From Hamilton Gallery:

Jimmi Buscombe is a Warrnambool-based visual artist renowned for his highly detailed wildlife paintings and large-scale public artworks. He is a finalist in several national art prizes and has installed over 50 major public art commissions across Australia and the United States.

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​In this exhibition, Buscombe’s practice reveals how early childhood encounters can echo throughout a lifetime, resurfacing later in the subjects we are drawn to, the places we feel connected to, and the ways we choose to see the natural world.

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​First Images speaks to the enduring power of pictures. More than a reflection on childhood, it is a delightful exploration of how visual culture is passed from one generation to the next, as well as a celebration of Australian flora and fauna.

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The Artist's Statement:

I grew up amongst the tall gum trees of the Dandenong Ranges to the sounds of Magpies, Kookaburras, Rosellas and Galahs, my family forming friendships with the many birds that frequented our garden. On my first birthday my parents gifted me May Gibbs’ The Complete Adventures of Snugglepot and Cuddlepie and as the years of my childhood proceeded, my bookshelf expanded to contain the likes of many Australian children’s books, including The Muddleheaded Wombat by Ruth Park, The Magic Pudding by Norman Lyndsay and The Complete Adventures of Blinky Bill by Dorothy Wall. These books were my first sources for art and wonder, as my parents lovingly read to me the stories of these magical animals and their great adventures set in the Australian bush.

 

Now in the second half of my life, it is these images of Australian flora and fauna that I seek to recreate. I do this as an act of reverence, honouring their profound beauty in a detailed and realistic way, but also at times portraying them as playful characters stumbling into some form of whimsical narrative. 

 

Each painting offers an invitation to return to the joy of those First Images that opened my heart.