Sophie Westerman "Quiet Company" 16th July - 18th August

 "Little boxes on the rooftop, little boxes made of wood and stuff" to the tune of Little Boxes.

This winter must end and the cruel wind must cease it's howling. But enough poetry.

Sophie Westerman's new show Quiet Company is a starkly appropriate edition to the wintry heights of Rooftop Art Space. Sophie uses Gouache, Acrylic, charcoal, paper/cardboard alongside her lithograph and aquatint works throughout this show. One feels a definite calm when viewing Sophie's work. There is a comforting simplicity and order to it.

We shall meditate happily on your houses Sophie, thank you.

"Quiet Company"

Sophie has an obsession with little, black houses and people. She enjoys combining graphic and generic shapes with detailed drawings and paintings just to see what happens. Sophie’s work as a whole is a snapshot into her brain as she dwells on ideas of home, memory, space and silence and she hopes that people will dwell with her, just for a moment.

Biography

Sophie is an artist/printmaker from Melbourne who has recently completed her Bachelor of Fine Arts from the Victorian College of the Arts.  She is now studying creative writing at the University of Melbourne and creepily drawing her friends without their knowledge

See more of Sophie's work at sophiewesterman.com

Evie Cahir "Soft And Raw" 13th June - 11th July

Yes, Melbourne is freezing. But good art, friends.. ...can always warm you. 

RAS' latest show "Soft And Raw" by Evie Cahir is a delicate collection of illustrations in graphite and watercolour. The insane detail of her rendering is a wonderful contrast to the casual nature of her subjects. There is romance and a reminiscence in Evie's work, the latter seeming to come from someone far beyond her years. We loved having you at Rooftop Evie, thanks a bunch!  

"Soft And Raw"

Meticulously rendered, delicate drawings of objects and figures are paired with ambiguous negative space which together present a study of space and crowds in Evie Cahir's exhibition Soft and Raw , which is basically a collection of recollections. Fleeting moments are studied and pared down to convey the essence of a gathering or moment, such moments include long train trips, waiting in queues or tram journeys. These are then translated into simple graphite and watercolor studies. The result are detailed and characteristically minimal studies which simultaneously isolate and monumentalise narrative instances witnessed by Evie.

Biography

Evie Cahir is an illustrator living in Collingwood, Melbourne. Equal portions of her time are devoted to

drawing hair, picking up receipts, downing coffee and sketching people on trams. In fact, she has probably drawn you and your hair on a tram at some point. 

You can see more of Evie's work on her Tumblr page. Go there: http://eviecahir.tumblr.com/

Kate Gagliardi "Ok Gag." 26th April - 23rd May

It's finally Winter and the Rooftop takes on an entirely different character. No more do the gorilla chested suits and the sad pin-eyed girls leave their slug trails over what is Melbourne's most lovely roof. It now reverts to it's rosy cheeked, against all odds "We're the only people in Melbourne that don't care that we're on a roof in the middle of Winter" attitude. With a cup of hot cider in hand we launched Kate Gagliardi's show "Ok Gag.". With her intricate drawings, involving countless hours of shading work and a wonderful thematic contrast between gothic skulls, bones and traditionally feminine colours, the viewer is taken into the precise and stylistic world of the artist. Kate's works consist of a combination of pencil, gouache and crayon. The piece titled "Excuse Me" has the most fastidious use of scalpel work we've ever seen in our boxes, quite beautiful. 

Thanks Kate for a great show!

"Ok Gag."

Inspired by the human figure, Kate Gagliardi's mixed media works and street art offer a dynamic modern twist to figuration. She transports her stylised subjects into a realm of the imagination where she captures intimate gazes in visual snapshots.

Biography

Originating from Adelaide and now based in Melbourne, Gagliardi has exhibited interstate and internationally. She has illustrated for Collect Magazine, Champfest Magazine and has been featured in the Semi Permanent publications.

 See more of Kate's work at www.ok-gag.blogspot.com