Howard Sparks

Born in Melbourne, I attended the Victorian National Drawing School in 1947. I began painting seriously in 1960 and have during this long career as a painter divided my interest in subject matter between landscapes and evocative figures. I tend to treat both subjects fairly realistically with the main emphasis on mood and atmosphere. The air and space we stand in inspires the very emotions that motivate me to express myself visually.

The works dealing with people tend to explore a personal and introverted world, figures that express mood rather than reality, thus giving the works a rather dreamlike and theatrical quality. A single figure dreaming, the emotional awareness between two people in a relationship, these images frozen in time appeal to me. Sometimes a concern for humanity is hinted at rather than stated overtly and I hope that this understatement is one of the things that make my art appealing. With my landscapes, whether real or surreal, I like to create a stage that the viewer can step into and perhaps feel that they are being watched by a hidden presence in the bush.

One of the subject matters that has been an enduring interest for me is that of the Carnival in Venice. The subject matter is fascinating with the various costumes and masks creating so much mystery and personal interpretation.
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Awards and Recognition

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Exhibitions

2014 - Gold Coast City Art Gallery
2013 - New York Art Expo
2013 - Hill Top Art Gallery MT Tamborine
2004 - Griffith University Art Gallery Gold Coast
1997 - Bruce Watling Gallery Gold Coast
1986 - Geoffrey Hoisser Galleries Brisbane
1982 - The Russell Davis Gallery Melbourne
1979 - The Anvil Gallery Victoria
1975 - Sydney Opera House
1974 - Civic Gallery Canberra

Exhibiting Galleries

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Other

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Visit Howard's website here.