ROD GARDNER
Excerpt from ABC interview December 2023
Tasmanian watercolour artist Rod Gardner has spent thousands of hours painting the streets of Launceston.
"It's what I enjoy most … I do landscapes and I do portraits, but this is what I'm most comfortable with," he said.
Gardner knows his subject well, having not only grown up in Launceston, but lived on the city's streets.
"Before 30 … I chose a lifestyle which was drugs. I was addicted to morphine and spent time here on the streets," he said.
Named the Vita Brown Tasmanian Aboriginal Artist of the Year for 2018, Gardner is teaching watercolour painting in a central Launceston studio and holding his third solo art exhibition.
He is glad that being "off the rails" is behind him.
"I'm happy to have … settled down with my painting and my beautiful family," he said.
"[And] I'm just so thankful for the little things, and to have a home — somewhere to hang a painting."
"I used to draw when younger, and … I thought, 'I'm going to take this seriously,'" he said.
Since then, the self-taught artist has painted every day, and says this has been key to his professional development so far.
"If you work lots you have a lot of small wins, which makes you want to keep doing it. "People are noticing, and I'm getting classes [to teach] from continually working."
Arthur Streeton, Tom Roberts and other tonal impressionist painters who lived "100 years ago"' are Gardner's greatest inspiration, although he says his approach to art is changing over time.
"I used to be very objective in copying what I saw [but] as I get more experienced … I'm after [capturing] the feeling of the place."
Biography
Rod Gardner is an emerging Aboriginal artist who enjoy many areas of painting. His main subjects are those from the Aboriginal community and Launceston’s river and streetscapes. Rod is currently working in Watercolours, charcoal and prefers the plenair style of painting - that is, outdoors.
Rod’s pride and joy throughout all of his works is a piece called ‘The Spirit of the Game’ which depicted an Aboriginal man passing a football down to a younger Aboriginal kid. This was developed in consultation with the Aboriginal community and commissioned by the Rocherlea Football Club. The piece held significance as it represented the passing down of knowledge and pride to future generations.
Rod is self taught, learning online and through practice but was also fortunate to secure a grant through Arts Tasmania which seen him be mentored by prominent artist, Jonathan Bowden.