Geoffrey Wake is a respected and awarded artist who is also a long standing arts educator. Working from the Fremantle PSAS shared art space Geoffrey creates striking abstract acrylic paintings. With a long career of solo and shared shows Geoffrey has developed a unique style that has been collected by art galleries, public institutions and personal collectors.

Enjoy Getting to Know Geoffrey Wake…

When did you first feel the desire to be artistic and realise that you had talent?

About the age of 9 when an artwork of mine was pointed out in class as being good then acknowledgements backed this up.

Where did you learn your art?

I learnt the basics at school and on to art school at Perth Technical college.Then on to teaching art at Tech, from then on you learn about yourself and how you see art.

What messages are you sending to the viewers of your art?

An emotional response to the world crafted in a poetic and lyrical way.

Describe your studio ..

1^st floor, overlooking Fremantle streets with large doors opening out towards the north. Measures about 8mtrs by 8mtrs it is a part of the PSAS Art Space.

Describe your typical day of creating art ..

Start in studio about 8am after coffee and socialising with other artists. I work on a range of half a dozen incomplete works, not on one exclusively till about midday then lunch more art, socialising then home to develop ideas and chores.

What mediums do you use and why?

As I am now allergic to oil paint I use exclusively acrylic paints.

What are you working on now?

I am working on paintings of a coastal theme that contain some elements of forestry. The work is ranging from assemblages and collage to normal painting techniques.

What career achievements do you feel proud of?

I have had 15 one man exhibitions & 30 group shows. I have been included in several books on WA art and was also the Power bequest winner in 1972 which entitled me to a studio in Paris at the Cite International des Art for 6 months. I have been awarded an Australian Arts Council Grant and my work has been collected by Art gallery of WA and others.

What do you love mostly about what you do?

I love the magic of it…….

As one artist said ”In the process of doing a work, do search, but in order to discover other than what is searched for”

This allows an opening for magic to happen.

Artist Statement

Perth Artist Geoffrey Wake has resided in the busy port town of Fremantle Western Australia since 1996. It is here that his work changed direction and his paintings incorporated the energy and geometry contained in the urban landscape. Geoffrey has been a well respected arts educator and since 1999 has painted full time for exhibitions and commissions. Geoffrey has held many solo and group exhibitions in Perth, Melbourne, Sydney, China and Italy. His work is in numerous collections including, University of WA, Skinner Collection, Art Gallery WA, Curtin University and many private collections.

Artist Biography

Roleystone 1980 – 1995
- After painting through the eighties and nineties somewhat in awe of aerial landscape, I moved to Fremantle, an urban environment with its grids and intersecting energies.
Fremantle 1996 – 2007
- The work of this period contains the full vocabulary of the urban landscape period but is deconstructed into a grid format. It contains some geometry of the city with something of the landscape combined.
- I particularly like to express the way energy is always colliding and controlled in the urban settings, so these paintings came about through combining the elements of text and grid.
- The text being an important part of the urban setting is partially incorporated but as a pattern and mystery when one first views the work.
- For the past year my theme has been “Mi Amigo” as expression of AFFINITY with the subject in the painting … these letters are used exclusively in the works.

Working Progress

With the three major elements in mind, I like to take the journey of the work with no destination in mind allowing deconstruction (the cut outs) to change into a building process.
Something not thought of is the goal. One arrives at the destination anew.

The Titles

Express natural forces from the clouds, rain, to streams etc which are evoked in the works and I like to use other language to express the poetic aspects of the work.

Solo Exhibitions

1969 Rhode Gallery, Perth
1971 Skinner Gallery, Perth
1973 Skinner Gallery, Perth
1975 Skinner Gallery, Perth
1977 Gallery 350, Perth
1978 Fremantle Arts Centre, Fremantle
1981 Review Show, Fremantle
1985 Quentin Gallery, Perth
1988 Greenhill Gallery, Perth
1990 Editions Southbank Gallery, Melbourne
1990 Greenhill Gallery, Perth
2013 PSAS Fremantle Titled “Flight” Perth Fringe Festival
2017 Gallows Gallery, Perth

Shared Exhibitions

1996 Extending the Envelope, Moores Building, Fremantle
1997 Rites of Passage, Moores Building, Fremantle
2001 Gateways, Gadfly Gallery, Perth
2002 Earthways and Waterways, Gadfly Gallery, Perth
2003 New Paintings, Gadfly Gallery, Perth
2004 Neo Revelations, Gadfly Gallery, Perth
2006 4 Painters, Elements Gallery, Perth
2006 4 Painters, Mahoneys Gallery, Melbourne
2007-09 4 Painters, Elements Gallery, Perth
2011 Beasts and Beauties, Elements Gallery, Perth
2014 DARK LIGHT, Neon Installation , PSAS, Fremantle
2018 Landscape Yet Not Landscape, JahRoc Galleries

