view additional image 1
View in a Room ArtworkView in a Room Background
Sentiment pays no dividend. 
“Horses know this more than most: 
The greatest curse of any animal is to be worth money to men.” 
Shaun Tan, Tales from the Inner City

This quote from acclaimed Australian writer/illustrator Shaun Tan was the catalyst for my new body of works, Duality. Having had horses be a part of my life from a young age and witnessing the often complicated, delicately nuanced and interconnected relationship humans and horses have, this story had a profound effect on me. 

The human / horse relationship began over 50,000BCE when horses were hunted for consumption. At approximately 4000BCE horses were domesticated and since then they have been utilised in every facet of our civilisation from religion, agriculture, warfare, transport and communications to sport, leisure, status and money. The transfer of human language, culture and technology increased with this new mobility of man, yet I question if humans acknowledge this non-human animal who has offered so much? Once the human need for horses is no longer required they are often cast aside, forgotten in paddocks, sent to abattoirs or set ‘free’ into the wilderness to be vilified for ruining the environment.

Coinciding with their utilitarian uses, the horse is a universal symbol for freedom without restraint. I found this notion to be paradoxical as the human / horse relationship is built on harnessing their power often through restraint. Horses are seen as pillars of strength and power yet their bodies and minds are fragile and anxious. It was here that I realised I was not only describing the human / horse relationship but the relationship with my own reality. My desire to step out of the shadows, speak my truths and question the status quo with quiet conviction came with restrains of uncertainty and self doubt. Like the horse, I am a product of my environment and those who have been connected to me, positively or negatively. 

The creation of each painting takes many weeks, days and hours and during that time these innermost thoughts and feelings are embedded into each stroke. Through this delicate approach the power of the image emerges. Akin the relationship between humans and non-human animals the smallest change in tone and temperature can make the largest overall impact.

62 Views

8

View In My Room

Freedom / Unbalanced Reality Painting

Brooke Walker

Australia

Painting, Oil on Aluminium

Size: 39.4 W x 31.5 H x 2 D in

Ships in a Box

SOLD
Originally listed for $3,430

62 Views

8

Artist Recognition
link - Showed at the The Other Art Fair

Showed at the The Other Art Fair

link - Artist featured in a collection

Artist featured in a collection

ABOUT THE ARTWORK

Sentiment pays no dividend. “Horses know this more than most: The greatest curse of any animal is to be worth money to men.” Shaun Tan, Tales from the Inner City This quote from acclaimed Australian writer/illustrator Shaun Tan was the catalyst for my new body of works, Duality. Having had horses be a part of my life from a young age and witnessing the often complicated, delicately nuanced and interconnected relationship humans and horses have, this story had a profound effect on me. The human / horse relationship began over 50,000BCE when horses were hunted for consumption. At approximately 4000BCE horses were domesticated and since then they have been utilised in every facet of our civilisation from religion, agriculture, warfare, transport and communications to sport, leisure, status and money. The transfer of human language, culture and technology increased with this new mobility of man, yet I question if humans acknowledge this non-human animal who has offered so much? Once the human need for horses is no longer required they are often cast aside, forgotten in paddocks, sent to abattoirs or set ‘free’ into the wilderness to be vilified for ruining the environment. Coinciding with their utilitarian uses, the horse is a universal symbol for freedom without restraint. I found this notion to be paradoxical as the human / horse relationship is built on harnessing their power often through restraint. Horses are seen as pillars of strength and power yet their bodies and minds are fragile and anxious. It was here that I realised I was not only describing the human / horse relationship but the relationship with my own reality. My desire to step out of the shadows, speak my truths and question the status quo with quiet conviction came with restrains of uncertainty and self doubt. Like the horse, I am a product of my environment and those who have been connected to me, positively or negatively. The creation of each painting takes many weeks, days and hours and during that time these innermost thoughts and feelings are embedded into each stroke. Through this delicate approach the power of the image emerges. Akin the relationship between humans and non-human animals the smallest change in tone and temperature can make the largest overall impact.

DETAILS AND DIMENSIONS
Painting:

Oil on Aluminium

Original:

One-of-a-kind Artwork

Size:

39.4 W x 31.5 H x 2 D in

SHIPPING AND RETURNS
Delivery Time:

Typically 5-7 business days for domestic shipments, 10-14 business days for international shipments.

Brooke Walker’s artworks give a voice to the voiceless. Her passion for wildlife conservation and desire to understand the intricate nuances of the human/non-human animal relationship inspires her arts practice. This love of wildlife was created and nurtured during childhood surrounded by animals on a hobby farm in McLaren Vale, South Australia. In 2009, Walker graduated from UniSA with a Bachelor in Visual Communication (Illustration Specialisation) and has since continued her artistic studies and skill development through workshops held by Robin Eley of the Art Academy South Australia. In addition, she has sought painting technique mentorships by American painters David Kassan and Shana Levenson. Walker hosted ‘PERICLITATUS’, her first solo exhibition of charcoal drawings in 2015. This exhibition showcased the worlds most endangered species through beautifully rendered portraits. Since then her technique has shifted towards oil painting, while still utilising the same attention to detail, giving her works a hyperrealistic quality. In 2017 Walker was awarded the ‘Hidden World’ Category prize at the David Shepherd Wildlife Artist of the Year Awards in London with her work ‘Okapia Johnstoni’. Since then she has also won the ‘Hanger’s Prize’ with ‘Great Barrier Reef 1’ in the 2017 Solar Art Prize, the overall winner for the ‘2018 RSASA Characters of the Fleurieu’ art prize with her artwork ‘Soul’ and the ‘People’s Responsibility’ category prize with the work ‘Life or Death’ in the 2018 Solar Art Prize. She was a finalist in the Lethbridge 10000 and the Alice Springs Art Prize in 2018. Not content with being a traditional wildlife artist, Walkers’ new works blur the lines between the real and surreal. She takes inspiration from historical research and symbolism, current environmental issues such as climate change and urban sprawl and her interest in animal social sciences. Her artworks are intertwined with deep empathy and an emotion that is hard to conceive in the written word. Above all, it is her goal to create beautiful, thought provoking imagery to encourage empathy and discussion in order to entice change in the human attitudes towards non-human animals. Brooke Walker has occupied a studio space at the Fleurieu Arthouse in McLaren Vale for the past year with her arts business Brooke Walker Fine Art being founded 3 years ago.

Artist Recognition
Showed at the The Other Art Fair

Handpicked to show at The Other Art Fair presented by Saatchi Art in Melbourne, Melbourne

Artist featured in a collection

Artist featured by Saatchi Art in a collection

Thousands of 5-Star Reviews

We deliver world-class customer service to all of our art buyers.

Satisfaction Guaranteed

Our 14-day satisfaction guarantee allows you to buy with confidence.

Global Selection of Emerging Art

Explore an unparalleled artwork selection by artists from around the world.

Support An Artist With Every Purchase

We pay our artists more on every sale than other galleries.