Happy 2022!

Happy New Year! To everyone who supported me, helped me hold shows, has a piece of my work in their home, has commissioned me for illustration projects or followed me over the course of 2021. It was a big year, and I couldn’t have done it without you. Thank you very much! ❤️🙏

Wishing you a happy new year and all the best in 2022!

Though I’ve lapsed from the habit of sending New Years cards (年賀状 – Nengajou) to friends and family over the last couple of years – it used to be a yearly challenge to come up with a new design, usually following the 12 year calendar (干支 – Eto) – this year felt like a good time pick it up again and at least do the creative part. 2022 being the year of the tiger was a big motivation too.

新年明けましておめでとうございます。昨年はたくさんのサポートありがとうございました!今年もよろしくお願い致します。2022年最初のアートは干支の寅🐯です!

This One’s for You – August 13 – 15, 2021

 


 
 
A good year ago, a friend in the UK, Paul (Paulmonsters) reached out with an offer to be involved in something very special born out of a personal tragedy. The charity exhibition, dedicated to the memory of his father, struck a chord with me, and I gladly took up the opportunity to be involved.

This piece was my submission to ‘This one’s for you’. And if purchased, all proceeds will be donated to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham’s renal transplant ward – where Paul’s dad received his treatment – helping others in need of kidney transplants and care.  

So if you’re in Birmingham, and can get to the Melting Pot, come by and support the show and this important cause.

More details on the Facebook event page, or on Instagram

 

Sean Edward Whelan's piece for the This ONe's For You exhibition, held in Birmingham at Melting Pot, this August 13-15 2021

Tension Point – Blackartprojects, Melbourne

Sean Whelan working in his studio for Blackartprojects

I’m really pleased to announce that my solo show Tension Point with Blackartprojects will be opening Thursday 1 July 2021, at Honey Bones Gallery in Collingwood, Melbourne.

For sales enquiries, please contact Blackartprojects and request a catalogue (available in the last week of June)

P.S. Must be said that there is the ever-present possibility that lockdown might impact the timing of the show, but the opportunity to present some new work, and leave Tasmania is pretty damn exciting regardless. I can’t wait to be back in Melbourne, show my latest work and catch up with you all, so watch this space for any last-minute changes and take care.

 

TENSION POINT – Sean Edward Whelan
Blackartprojects
July 1 – 14
Honey Bones Gallery
50 Budd St, Collingwood VIC 3101

Proudly supported by Dormilona Wines

 

LOCALS – Outré Gallery Melbourne

Super chuffed to be invited along to join a whole bunch of awesome Australian artists for the LOCALS show, opening on Feb 14 at Outré Gallery in Collingwood.
Big shout out to the team there – it’s great to be a part of it, and an awkward self congratulatory slap on the back for me. It’s my first show for 2020.

Here is a little preview of my piece. Hope you can make it along – check out the lineup at their site here.

 

LadyGrinningSoul - Sean Edward Whelan

 

 

Limited Edition Prints

Whoop! I’ve produced some limited edition prints working in collaboration with Dormilona and Onstone to round out another year.

Each one is printed on a ceramic substrate, and framed with up-cycled wood sourced and assembled in Victoria, Australia by Onstone.

So if you’re keen to grab one, just visit the Dormilona site, strictly limited numbers of these 21 x 21cm pieces area available.

Show me!

Upgrades…

Had some good times with Uncle Friendly working on a robot illustration for Optus’ latest TV spot for the iPhone11. You can check out the 1 minute directors cut of the ad above, and the rest of Uncle Friendly’s portfolio on his Vimeo here.

And here is the final artwork for your viewing pleasure. And yep. That’s a stackhat 80’s kiddos.

 

Local Yokel

Yokel - Dormilona Wines

My friends at Dormilona recently asked me to help out with their latest project – Yokel. Which is sourcing grapes from the Swan Valley region north-east of Perth.

With a new line up of juicy grenache, verdohlo, rose and a pet nat, it’s also helping preserve the local flora and fauna – and it’s why I was commissioned to come up with their new dapper turtle mascot.

For every bottle on Yokel wine sold, $1 will go back to the preserving and rehabilitating the local environment and contributing to a breeding project for the Western Swamp Tortoise – a native to the region – which has come under threat from agricultural development over the years.

So, enjoy the wine, and know that you’re helping protect this endangered species, too!

Get more info at the Dormilona site

The All Story

Incantation Of The Banksia Men - Sean Edward Whelan

Incantation of the Banksia Men
Synthetic polymer and gouache on board
40 x 40cm
2019

 

It’s been great to be part of the inaugural group exhibition at the new gallery and bookstore, The All Story , Newcastle NSW this month.

From the site –  Southerns is an exhibition that draws our mythic past into our present day. Over 30 local and international artists have been invited to reimagine a fictional Australian character or story.  While some artists celebrate the cultural impact of films such as Picnic at Hanging Rock and television shows such as Round The Twist, others reflect on changing social views with modern readings of the work of May Gibbs and other canonised authors.This show aims to entertain, provoke, and provide new ways of seeing your old favourites: from film and literature to urban legends.

My piece, Incantation of the Banksia Men is based on the antagonists from the May Gibbs classic mentioned above, and diverges from the descriptions and illustrations in the book. I took my inspiration from the very first of May Gibb’s books, which is considered a classic. What I found interesting about the infamous Banksia Men in the story was the way they were described as inherently evil. Framed as scheming kidnappers, their motives where never revealed, and I thought this was something that needed to be investigated in my painting.

New Dormilona Website

Dormilona Website 2019

 

Dormilona are marking 5 years with a new site, which I’ve been commissioned to illustrate, from top to bottom!

Check it out here

Dormilona 2019

Dormilona Label 2019

The new vintage is out, and with the new vintage I’ve been commissioned to do a new label. It was a toss up between a desert backdrop and a snowy onsen. But Seen as though it was winter when I was doing this one, I guess I preferred the hot bath, and so did Dormilona.