Australian-based artist, Joseph Zbukvic, has been painting professionally for 45 years, mastering the medium of watercolor. Today, the talented painter takes inspiration from his many travels, but rather than a search “for the new,” he’s on a “quest for refinement.” Opening at Principle Gallery’s Alexandria, Virigina, location on November 10, the painter presents around 30 new pieces depicting plein air subject matter from different locales around the world.
Piccadilly Evening, London, watercolor on paper, 19 x 27"
“The exhibition is a collection of works from many places I visited in a post-Covid, newfound freedom to be able to travel again,” Zbukvic explains. “These works are therefore connected by actually being distant from each other geographically and in the subject matter they portray. Isn’t that what travels are for? Seeing and experiencing new things?”
His latest paintings feature scenery taken from the United States, France, Italy, Spain and his home in Australia—often completed in plein air with a straightforward, yet pure approach. “There are no hidden meanings or messages in my work. They are honest personal observations of various places and moments,” says Zbukvic. “Also, [because] many of my works are done in plein air, I don’t have time to think while battling the weather, the difficulty of the watercolor medium, passing inquisitors and trying to do justice to what’s in front of me. I guess they are simply a pure celebration of the watercolor medium and things I love to paint.”
Rush Hour, 5th & 21st West, NYC, watercolor on paper, 15 x 12"
As is typical of the artist, Zbukvic depicts a wide range of subject matter in this most recent series; from landscapes and cityscapes, to beaches, boats and even farm scenes—as seen in the piece Haystack Builders, Australia. “This painting takes me back to my childhood spent on a small farm,” the artist notes. “Nowadays, all that is done using machinery but I remember my father together with his brothers and grandfather, cutting grass on a night of full moon using those hand-held blades. It was much too hot to do it during the daytime. I also helped turn the cut grass over every few days so it would dry quicker, and I loved watching them build the haystack so I could jump down from it, of course. I still find this type of scenery an irresistible painting subject.”
Haystack Builders, Australia, watercolor on paper, 19 x 27"
Other pieces capture the hustle and bustle of iconic urban centers, like in Piccadilly Evening, London, and Rush Hour, 5th & 21st West, NYC—which Zbukvik calls a “quintessential New York scene,” Zbukvic says. “I visit there every few years and always find great subjects on almost every corner. I was drawn to this scene in particular by the obvious color harmony between the flags and the umbrellas at the inevitable hotdog corner stand. I must admit, they are irresistible and delicious! I particularly liked painting those flags which cut such an interesting pattern against the sky.”
Principle Gallery assistant director, Taylor Chauncey, adds that Zbukvic’s artistic practice is steeped in confidence. “Watercolor isn’t a medium to be approached with hesitation, you must approach it with self-assurance. From my perspective, Joseph’s faith in himself makes his work so distinctive....”
High and Dry, Cadaques, Spain, watercolor on paper, 19 x 27"
Titled Bon Voyage, the exhibition opens with a reception on November 10, from 6 to 8:30 p.m., followed by an artist talk on November 11, from 1 to 4 p.m., and closes on November 27. —
Principle Gallery 208 King Street • Alexandria, VA 22314 • (703) 739-9326 • www.principlegallery.com
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