Gimblett’s mural for the Business School is unique, translating his gestural interrogations of the liquid medium of paint and precious metals into an exploration of the earthier, concrete forms of clay, although it is interesting to note that he was a ceramicist in Toronto for three years before taking up painting in his late twenties. It was originally produced in 1992-1993 in collaboration with Phillip Luxton for a private collector, who later gifted it to the University. Working together, Luxton prepared large slabs of clay in a wet state for Gimblett to cut shapes from, working quickly with a knife. They were then bisque fired before glaze was brushed and poured on, and then fired again. It was personally reconfigured (and re-titled) by Gimblett especially for the Owen G Glenn Building in 2008 during one of his visits to the University as inaugural honorary Visiting Professor at the National Institute of Creative Arts and Industries.

The modular nature of the piece is inspired by the late cut-out works of Henri Matisse, and is made up of ceramic pieces that float on a blue wall, added in 2008 to reflect the sea, sky and glass vistas that the building captures. “As above so below,” says Gimblett of his sea/sky-scape, invoking the well-known alchemical phrase that links levels of reality (physical, mental and spiritual) or the interconnectedness of microcosm (interior/ self) and macrocosm (exterior/universe). This work also recalls the cut-out forms of Richard Killeen and the deep blue spaces surrealist painter Joan Miro associated with dreams. It is an array of primeval forms, each a manifestation of the artistic moment of creation that not only make reference to the evolution of life itself but also acknowledge the artist’s own origins in Grafton.

Andrew Clifford