Despite its gritty subject matter, Robert Watson’s latest show at Gallery 25 is engaging, thought-provoking and a pleasure to look at. The exhibition features a series of new abstract paintings and 3-D wall pieces, collectively titled Road Gardens, that continues Watson’s investigation of the road which began with his solo exhibition at the Mildura Arts Centre in 2004. Where Watson’s previous exhibition explored the surface of the highway itself, Road Gardens considers the public spaces at the edge of the road.
Watson introduces Road Gardens with a sweeping, ten metre long painting on wallpaper, from his Arts Centre show, that draws the viewer into the gallery, and sets the context for his latest work. The painting begins with a swirl of brown and black brushstrokes that condense into a solid black surface at the opposite end. For Watson, the random marks are a reminder of the origins of the road, its progression from a meandering dirt track to the modern highway. Watson has pinned two earlier paintings, done on long narrow strips of sandpaper, to adjacent walls beneath his new work. Here they act as surrogate highways in relation to the abstract pieces above.
The new paintings in Road Gardens appeal to our sense of touch. Watson’s canvases contain heavily worked surfaces in oil and enamel covered with bumps and ridges. He increases their tactile quality by adding strips of synthetic fabric. As part of the painting process, Watson paints directly onto the gauze-like material, at times lifting it to form bubbles, enhancing the texture and depth of surface. He uses this to excellent effect in several works. In one diptych, the slick oily black paint and glossy bubbles