{"id":3235,"date":"2015-03-12T20:13:58","date_gmt":"2015-03-12T10:13:58","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.artchat.com.au\/?p=3235"},"modified":"2015-03-12T20:13:58","modified_gmt":"2015-03-12T10:13:58","slug":"mel-brigg-blog-interview-62","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.artchat.com.au\/?p=3235","title":{"rendered":"Mel Brigg [Blog Interview #62]"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"fb_share_1\" style=\"float: right; margin-left: 10px;\"><a name=\"fb_share\" type=\"icon_link\" share_url=\"https:\/\/www.artchat.com.au\/?p=3235\" href=\"http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php\">Share<\/a><\/div><div><script src=\"http:\/\/static.ak.fbcdn.net\/connect.php\/js\/FB.Share\" type=\"text\/javascript\"><\/script><\/div><p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.artchat.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/MelBrigg00.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-3279\" src=\"http:\/\/www.artchat.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/MelBrigg00.jpg\" alt=\"Mel Brigg\" width=\"760\" height=\"307\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.artchat.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/MelBrigg00.jpg 760w, https:\/\/www.artchat.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/MelBrigg00-300x121.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 760px) 100vw, 760px\" \/><\/a><br \/>\nArt Chat recently sat down with <a title=\"Mel Brigg\" href=\"http:\/\/www.redhillgallery.com.au\/MelBrigg2015.html\" target=\"_blank\">Mel Brigg <\/a>to talk about his upcoming exhibition and we had a chance to learn a little bit more about him. Since arriving in Australia from <a title=\"South Africa \" href=\"http:\/\/country.southafrica.net\/country\/au\/en\/\" target=\"_blank\">South Africa <\/a>in the seventies he has built his practice and he was a finalist in the prestigious <a title=\"2012 National Portrait Finalist \" href=\"http:\/\/www.moranprizes.com.au\/competition\/2012-national-portrait-prize\/finalists\" target=\"_blank\">Doug Moran Art Prize in 2012<\/a>. Mel\u2019s work is contemplative and evocative, often making a graphic comment on social injustice or the singularity of the human condition. The pure beauty of the surface texture and light is enough for his collectors to keep coming back for more. His inspiration often comes from the vast plains of Australia\u2019s interior, which gives the work a powerful sense of infinite space.<\/p>\n<p><strong>AC: Your work is heavily influenced by mood and atmosphere. Describe for us how this increases emotional content for you.<\/strong><br \/>\nMB: Being a fairly emotional person, my mood will determine the colours and content\u2026I recall some 40 years ago someone asking me what had happened, because my work looked happy and colourful\u2026\u2026..I replied that I had got divorced !<\/p>\n<p><strong>AC: Please tell us how being self-taught has allowed you to develop your unique style.<\/strong><br \/>\nMB: I think many students are influenced by their lecturers, I had to battle it out on my own, it was a matter of working 18 hours a day or starve!<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-3282\" src=\"http:\/\/www.artchat.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/MelBrigg03.jpg\" alt=\"Mel Brigg\" width=\"760\" height=\"309\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.artchat.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/MelBrigg03.jpg 760w, https:\/\/www.artchat.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/MelBrigg03-300x121.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 760px) 100vw, 760px\" \/><strong>AC: Charity work is very important to you, does this come from what you saw in South Africa and how does this influence your choice of subject matter?<\/strong><br \/>\nMB: Naturally, some of my works such as the <a title=\"Mel Brigg 2015 Exhibiton\" href=\"http:\/\/redhillgallery.com.au\/MelBrigg2015.html\" target=\"_blank\">Exodus series <\/a>are influenced by my African experience, but one has to keep in mind the charities function, and try to paint something that is relevant to that.<\/p>\n<p><strong>AC: Can you remember your earliest influence when you were growing up and what made you decide to use the visual arts to communicate so effectively?<\/strong><br \/>\nMB: My father throwing my first work in the rubbish bin\u2026\u2026\u2026.so I thought\u2026\u2026 I\u2019ll bloody well show you!<\/p>\n<p><strong>AC: What do you consider your greatest achievement to date?<\/strong><br \/>\nMB: Being accepted into Australia on a visa called \u201cdistinguished talent\u201d.<\/p>\n<p><strong>AC: If you could bring any artist from any era into the studio to spend a day with you, who would it be?<\/strong><br \/>\nMB: <a title=\"Vincent van Gogh (1853-1890)\" href=\"http:\/\/www.metmuseum.org\/toah\/hd\/gogh\/hd_gogh.htm\" target=\"_blank\">Van Gogh<\/a>\u2026I love a good argument.<\/p>\n<p><strong>AC: What is your most treasured possession?<\/strong><br \/>\nMB: A collection of drawings my children did when they were very young.<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.artchat.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/MelBrigg02.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-3281\" src=\"http:\/\/www.artchat.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/MelBrigg02.jpg\" alt=\"MelBrigg02\" width=\"760\" height=\"217\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.artchat.