Summer

Michael Reid Murrurundi is delighted to announce Summer – a radiant new collection of still-life paintings by Eora/Sydney-based artist Melanie Vugich, whose exuberant compositions distil the titular season’s optimism, ebullience, breezy style and slower pace. Awash with colour, pattern play and lashings of Mediterranean sunshine, Vugich’s exquisite and eclectic tablescapes evoke the conviviality and ease of long, languorous days when a rambling lunch rolls effortlessly into poolside aperitifs, sun-dappled siestas and leisurely afternoons spent alfresco with some excellent reading material at hand.

“An ode to my favourite season, Summer features a small collection of oil paintings started during the Sydney winter – when I was fantasising about sunshine and swimming – and completed after spending several weeks under the blazing Calabrian sun,” says Vugich, whose longstanding affinity with Italy dates back to the 25 years she spent living in Florence, working as a textile designer for leading fashion houses while developing her painting practice. “I worked with a bright palette and took inspiration from the light-filled living spaces in our little home, my treasured library of art books and the fleshy fruits that grow in my friend Renato’s sprawling orchard. My goal was to draw viewers in with colour and leave them feeling uplifted and refreshed.”

Born and raised in Broken Hill, Vugich returned to Australia in 2010, settling in the Sydney seaside suburb of Bronte and turning her full attention to painting. Her distinctive approach to still life draws on a lifelong fascination with colour, composition and the beauty of everyday objects, informed by a career in textile design that has included an ongoing collaboration with the iconic fashion house Oscar de la Renta. Bringing the warmth and abundance of an Italian summer to the Upper Hunter, Summer is a joyous celebration of seasonal pleasures, the rituals of domestic life and the simple luxury of slowing down.

For enquiries, please email amandamackinlay@michaelreid.com.au