Acrylic Painting
Spencer Harrison
Spencer Harrison is an Australian visual artist, whose practice explores a dialogue between formal abstraction and the modern world.
Artist Profile
Spencer Harrison is an Australian visual artist, whose practice explores a dialogue between formal abstraction and the modern world. His visual language draws on the world around us, referencing design, architecture, technology and the built environment.
Within his works, Harrison explores tensions between minimalism and maximalism, order and disorder, contemplating the role these forces play in the modern world. Central to Harrison’s practice is the exploration of colour, including its phenomenology, emotive qualities, symbolism and socio-political meaning. Harrison works across a range of disciplines in his practice, including painting, drawing, digital video, sculpture and installation.
Throughout the past 10 years, Harrison has exhibited regularly in solo and group exhibition. Alongside his exhibitions he also undertakes public artworks and commissions working with clients including the Melbourne Immigration Museum, White Night, Miami Horror, David Jones, Victorian Metro Tunnel and the City of Melbourne. His work is in private collections in Australia, UK and the USA including the Justin Art House Museum, Melbourne.
Harrison graduated in 2021 from the Victorian College of Arts, Melbourne with a Masters of Contemporary Art (First Class Honours).
Artist Interview
What medium do you work with, and why have you chosen them?
Colour is the primary subject of my work and I explore ideas related to colour across a range of mediums including painting, drawing, digital video, sculpture and installation. I like to work with a diversity of approaches to allow me to explore ideas in different ways.
How does your artwork get from initial concept to exhibition stage?
Drawing is a central part of my process and I spend a lot of time sketching ideas in sketchbooks before developing small scale colour pencil drawings which form the basis of final paintings. As I work across a range of mediums the final stage of the process is one of curation, choosing the best pieces to display together for an exhibition.
Can you tell us a little more about your creative working environment/studio?
I am lucky enough to have a custom built studio space in my backyard which has been a dream for many years. My studio space has lots of natural light and looks out onto my flower garden, with the colours inspiring many of my artworks.
Career Highlights
- Commissioned to produce major installation by Melbourne Immigration Museum
- Finalist in Paul Guest Drawing prize 2024
- Work in private collections in Australia, UK and USA Including the Justin Art House Museum, Melbourne
