Blackman, believing "absolutely in intuitive intelligence", has preserved that spontaneity and directness giving it form and substance, painting the dream, the lost domain and the shadows. Essentially a poet, he has given the world the country of his mind and his passion, both forceful and delicate, with his exponential exploration into human emotions and philosophies. His visionary paintings symbolically connect the positive force of stillness, wonderful metaphoric space, and the pulsing energy of mystery, both boldly and sensitively, on surfaces that darken with the romantic spirit and colourfully vacillate clearly and ambiguously the magic world of Blackman’s imagination. Images are allusive, surreal and multi-faceted, expressive of his sensibilities and moods -the lyricism and naturalism of flowers, the reverence of half-lit figures, the mysticism of myth and allegory, the songs of innocence and experience.

Viewing this exhibition of works spanning 40 years you will be able to share Blackman’s genius and insight, tenderness and warm-heartedness in diverse and recurring themes redolent with wonder from major illustrated series such as Paris Dreaming where Charles "brings together everything I’ve ever felt about line drawing". Wrapping the line perfectly around his dream of the city of dreams with its girls of the night, lovers and cafe society. Rainforest is a cathedral celebration of Blackman’s oneness with nature - the loving guardianship of cascading waterfalls to the stars assigning the heavenly way to states of grace paralleled in Alice in Rainforestland where Alice leads the white rabbit into the North Queensland landscape/ether. Alice represents the power of the individual to make life magical burgeoning the imagination, whether leaping through illusory mirrors or seeking Lost Domains via cats’ gardens. Charles, a Leo, metamorphoses the cat often, particularly in A Cats Tale. The cat/Charles awakens joie de vivre as does O/pfteus/Charles who with their art raise consciousness to all that is worthwhile in life, for those who recognise magnificence in others have it themselves. Thus the maestro paints the maestro, Mozart and Shakespeare’s Midsummer Nights Dream. Neither does he neglect the Schoolgirl secretive cul-de-sac of group unity or the loneliness of one individual’s search for identity in Children Playing, Bathers, Suite and most recent Gauguin’s Girifriends series. Series diffuse into each other - Eurydice - Titania; Fuesli’s nightmare - horse magician; Rainbow bird - bluebird of happiness Parisian tablecloth. And through it all pervades the angelic Blackman music profoundly, gently butterflying the soul. His paintings are a record of love in the richest sense, where mind spirit and body are totally involved. As Blackman says "If you lose the premise of love, you have lost everything".

For services to art, Charles Blackman has already earned the OBE and the Queen’s Jubilee Medal. Sydney University awarded him an honorary Doctorate of Letters - a fitting tribute to a remarkable man whose light continues to wink in the world’s abyss. Jo Ulrick

Works illustrated in:

Amadio, N. Paris Dreaming, Reed, Sydney. 1982

Amadio, N. Charles Blackman: The Lost Domains.Reed. 1980

Amadio, N. Alice in Rainforest Land, Watermark Press. 1988

Amadio, N. Orpheus, The Song of Forever, Craftsman’s Syd.1983

Alvarez,A. Rainforest, Macmillan. 1988

Twain, M. A Cat-Tale, Ashton Scholastic. 1987

Shapcott Thomas The Art of Charles Blackman 1989

St John Moore F. Schoolgirls & Angels Nat Gall Vie. 1993

The Christensen Collection

National Gallery, Canberra

Baillieu-Myer, Kerry Stokes

MOCA, Brisbane, Qld

James Fairfax collections

Brisbane City Hall Art Gallery

Mus Modern Western Art Japan

Whitechapel Gallery, London

Power Institute of Fine Arts

Mertz Collection, Hallmark

Aust Trade Comrn, Hong Kong

Musee d’Art Moderne, Paris

Contemporary Art Society, UK

Heide Park & Art Gallery Vie

Worcester Museum, USA

ANZ, Wesfarmers Ltd

Nottingham City Art Gallery,

Reserve Bank of Australia

Parliament House, Canberra

Newscorp Collection, Murdoch

All State Galleries, Universities