Group Exhibitions

1970
- Invitation Exhibition West Australian Institute of Technology, Perth
1973
- Invited to exhibit at Sir William Angliss Art Award, Melbourne
1974
- West Australian Artists Art Gallery of Western Australia, Perth
1980
- Five West Australians, UWA, Perth
1981
- Group Show Barry Stern, Sydney
1983
- Group Show Holdsworthy, Sydney
- The WAIT Collection Art Gallery of WA Perth
- Landscapes in Watercolour, Fremantle
- Invitation Wesley Watercolour Show, Perth
- China Exhibition, Perth and China
1988
- Matilda Bay Exhibition, Perth
- Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital Exhibition, Perth
- Editions Galleries, Melbourne
- Matilda Bay Show, Perth
1988-89
- Guide Dogs for the Blind Exhibition, Perth
1989
- Matilda Bay Show, Perth
- Newworks Greenhill, Perth
- Mandorla Art Prize, Perth
- ACAF 2 Art Fair, Melbourne, Victoria
- Spheres of Influence(Claremont School of Art), Perth
- Inaugural Exhibition of Works at Allegretta Studios, Fremantle
- Anniversary Exhibition Gallery of Fine Art, Perth
1995
- “The Docks Invitation Art Award”
- Fremantle Festival 10-26 November 1995 Invited to participate Fremantle
1995
- The Stein Collection Lawrence Wilson Art Gallery
- A work included in the Stein Collection; A gift to the University of Western Australia, Perth
- Group Show called “Five Art” Fremantle Festival 10-19 Nov 1995 Allegretta Artists’ Studios, Fremantle
1996
- Invited to exhibit at Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital, Perth
2000
- Finalist in Mandorla Religious Prize Fremantle
2001
- A Taste of West Australian Art Calabria Italy (One of ten artists selected to exhibit in Italy).
2005
- Affordable Art Show, Melbourne
2006
- Melb Art fair 06 (April), Melbourne
2006
- ARTITUDE, Perth
2007
- Mandorla exhibition, Perth
2007
- Kalgoolie Regional Art Gallery, Kalgoorlie
- Mixed Show (Elements Gallery)
2008
- Gadfly Gallery , Perth
2010
- Gadfly Gallery , Perth
2011
- Mandorla (Finalist), Fremantle
2011
- Tom Collins Bequest, UWA
2013
- Bunbury Biennale, Bunbury
2013
- Homeless Auction, Fremantle
2013
- Auction , Artists for Kids Culture, Melbourne
2014
- Homeless Auction, Fremantle
2015
- Mandjar Art Show, Mandurah
2016
- Mandjar Art Show, Mandurah
2018
- Landscape Yet Not Landscape, JahRoc Galleries, Margaret River

Awards

1973-74 Power Bequest Studio occupation at the Cite Internationale des Arts, Paris
1974 Australian Arts Council Grant
1980 Canning Art Prize (painting)
1981 Katanning Drawing Prize
1987 Highly recommended, Katanning Art Prize
2007 Winner Mandjar Corporate Art Award (painting)
2007 Winner Category 9 Cossack Art Award (abstract painting)

Collections

Bayswater Shire Collection
Queen Elizabeth Medical Centre
Art Gallery of WA
Curtin University
City of Fremantle
University of WA
Skinner Collection
Carnegie Collection
Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital
Education Department
La Salle College
Mandurah Performing Arts Centre
Many private collections

Biographical Details

1944 Born Perth
1957-60 Scotch College
1960-65 Perth Technical College
1965 Diploma in Painting
1968 Part-time Tutor, Claremont Tech (Drawing and Painting)
1971 Painted on “Thevenard Island” off Onslow in WA
1966-74 Part-time Tutor, Perth Tech (Painting and Drawing)
1976-86 Part-time Tutor, Fremantle Arts Centre (Painting and Drawing)
1978-88 Part-time Tutor, Forrestfield Tech College (Taught painting to level 120 studio level and drawing to level 100)
1980 Painted in Maningrida, Northern Territory
1980-85 Ran “Travel Art” (Art tours around WA and overseas)
1991 Part-time Tutor, Midland TAFE (Taught painting to levels 200-240)
1992-93 Tutor, Roleystone Family Centre
1994 Tutor, Armadale Family Centre (Drawing)
1994 Tutor, Armadale TAFE (Drawing)
1994 Tutor, Midland TAFE (Painting – levels 100, 120 and 240)
Feb/Mar 1995 Painting in Bali
1996 Part-time Tutor, Midland TAFE (Taught painting 240 and 360)
1996 Tutor, Midland TAFE (Painting and drawing – levels 100-380)
1997-98 Tutor, Midland TAFE (Painting and drawing – levels 100-390)
1999-2002 Painting full time for exhibition and commissions
2002-2006 Painting full time for exhibitions and commissions
2007 Painting full time