Andrew Baines

Andrew Baines
Born (1962-06-17) 17 June 1962
Colchester, Essex, UK
Nationality English/Australian
Alma mater South Australian School of Art
Known for Painting
Notable work The Existentialist
Escape of the Corporate Battery Hens
Style surrealism, modern, conceptual, landscape
Spouse(s) Jacqueline Baines (m. 1987–)
Website andrewbaines.com/index.html

Andrew Baines (born 17 June 1962) is a notable Australian "quasi-surrealist painter and installation artist,"[1] best known for his paintings of politicians in exposed positions and bowler-hatted office workers.[2] He is regarded as "one of the most recognisable and collectable of Australia's contemporary artists."[3]

Since 2005, he has put Alexander Downer in a red door[4] on the beach; Natasha Stott Despoja, Steven Marshall and Kirsten Alexander, mayor of the City of Charles Sturt in full mayoral gown and gold chains, in the sea, drinking tea; two dozen leaders of various faiths holding hands along the water's edge, including both the Anglican and Catholic Archbishops; arranged for the West Australian Symphony Orchestra to play a symphony in the sea;[5] put a herd of cows in the Indian ocean; stood Malcolm Turnbull and over 100 suited volunteers holding umbrellas aloft in the dawn surf at Bondi Beach, then replicated this with Colin Barnett and suited volunteers at Cottesloe beach; seated twelve suited volunteers on toilets reading papers along the water's edge, including Australian politician and former Ambassador to Italy, Amanda Vanstone;[6] and provided brightly coloured sheep[7] to the SA branch of the United Nations Association of Australia[8] "to mark the International Year of Family Farming."[9][10]

Early life and influences

He was born in Colchester, Essex in the United Kingdom, then migrated to Australia with his parents shortly after, and now lives in Adelaide.[11]

Baines grew up in the beachside suburb of Grange in South Australia.[11] His father was a semi-professional soccer player and electrician. His mother was a housewife, who loved painting, reading and music. He has two younger brothers.[1]

He attended Grange Primary and Seaton High School,[1] and later spent two years at the South Australian School of Art.[12][13]

His mother placed drawing materials in his hands as soon as he could sit up and Baines showed great aptitude, astonishing a kindergarten teacher with his aerial perspective drawing of the area they lived in.[13] He commenced painting classes at the Henley and Grange Art Society at the age of ten.[12] Baines became the cartoonist for the Western Suburbs Schools Soccer Newsletter that same year, earning two dollars a cartoon.[1] He was also an unpaid profile artist for the Grange Primary Newsletter.[1] By age eleven, he was selling pencil sketches for five dollars to teachers and parents at the Grange Primary school.[13][14]

It wasn't until Baines was in his twenties that he discovered the works of Andy Warhol, David Hockney, Pro Hart and Ken Done, and saw the life he wanted.[15]

Career

In 1979, he left school[13] and began work at John Martins retail store, painting back drops for window displays.[12]

Baines spent 1980 and 1981 at the South Australian School of Art,[12] but dropped out and returned to work at John Martins.[13]

In 1984, he resigned from John Martins to start Baines Graphics,[12][13] producing murals, cartoons, etc., for high-profile companies, such as BP Australia, Australian Grand Prix, and the S.A. Soccer Federation.[13]

In 1999, he became a full-time painter.[12]

He is represented by BMG Art (Adelaide), Gallery One (Southport, QLD), Hotham Street Contemporary (Melbourne, Vic), Gallows Gallery (Mosman Park, WA), Paint Box Fine Art (Canberra, ACT), Soho Galleries (Sydney, NSW), Artery Contemporary Art Gallery (Perthshire, Scotland), Blackheath Gallery (London, UK), Stax Gallery (Ontario, Canada), Richard Goodall Gallery (Manchester, UK), Mehta Gallery (New Delhi, India), and Karin Weber Gallery (Hong Kong).[11]

Baines's work has attracted media attention through his "human sculptures" on coasts around the country, which have parallels with the work of Storm Thorgerson, known for his Pink Floyd album covers.[16]

Installations

Since 2005, he has created dozens of installations on Australian beaches, collaborating with Hills Hoist, West Australian Symphony Orchestra, Adelaide Symphony Orchestra, Leigh Warren Dance Company, Holstein Australia, the Western Australian State Gallery, Anglicare, Flinders Medical Centre Foundation and Wirra Wirra Vineyards. Volunteer subjects have included Malcolm Turnbull, Colin Barnett, Sir James & Lady Hardy, Sir Eric & Lady Neal, and Amanda Vanstone, among many others.

