm
Artwork: 906
Skelteracrylic on paper
73 x 55cm
Artwork: 954
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Brief biography
Born Western Australia, 1953, Peter Maloney is a graduate of the Canberra School of Art. He completed post-graduate studies in painting at the Victorian College of Art in 1977 and has been exhibiting nationally and internationally since that time – not only paintings and drawings, but photographs, audio and video works as well. In 1996 he was awarded a three month studio residency in Paris. He is well represented in the Allens Collection and has works with Mallesons, Melbourne, and Artbank, Sydney.
The first purchases were two drawings from 1992, followed by a number of large canvases – Oh Sanity Blues 1993; Face the man in the moon 1993; No Net, Not Yet 1996; Under Capricorn 1996 and I(Spiral Sanity)N 1997.
About the works
An exhibition catalogue essay published in 1996 drew attention to the calligraphic aspect of Peter Maloney's paintings – a method of visual expression that focuses on the gesture, on automatic writing and a 'free-wheeling' sensibility. Looking at the works in the AAR collection, it is evident that a sense of urgency characterises Maloney's approach to painting. While the resulting chaos of marks and colour may suggest to the viewer an abandonment of formal structure and painterly composition, it is exactly this heightened, kaleidoscopic dimension that the artist wishes to celebrate. In these works, the dynamism associated with the act of painting not only suggests a tapping into deeper emotional states, it is a vibrancy that alludes to life-affirming, rhythmic energies as well.
Maloney's practice is autobiographical and performative – an encapsulation of the idea of life 'flashing before one's eyes' but now contained in paintings that are celebratory, evocative yet profoundly personal.
Works in the Allens collection
Still wind 1991
graphite, oil stick on paper (framed), 75.9 x 59.5cm
Artwork: 796
Fence 1992
oil on canvas, 152 x 137cm
Artwork: 797
Oh Sanity Blues 1993
oil and acrylic on canvas, 197.5 x 183cm
Artwork: 858
Face the man in the moon 1993
oil and acrylic on canvas, 183 x 168cm
Artwork: 865
No Net, Not Yet 1996
acrylic on canvas, 168 x 153cm
Artwork: 892
Under Capricorn 1996
acrylic on polycotton, 168 x 152cm
Artwork: 897
I(Spiral Sanity)N 1997
acrylic on canvas, 213 x 181cm
Artwork: 906
Skelter
acrylic on paper, 73 x 55cm
Artwork: 954
Flicker Machine
acrylic on paper, 73 x 55cm
Artwork: 955
