Through his breathtaking still life compositions and landscapes, Neil Driver evokes a sense of timelessness, serenity, and presence.
Parnell Gallery is delighted to present twelve new paintings from the South Island artist that sensitively guide the observer toward details that might otherwise be overlooked, such as the beauty to be found in the texture of a wooden crate, or an exquisitely rendered collection of objects from the garden gathered in time-worn vessels. In Plums in Pewter Bowl, we are offered an abundance of freshly picked plums in a pewter bowl that Driver has gifted such tactility that it appears cool to the touch. The vibrant plums’ waxen bloom cradles the warmth from a nearby but unseen window, the height in Driver’s composition allowing light to fill the space and illuminate the plums further. Likewise, in Honesty in a Glass Jug, Driver depicts a vision of delicate fragility through his stems of dried honesty, their paper-thin leaves holding light within a neutral palette. Driver’s meticulous eye for detail sees him include a window, and the landscape beyond, reflected in the body of the glass jug, drawing the wider interior into his still life composition.