Busselton Bovines (February 2011) involved placing five Holstein Friesian cattle in the sea at Busselton, Western Australia.[17] It came about when Baines was approached by representatives of the national Dairy Innovators' Forum[18] at a gallery opening in Perth. A few local dairies agreed to take on the challenge of introducing their cows to the sea. Two months later the cows stood happily in the shallows, long enough for photographs to be taken. Local media embraced the event and news of the installation went global.[2][17]

Post Modern Backyard (May 2011) involved transporting eight full size Hills Hoists to Bondi Beach, New South Wales from Adelaide, and have them erected. Hills loved the concept and organised two professional erecters and eight Hills hoists to be in place at 5 am on Bondi beach.[2][19]

In Waiting for the Bus (September 2012) one hundred "bowler hat-wearing, classic 'Englishmen'"[20] lined up along Henley Beach and struggled to read the newspaper in the wind.[5]

The Coalition of the Constipated (August 2012) at Henley Beach, South Australia was a political statement,[21] made to highlight the need for toilet facilities at the popular beach. Amanda Vanstone and radio personality, Bob Francis, were involved in the installation.[2] Vanstone had purchased his paintings, for herself and the Australian Embassy in Rome, when she was Ambassador, and Baines had painted Bob Francis' portrait as an entry in the Archibald Prize competition. Soho Galleries Sydney described it as his "most famous installation/photo shoot ... a guerrilla protest that featured 12 suited people sitting on toilets reading papers, on the water's edge at Henley".[22]

Doorways to Potential (January 2013) was a fundraiser, developed to raise awareness for non-profit charity Common Ground Adelaide, which provides assistance and aid to homeless people in the area. Local men, including Alexander Downer, contributed $1,500 each to the charity to participate, dressing in suits and bowler hats and gathering together on the beach, as a symbol of the possibilities that the future holds.[23]

Sea of Knowledge (February 2014) gathered people aged in their 70s, 80s and 90s on Henley Beach for a photoshoot to "portray their lives, roles and sea of knowledge in a bid to challenge the stereotypes of ageing."[24]

Commissions

Amongst others, Baines has been commissioned[11][25] to paint a book cover for Surf Life Saving in S.A., a wine label painting for Wirra Wirra Vineyard, a CD cover painting for ABC Classics, featuring the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra's Principal tuba player Peter Whish-Wilson,[26] and the cover for Steven Ogden's book I Met God in Bermuda.[27]

Collections

Andrew Baines' work can be found[11][25][28] in:

Exhibitions

His paintings have been exhibited[11][12][28] in:

Prizes/Awards

Baines has been awarded[11][12][25][28] in the following competitions:

Publications

Baines is listed in the Lexikon der phantastischen Künstler.[29][30]

His paintings have appeared in such publications as ArtSlant New York,[31] Glow Magazine,[32] and Messenger.[33]

Film

A 2009 episode of Landline features Baines's interest in painting cows.[14]

Ash Starkey uploaded a three-minute screener to YouTube in 2010, which contains scenes from a half-hour documentary, Edge of Nothingness, that he made about Andrew Baines.[34]

In 2013, Photography Life released a one-minute time lapse film on Vimeo[35] of Andrew Baines setting up his installation, Doorways to Potential, on Henley Beach in South Australia.

Anna Creoddity released a short film (2014) on YouTube called Art Day! Andrew Baines, in which she shows and discusses his art work.[36]

In 2014, Andrew Baines and Gian Carlo Petraccaro produced a short film called Escape of the Corporate Battery Hens,[37] which shows many South Australian identities in unguarded moments, including Amanda Vanstone, Steven Marshall, Vickie Chapman and Kirsten Alexander, former Mayor of the City of Charles Sturt.

