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Challen's Challenge
Michael Challen's realistic
paintings, including this one of the
McDonnell Ranges in the Northern
Territory, are on show at Scotch College
until August 24. He planned to put
three years into the project, but the physically
and emotionally challenging trip ended up taking
him six years and cost him his marriage. From his studio in
Queensland he said: "I am finishing off my last
painting, and I can't tell you what a relief it
is!" One ofAustralia's high points -
Charlotte's Pass in the Kosiosko National
Park -was painted in the summer. Some of the
landscapes he has painted over the past six years,
collectively called Land of Light - Australian
Landscapes of the Millennium, will be on display
along with some of Michael's works from private and
corporate collections and other new works available
for sale. The six-year
landscape project has resulted in more than 80
paintings, taking Michael along the Canning Stock
route, through Tasmania's south-west, the Blue
Mountains, crocodile-infested regions of the
Northern Territory, the remote north-west of WA,
across the red centre, and to world heritage areas
of Queensland. "There are still
holes in the collection, because it can never
really end," Michael admitted. "I could take
another 15 or 20 years and still not be
finished." The six years took
their toll both personally and physically and the
birth of Michael's son could not save his
marriage. Looking for the best painting spot
takes time and effort. The travelling was
tough. The car caught fire in the middle of the
desert. Fuel drops had to be made by plane to
remote areas. He was frequently hampered by bad
weather. "I was called the
Rain Man," he said. "Wherever I went it rained -
great for them but terrible for me!" He would trek
through tough terrain for up to eight days to reach
a remote spot. "I would sit in the
freezing cold, exhausted, and photograph and
paint," he said. But most importantly, he said, he
had to just sit. "Photographs and
drawings were just for detail. The most important
thing was to get the emotional and spiritual feel
of the place." Michael, who is the
nephew of Perth's Bishop Challen, gently talked
about recognising the Dreamtime spirituality of
places, of a merging of spirits and of seeing so
many other worlds beyond this one. "I don't try to
paint these things, but this is what influences my
work," he said. "I want to pass on how wonderful
this place is." His agent and
friend, Cottesloe-based art specialist Fiona
Rafferty, described the Challen collection as the
most important since the Golden Summers of the
Heidelberg School (quintessential Australian rural
scenes painted by Roberts, Streeton and
McCubbin). "He has created a
body of work that people will want to look at and
reflect on in a hundred years' time," she
said. Michael's
exhibition will be held in Collegian's House at
Scotch College, Swanbourne, from August 16 to 24.
The sale of works will raise funds for the student
Stare Well Gallery. "I am delighted to
be able to help the school that had such a huge
influence on me," Michael said. This will be the
last time his work will be publicly available for
some time. Michael now plans to continue his quest
to record wilderness and heritage places on a
massive scale -- around the world. Copyright © 1999 - 2006 Post Newspapers Pty Ltd. All rights reserved.
Artist John Michael
Challen set out to travel the length and breadth of
Australia to paint its vast wilderness.
This weekend Michael
returns to his old school, Scotch College, to hold
his first major exhibition for more than 15 years
and the first commercial exhibition Scotch College
has hosted since 1897.
"It was a very
emotional time. I was very upset and I didn't paint
well during that time," Michael said
quietly.
-Sarah McNeill
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