Sol is son of Richard and Kasy Grainger, who are from Canberra. I know Richard through Early Childhood Australia and the work we did together on the support filming and video documenting of the Early Years Curriculum Framework, Kidsmatter Early Childhood and The National Quality Standard.
Richard shared an invitation to the solo exhibition that included a very intriguing video and that suggested that this was going to be something quite special, so a trek to Canberra was unavoidable.
Both Richard (Film Maker) and Kasy (Artist) told us his skill as an artist even now is pretty exacting, and can deliver a portrait that is incredibly life life.
But in his opening address, this young artist told how he was questioning his style, and believed that while he understood his current skill and ability to interpret the world around was good, he was searching for a freedom that he once was sure he had.
Soloman an 18 year old, Canberran, said in a recent interview in the Canberra Times "I knew in primary school that I wanted to be an artist," "I was always wrestling with this idea of what's my trademark? What's my signature style? What am I going to be?," Solomon said."And when I found this collection of drawings I realised that you can't have a style any closer to your own signature than something you drew when you didn't have any other influences. (Canberra Times, MAY 18 2017)
In that collection of his drawings and paintings completed in his early childhood years this young artist has uncovered a freedom of ideas, story telling and expression that that often is repressed as we grow. and study our craft.
"Dragon and Boy" is remarkable, the imagery is powerful and grabs you and holds you, each picture takes you a little deeper into the life of a much younger Sol, and how his older self revisits his childhood with such gusto and relish.
It is a reminder, and quite powerful one at that, of how we repress the ability of children to continue telling their own story, their way, our society and education system knocking out the individualism as much as it can, and replacing it instead with another, more "reliable" machine.
In a few weeks this young man will be heading off to Europe, off to discover the haunts of artists through history and how they discovered their own style, in that journey, Solomon will most likely discover new ways to tell his story, to refine it and share with others. What I do know is that he has a remarkable way of telling his story now and it can only get better. He is an artist to watch for the future and worth the investment.
This exhibition features 60 works, which is remarkable as a first exhibition.
His current (and first) solo exhibition is currently being held at the Aarwun Gallery, Gold Creek, Canberra, and will close on June 17th.
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