#t-rex

Andrew Sullivan Australia

T-Rex (Tyrant Lizard King) (2014) oil on canvas

This painting is part of a larger body of work titled Survey into the Cretaceous, which involves research into our consciousness and its relation to evolution.

A journey 68 million years into the past to collect specimens to paint in my studio can be possible if my imagination and ability as a painter allow it. This is a very deliberate act of consciousness; consciousness being a product of evolution. (Andrew Sullivan, 2014)

The Honeyeater (2011) oil on board

Skate (Ernst Haeckel) oil on canvas

Birds of Earlwood (2017 exhibition, Galerie pompom, Chippendale)

The Birds of Earlwood is a collection of paintings of birdlife in the Sydney suburb where the artist resides. Native birds share the canvas with elements symbolic of urban squeeze in one of the last sections of bushland in the inner west. Whilst pointing to the pressure of development that severely threatens bird species, the works also celebrate transcendence and adaptability, and the beauty of nature.

michaelreid.com.au Sullivan renders his paintings with meticulous, masterful precision and a distinctive treatment of pictorial space – one that splices collagistic, trompe-l’oeil effects into tapestry-like landscapes reminiscent of Ukiyo-e prints. Against soft tonal gradations, his paintings present a wonderfully idiosyncratic array of motifs, allusions and allegorical figures, forming curious connections and enacting dioramic narratives tinged with humour, melancholy and vivid colour.

These symbolic details play out across Sullivan’s canvas like an exploded cabinet of curiosities. Traversing a vast spectrum of knowledge systems – from the scientific to the superstitious – as well as various aesthetic modes and moments in evolutionary history, they seem drawn together as if by the strange logic of dreams, memories, discursive trains of thought or the encyclopaedic parataxis of the digital sphere.

Sullivan’s paintings are held in the collections of the National Portrait Gallery, Artbank, Ballarat Regional Art Gallery, the National Art School and Buxton Contemporary.

stanleystreetgallery.com.au ... a renowned Sydney based artist, a past winner of the Sulman Prize.  Sullivan’s practice is known for being idiosyncratic, saturated with detail, accompanied by a wicked sense of humour.  He creates complex still lives and portraits, whether he has created them for his amusement or for the viewer.  They are narratives that rigorously weaves through memory, melancholy and history.  

While Sullivan's penchant for detail is evident, one must approach his works closely to fully appreciate their luminosity and meticulousness. Each piece possesses a unique personality, inviting viewers on a journey through time and prompting contemplation on deeper levels.

Dinosaurs Day  

Today we celebrate those large, extinct reptiles: dinosaurs.  Scientists believe they first appeared about 245 million years ago, at  the beginning of the Middle Triassic Epoch, and existed for about 180  million years, going extinct about 66 million years ago at the end of  the Cretaceous Period. The period when they lived is called the Mesozoic  Era. During this time they went through many changes, and various species of dinosaurs replaced other species.  Some dinosaurs were bipedal, meaning they walked on two legs, and some  were quadrupedal, meaning they walked on all fours. Some switched back  and forth. Some were covered with feathers, while others had what was  almost like body armor. Some ran fast, and others were slow; most were  herbivores, but some were carnivores. There were at least 700 species of  dinosaurs, and possibly more than 1,000.

There were big biotic changes at the end of the Cretaceous Period,  and many other animals and plants died at that time as well. There are  many theories as to why dinosaurs died out, including disease, heat  waves, cold spells, changing sea levels, large amounts of volcanic  activity, the emergence of egg-eating mammals, or from X-rays from an  exploding supernova. One other common theory is that an asteroid smashed  to earth, spread ash widely, and shifted the earth's climate. However,  it is not believed that all dinosaurs died out at the same time. Rather,  it is believed they had been declining during the last part of the  Cretaceous Period. Scientists also believe that some dinosaurs may have  evolved into birds.

Richard Owen, an English anatomist, came up with the word  "Dinosauria" in 1842. The word comes from the Greek word "deinos,"  meaning terrible or fearfully great, and "sauros," meaning reptile or  lizard. He applied the term to three animals whose fossilized bones had  been found over the previous few decades. The remains came from reptiles  that were both larger and had more vertebrae than any found before. The  earliest known published record of dinosaur remains was in 1820, and  many fossils were found in the 1820s and 1830s. Many other kinds of  dinosaurs were found in the years following the 1842 naming as well.  Fossils of dinosaurs have now been found on all seven continents.

How to Observe Dinosaurs Day

The best way to celebrate the day is to visit a museum or other dinosaur-related attraction, where fossils or bones may be viewed. You could also watch a documentary about dinosaurs or a film that features dinosaurs, such as Jurassic Park. If you have children, there are many dinosaur-related activities they could do today.