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/MelBrigg02.jpg 760w, https:\/\/www.artchat.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/MelBrigg02-300x85.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 760px) 100vw, 760px\" \/><\/a><strong>AC: If you had an unlimited budget what art would you collect and why?<\/strong><br \/>\nMB: There would be no more budget, because I would buy everything I enjoy.<\/p>\n<p><strong>AC: What is your favourite quote or saying?<\/strong><br \/>\nMB: SHIT! \u2026\u2026.every 2 minutes in the studio!<\/p>\n<p><strong>AC: And finally when you are not in the studio what are you likely to be doing?&#8230;&#8230;..<\/strong><br \/>\nMB: Mowing the lawn, cooking, enjoying a good glass of red with friends.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;It could be called modern impressionism, but because I paint such a diverse range of subjects, still life and portraits, it&#8217;s difficult to slot into any one category.&#8221; <em>Mel Brigg<\/em><\/p>\n<p>&#8220;The exhibition <em>&#8216;Passages&#8217;<\/em> is\u00a0hauntingly beautiful\u00a0and as with all paintings by Mel Brigg,\u00a0many carry an underlying\u00a0message giving the viewer an insight into Brigg&#8217;s journey\u00a0through\u00a0 life and what he has seen along that road, all captured on canvas.&#8221; <em>Margaret Campbell-Ryder,\u00a0Director <a title=\"Red Hill Gallery\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/RedHillArtGallery\" target=\"_blank\">Red Hill Gallery<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n<p>For an up close\u00a0view of <a title=\"Red Hill Gallery Artist Page\" href=\"http:\/\/www.redhillgallery.com.au\/artists.html\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"color: #000080;\">Mel Brigg&#8217;s <\/span><\/a>new work, come visit his solo exhibition at <a title=\"Red Hill Gallery Home Page\" href=\"http:\/\/www.redhillgallery.com.au\/index.html\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"color: #000080;\">Red Hill Gallery<\/span><\/a> 61 Musgrave Road, Red Hill Brisbane in the month of March.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.artchat.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/MelBrigg01.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-3280\" src=\"http:\/\/www.artchat.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/MelBrigg01.jpg\" alt=\"Mel Brigg\" width=\"760\" height=\"264\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.artchat.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/MelBrigg01.jpg 760w, https:\/\/www.artchat.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/MelBrigg01-300x104.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 760px) 100vw, 760px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a title=\"Gallery Home Page\" href=\"http:\/\/www.redhillgallery.com.au\/gallery.html\" target=\"_blank\"><em>\u00a9 <\/em>Red Hill Gallery<\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"al2fb_like_button\"><div id=\"fb-root\"><\/div><script type=\"text\/javascript\">\n(function(d, s, id) {\n  var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];\n  if (d.getElementById(id)) return;\n  js = d.createElement(s); js.id = id;\n  js.src = \"\/\/connect.facebook.net\/en_US\/all.js#xfbml=1&appId=499790883388518\";\n  fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, fjs);\n}(document, \"script\", \"facebook-jssdk\"));\n<\/script>\n<fb:like href=\"https:\/\/www.artchat.com.au\/?p=3235\" send=\"true\" layout=\"button_count\" show_faces=\"true\" share=\"false\" width=\"150\" action=\"recommend\" font=\"arial\" colorscheme=\"light\" ref=\"AL2FB\"><\/fb:like><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Share Art Chat recently sat down with Mel Brigg to talk about his upcoming exhibition and we had a chance to learn a little bit more about him. Since arriving in Australia from South Africa in the seventies he has &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.artchat.com.au\/?p=3235\">Continue reading <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4,171,176,199,226,8,200,43,159,20,224,18,222,223,13,36,6,225,144],"tags":[229,290,121,227,61,9,228,14,123,15,314,320,122,120,293,321,302,196,160,296,64,324,299,10,312,230],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.artchat.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3235"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.artchat.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.artchat.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.artchat.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.artchat.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3235"}],"version-history":[{"count":13,"href":"https:\/\/www.artchat.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3235\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3283,"href":"https:\/\/www.artchat.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3235\/revisions\/3283"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.artchat.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3235"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.artchat.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3235"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.artchat.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3235"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}