Doug Menadue
Painter & Illustrator (Manly, NSW)

Doug's artwork is eye catching! It stands out and draws you to it and once caught, the eye wanders across the fields of interwoven geometric patterns and colours wanting to drink it all in. The mind instinctively recognises something timeless - a story being told that we've all heard somewhere in our past but perhaps can't quite put our finger on where it was we heard it. Or perhaps it's the harmonious vibrations that eminate out from the cell like structures that strike a resonating chord within us, like that between a tuning fork and the piano strings. There is symmetry which shelters and smoothes the mind... the mind responds and looks deeper within.

The style of Doug's artwork is reminiscent of the beautiful "zellij" mosaic tilework of the artisans of Morocco. Indeed, Doug spent three months travelling in Morocco several years ago and fell in love with the patterns, shapes and colours - a feast for the senses which drew forth a great respect for those who created such wonders and for that which allowed it to be.

For Doug, these geometrics enable an exploration of the inter-relatedness of all things... an opportunity to see how the parts fit together to create the greater story of which we are all players. It is the language of cells and stars. The painting entitled" Flowering of Life", for example, is in part a creation story. The central green pattern represents the earth, trees and living things; the golden disk of the sun upon which life depends; the moon phases that give pleasing variation; the red circle of blood that flows through all our veins; the sea of blue with its hexagonal structures of water and ice crystals; all surrounded by a border of four colours representing the constant cycle of the seasons.

Each painting is a journey in itself for Doug. A work takes between 8 and 9 months to complete and is at times a test of patience and perseverence but always joyful. Using acrylic inks with dip-pen and small 0-series (0000-0) brushes, progress is made bit-by-tiny-bit allowing the painting to reveal itself in its own time and way. Each work challenges Doug to try to see as clearly as possible the tale that it wants to tell. The images make no demands but rather simply invite you to gaze and ponder.

Doug also draws finely detailed pencil drawings of trees. Each clearly embodies a personality and presence. These again are not something that are done overnight but over the course of many months.

So take the time to gaze and enjoy... explore the detail and then step back and savour the whole.

Contact Doug Menadue
Visit Doug Menadue's Sacred Geometrics website