Personal life

Baines is married to Jacqueline Baines (Pharaoh) (m. 1987–); three daughters, Skye Baines (1990–), Jemma Baines (1994–) and Amber Baines (1996–).

Quotes

External links

See also

Visual arts of Australia

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Adelaide Screenwriter, Interview with Andrew Baines
  2. 1 2 3 4 Blakeley, Deborah (April 2013). "Andrew Baines, Surrealist Painter & Installation Artist". ZoneArts. Retrieved 15 January 2015.
  3. ↑ Hotham Street Contemporary, Andrew Baines
  4. ↑ Visual News, Doorways to Potential Andrew Baines Artist December 2012
  5. 1 2 Avax News, Human Sculpture Created at Henley Beach
  6. ↑ Glow Magazine, Surreal by the Sea, On The Beach With Artist Andrew Baines
  7. ↑ Weekly Times, Baa baa blue sheep to honour Year of Family Farming
  8. ↑ Uni/On, Ewe-nited Nations comes to Adelaide
  9. ↑ Anderson, Elizabeth (9 October 2014). "Farm stories in sheep art". Stock Journal. Retrieved 16 January 2015.
  10. ↑ BBC News in Pictures, Day in pictures: 8 October 2014
  11. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Official website, Andrew Baines
  12. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 BMG Art, Andrew Baines Resume
  13. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Official website, About the Artist
  14. 1 2 ABC Landline, Art Down Pat
  15. ↑ Mehta Art Gallery, Artist: Andrew Baines
  16. ↑ Fulton, Fulton (30 July 2010). "Holy cow! Artist's bovine fascination is a secret no more". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 16 January 2015.
  17. 1 2 Polkinghorne, Celia (22 February 2011). "Bovines bathe at Busselton beach". ABC Rural. Retrieved 14 January 2015.
  18. ↑ Australian Dairy Conference, Cow art for charity
  19. ↑ Alexander, Harriet (2 May 2011). "A line in the sand". Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 15 January 2015.
  20. ↑ Huffington Post, Andrew Baines Art Installation in Surprises Australian Beach-Goers
  21. ↑ Blouin ArtInfo, Australian Artist Andrew Baines Stages Pants-Down Protest Over Inadequate Toilet Facilities
  22. ↑ Soho Galleries Sydney, Andrew Baines
  23. ↑ My Modern Met, "Doorways to Potential" Raises Awareness for Homeless
  24. ↑ Australian Aging Agenda, Busting the stereotypes of ageing
  25. 1 2 3 Paintbox Fine Art, Andrew Baines
  26. ↑ ABC Shop, Tuba Concertos, Peter Whish-Wilson, Adelaide Symphony Orchestra
  27. ↑ Ogden, Steven (2009). I Met God in Bermuda: Faith in the 21st Century. John Hunt Publishing. p. 125. ISBN 978-1-84694-204-4.
  28. 1 2 3 Alternate Visions Gallery, Andrew Baines (Surrealist artist)
  29. ↑ Lexikon der phantastischen Künstler, By Gerhard Habarta
  30. ↑ Habarta, Gerhard (2009). Lexikon der phantastischen Künstler (in German). Books on Demand Gmbh. p. 462. ISBN 9 783837 084276.
  31. ↑ "Andrew Baines: Escape of the Corporate Battery Hen". Artslant New York. New York, NY. Retrieved 15 January 2015.
  32. ↑ The News Desk; no by-line. "Surreal by the Sea, On The Beach With Artist Andrew Baines". Glow Magazine. Retrieved 16 January 2015.
  33. ↑ McGregor, Ken (24 September 2013). "Joe's Kiosk Henley Beach owner immortalized by Grange artist Andrew Baines". Retrieved 16 January 2015.
  34. ↑ YouTube, Edge of Nothingness screener
  35. ↑ Vimeo, Doorways to Potential – Artist Andrew Baines beach art – Timelapse
  36. ↑ YouTube, Art Day! Andrew Baines
  37. ↑ Weekend Notes, Free Screening: Escape of the Corporate Battery Hen
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