Abra­ham Greenway

The Aus­tralian bush is known for things like din­goes, walk-abouts and a rich native his­tory. Now you can add one more-32-year-old artist Niko­las de Masi. His abstract out­back land­scapes are a chron­i­cle of his life and what he sees. His land­scapes dif­fer from tra­dion­tal ones. De Masi doesn’t just paint the land in front of him; he cap­tures the essence or the mood, the emo­tions that the land brings. Junk Yard Wars at first glance is a red, sprawl­ing glance at the Aus­tralian Out­back. But then greys and whites pierce through the bush dirt and you are left with a feel­ing of spoiled purity, urban thought dis­rupt­ing the peace of nature, infring­ing on the clear, unspoiled sky. Want­ing his view­ers to feel the pas­sion of the land­scapes, Niko­las de Masi uses stark col­ors and sharp forms that stem from a love and pas­sion of the land. Nightscapes I reels the eyes around bright high­lights and dark shad­ows. You might not be able to pick out the exact area de Masi is rep­re­sent­ing but that’s not what mat­ters– it’s the emo­tions and the tumult that he wants you to feel, the vast­ness of the night and the bush of his coun­try. He wants the viewer that “enjoys [his] work to be able to get a sense of belong­ing…” He rep­re­sents his home in many dif­fer­ent pal­lets and invites you to come along and feel what he sees.

Niko­las de Masi