Jos Myres
Jos Myers was born in Subiaco and spent her formative years in Perth. She studied music and classical ballet for many years. However, her enduring passion was to become painting under the guidance of her high school art teacher… Her Inspiration to this day remains Brett Whiteley."A difficult Pleasure" was born.
Jos contemplated studying Fine Arts but instead left home and started painting. A move to Sydney's northern beaches at eighteen saw her initially painting surfboards and designing surf wear art. She then went to live in Hawaii and in 1992 had her first solo exhibition in Maui. This coincided with the birth of her son Reif. The lush landscapes and the vibrant colours of Hawaii left an indelible mark on her paintings. On returning to Perth in 1997 she started her own studio / gallery Maverick and encouraged other young artist. She has since exhibited in Melbourne and West Australia. Jos is adamant that her paintings are there, not to be analysed but to be enjoyed visual. The essence of her being is very much "what you see is what you get". This is reflected on her canvasses and the way she lives her life. Her subjects range from contemporary urban fantasies (Dog's Bar Lickas) to her now famous beach and ocean scenes. All her subjects reflect a sense of fun. The riot of colours cannot be ignored. Her works remain quintessentially Australian and as such are valued by both private and corporate collectors.
INSPIRATION "Most holiday snaps feature iconic, run-of-the-mill architectural sights - Eiffel Tower, St Peter's Basilica, the Trevi Fountain. Not those of Perth artist Jos Myers. Confident, bubbly and with a zest for the voluptuous, she zooms in on bottoms. And the bigger the better. Big round, chubby cheeks ballooning against straining g-strings, amorphous mounds protruding from racing bathers, giant spheres escaping flimsy bikinis. The Reubenesque forms flash by as Myers sits in her Cottesloe home delightedly guiding you through her pictures taken at European beaches on her latest sojourn." Gail Williams
- The essence of my being is "What you see is what you get"….
"I am writing these thoughts from under a palapa on a four hectare private island called Namotu in Fiji. the breeze is warm, the ocean crystal, the characters colourful, the mood pristine."
All in a Days work as an Artist! "Colour is my Mood, line my activity, breathe my guide." My name is angry ant… my boyfriend calls me that coz my mind and body never stop still. And that's the way I like to paint. Frenetically. It somehow calms the perpetual motion. All these vivid colourful images collide together in my mind. And then I have to photograph or paint them or, both.
….This attitude is reflected on my canvas and the way I live my life.' Frenetic also characterises my urge to travel and with traveling comes the inspiration. You know the cliche…new sights, new sounds, new smells, new tastes.. that is y Nirvana.
Walking along the promenade in Barcelona on a hot July day. the beach is ugly when you come from Australia. But the people are fascinating. They come in all shapes and sizes seeking to bronze their bodies. I photograph them for posterity. Like the hooker in that wrong turn back lane in Barcelona. Half man half woman, her face grotesque with bottle blonde hair, flaming rouge and eye shadow a fair ground blue. We are shooed away by large black woman and hurry back through the markets to exit La Ramblas with busy tourists.
Jimbaran at sunset evokes so many memories. Warm evenings suffused with the myriad smells of Indonesia… wood smoke, ripe mangoes and fecund earth. Kids playing soccer on the beach, hawkers selling roasted corn and cigarettes, friends sharing quiet moments together at the end of the day.
Travel is like different painting styles. It's about unusual unexpected moments. It's the journey , not the destination so absorb the mundane along the way. People from all walks of life sharing common purpose: love for family, love for a lover, love for food, creative expression. these images just keep colliding in a bid melting pot. Of course the beach lifestyle is quintessentially Australian and is one of my favourites.
Summer day, the cool blue ocean and the languid heat of the sand as you contemplate life… should I take another dip.
To make sense of it all I have to stick it down on canvas as soon as I get home. Otherwise these images appear too illusionary too fleeting." Dorothy walking down the yellow brick road. that's what I feel like sometimes. Except I never quite get to my destinations…. the journey is just too much fun!
