Visions of a New World 2002

Godfrey Blow’s *Visions of a New World* is a painting built up from muted tones of brown, green, and blue. I can almost see Blow in front of the canvas, layering thin glazes of paint, wiping away, adding more, until the image emerges, like a half-remembered dream. I wonder what Blow was thinking about when he made this painting. I imagine he wanted to create a place that's familiar yet strange, like stepping into a world that’s just slightly out of sync with our own. There is an emphasis on the natural world, with trees and organic shapes taking centre stage. The textures are built up with small, precise marks. See how the branches reach and tangle, like thoughts searching for a connection. Blow is, in my mind, in conversation with other painters who have looked at the landscape in new ways. He might be influenced by surrealists like Max Ernst, or maybe he’s in dialogue with the Aussie landscape tradition, but with his own distinct voice. Painting, after all, is a form of exchange, where artists build upon one another's visions. It’s this ambiguity that gives the painting its lasting power, allowing us to bring our own interpretations.