Ross Tamlin was born in Auckland, New Zealand in 1958. He began a Fine Arts Certificate course at TAFE NSW Meadowbank in
Meadowbank, Australia, and in Brisbane he completed a graphic arts course
before returning to Sydney.
His signature
corrugated iron paintings combine traditional art genres like still-life and landscape with
graphic art. Influenced by the De Stijl movement, these paintings represent a synthesis of art and
function. Incorporating the aesthetics of modern industrial technique, the
corrugation in his
photorealistic compositions is
a visual illusion created by layers of paint and varnish. Color, along with industrial
imagery and objects, are central in Tamlin’s work.
He is particularly interested in the traditional
appropriation of found objects in modern art. His compositions are a
contemporary examination of industrial materials in which he reconstructs their
purpose and function to reveal new relationships between the object and viewer.
He works primarily in bright colors combined with primary hues overlaid with text and
glazing to produce his version of a landscape. He reworks the traditional idea
of landscape painting by incorporating text and familiar place names in a
modern interpretation.
My idea was to transmute traditional
Australian corrugated iron into works of modern art. The corrugation in the
painting is a visual illusion created by layers of paint. Most people can
connect with these panels because corrugated iron is a familiar sight both in
suburbia and the bush. However, the sense of seeing the traditional is
contradicted by the contemporary signage.”
Ross Tamlin lives and works in New South Wales, Australia. His works are held in private collections worldwide, including Australia, New
Zealand, the United Kingdom, Hong Kong, Singapore, the USA, Switzerland, and France.
Corporate collections include ING Bank, Babcock & Brown, Barclays Bank,
Saville Hotel Group, Savills Property Group, Minter Ellison, Hai Win Shipping,
Allkotes Pty Ltd, Blue Scope Steel Pty Ltd, Sieper & Co., A. P. Moller
Maersk Group, Grant Thomas Management, Maridan Pty Ltd, Esprit Changeware Pty
Ltd, Maritime Transport Ltd, London.
