‘Encompass’ creates an exhibition of recent work that explores many of the themes that artist William Linford has pondered and portrayed in his fifty-year painting career. Take a look, stop and think, take another moment as the chapters unfold before you…
Sport
William (Bill) Linford has created a diverse body of work over his lifetime as an artist. Recurrent themes are often representative of his own life experiences and interests. Many forms of sport regularly appear, either as central subject matter or sometimes embedded subliminally within a piece.
Recently, a number of golf themed paintings have been created using his signature bold colours and unique style. However, William’s favourite summertime sport is, of course, cricket. Many of us can relate with nostalgia, memory, passion or familiarity to William’s various representations of elite, backyard, beach or neighbourhood play.
William notes, ‘I am often drawn to the theme of cricket when painting. I am an avid watcher of the game during the season and have completed several works over the years with cricket as the theme. Some years ago, one of my cricket themed paintings was short listed for The Cricketer’s Art Prize. Attending the exhibition at the Members at the Sydney Cricket Ground was definitely a highlight for me.’
Fantasy
In 2023, William challenged himself to complete a large-scale canvas as the centrepiece for a major exhibition. ‘The Landing’ set the scene for the Hollow Grove Exhibition. It represents an interconnected and complex community and provided the backdrop for the diverse characters and scenes that emerged more fully in the other works of the exhibition such as ‘Sixth Sense’ and ‘Mind Games.’
The Hollow Grove series commenced in 2015 and was originally inspired by the stories of ‘The Pied Piper of Hamelin’ and ‘The Day of the Triffids.’ It was only after completing a number of works that the artist realized that the images were rekindling memories of political, social and personal changes and upheavals that he had observed and experienced throughout his life.
Environment
William has a recognizable and unique style that frequently features repetition and humour. His visual representations of Australian landscapes, subject matter and characters often belie intense concerns relating to environmental issues.
Men in suits, dwindling natural resources and characters craning or searching upwards repeatedly appear in varied backdrops. William often challenges the observer to look beyond the first glance and seek out the hidden and sometimes confrontational meaning behind his works.
William has been developing his skills, working with oil on canvas, for over 50 years. His success has been recognized by numerous awards. He has been invited to participate in many group and solo exhibitions and his works can be found in local, national and international collections.
William has resided and painted in his coastal, Ocean Grove home studio for the past 36 years. Since directing his energies into full-time painting in 2006, his output has been prolific as he strives to hone his skills. He often notes how fortunate he is to have found such a rewarding artistic passion, and he never tires from experimenting with the painting process.
