Community & Business
6 September, 2023
On The Road to Acland exhibiting at Rosalie Gallery
Artist David LeMay spoke about how he painted his recent exhibit “On the Road to Acland” after discovering the town on a road trip with his son Tim.
David spent several years painting and sketching in the township of Acland, finding inspiration among the open spaces and channeling this into his creative process.
“When my son, Tim, was young, we would go for drives into the countryside. We stumbled on the town of Acland,” he said.
“It was unusual, it was empty. Remnants of the town’s inhabitants were evident in the cement slabs left behind and the gardens still defining the boundaries of each block. The houses and inhabitants were absent.
“For Tim and me it was a playground.
“Tim was maybe three or four and he was about to venture from training wheels to two wheels. I knew he was ready, so out to Acland we went and off he took on his two wheels down the empty streets where so many must have done the same, not so long ago.
“Tim and I would return to Acland as often as we could, sometimes two or three times a month, sometimes every two or three months.
“We would camp out there thanks to our gracious host Glen Beutel, the only resident who had chosen to stay and not sell his family’s properties.”
The paintings depict the re-wilding of Acland’s gardens as it transitions into a ghost town.
“Acland isn’t primarily known for its gardens.
“In fact, if you look at the old photos, it’s pretty stark.
“But slowly over time, the plots of land that once had houses on them have become overgrown.
“Once that happens, the man at the mine responsible for mowing leaves it alone.”
The word David uses to describe the general purpose behind his paintings is the Greek term ‘pneuma.’
“I discovered this term in a book called The Existential Jesus by John Carroll,” he said.
“A disclaimer - I’m not Christian or religious myself.
“I’d like to be spiritual - although I'm not sure what that means.
“The word pneuma is the Greek term for spirit in the New Testament.
“Taken literally it means something like breath/wind/life force.”
David encounters pneuma in taking long walks in the countryside or on beaches.
He says he finds the interior of Australia the best place to discover nature in its rawest form.
“The eastern side of the Range is really nice to visit but I wouldn’t want to live there,” he said.
One aspect of David’s work which is much appreciated by galleries is the work he puts into making his own frames.
