Bernard Ollis
Being There

A title borrowed from a 1979 Peter Sellers film, encapsulating the theme of being in the right place, and at the right time. Travelling to new environments, and finding new ways of thinking.

Providing a physical presence to a location or event.

In an Artist’s terms, this means stepping into a specific visual environment. These selected works are all developed from being in a particular location, from a mansion in London, to a windswept part of the Australian Coastline. Or from a bathroom in Fez, Morocco, to an Australian weatherboard Garden.

They are all locations I have stood in, investing much time drawing, photographing, looking and thinking about. After that encounter, they have been given the Ollis treatment, back in the studio.

A personal interpretation of a special moment at a special place.

So, these works are the opposite of photographic portayals, or picture postcards, they are the reflections of being there.