Little Brunswick by Shaun Tan

Shaun Tan has produced an series of oil paintings dedicated to Brunswick. Opening at Tinning Street Presents on Saturday the 5th of December, Little Brunswick is an exhibition of over 50 small scale oil paintings, depicting Brunswick’s everyday inner-suburban scenes painted by Tan over the past few years.

“I’ve been painting little oil sketches of local environments since the age of thirteen, when I saw a show of Arthur Streeton’s 9×5 landscapes painted on cigar box lids. These unassuming miniatures seemed to capture entire worlds, and I’ve always aspired to do the same. I rarely exhibit my own sketches, regarding them only as painting exercises, somewhat removed from my other work as an illustrator, writer and film-maker. Ironically, this actually makes them very good subjects for an exhibition! There is a freshness and honesty about them, and kind of loose purpose that is often hard to emulate in larger projects. Since moving to Melbourne in 2006, this work has also helped me build a personal connection with a new landscape, particularly Brunswick, which has its own kind of light and time-worn, cobbled-together personality. Most of the paintings in this show depict places within a few kilometers of my home, noticed incidentally while walking, driving, shopping, toddler-wrangling and every other kind of non-artistic day-to-day activity. I hope you enjoy them!”

Ranging from $750 and $950, the 15x20cm works are framed without glass.

Behind Sydney Road 2012