Bruce Plant brings colour to Ida Blue

NEW KORUMBURRA business Ida Blue and artist Bruce Plant were celebrated on Saturday afternoon, Mr Plant’s exhibition featuring in the combined gallery and shop.

The proudly self-taught Korumburra artist has exhibited locally and in Melbourne, his use of vibrant colours fitting beautifully into the space at Ida Blue where homewares display similar hues.

Mr Plant’s exhibition reflects 50 years of his art, ranging from his oil painting days through to his recent adoption of oil sticks that take the vibrancy up a notch.

A piece titled ‘The End’ is an example of the retrospective nature of the current show, reflecting the end of an era when Mr Plant and his wife left Melbourne in 2005 to live in Inverloch, before an eventual move to Korumburra.

Acrylic paint and felt pen are other mediums on show, some of his pieces even incorporating coffee.

The brightness of Mr Plant’s ‘Waterfront’ caught this scribe’s eye.

“It has been changed a little over the years,” he said of the piece that also dates to around 2005, explaining he often reworks paintings, sometimes doing so over a number of years.

In this instance, ‘Waterfront’ was originally done exclusively with acrylic paint, Mr Plant taking to it recently with oil sticks.

Asked how he’d describe his artistic style, he responded, “Someone described it as naïve modernism.”

Business owner Mark Bryant named Ida Blue after his mother and her favourite colour.

Mr Plant expressed his delight with the setting of his exhibition.

“Thanks to Mark for the wonderful environment he’s created, not just for me but for Korumburra,” he said, praising Mr Bryant’s eye for interior design.

The Ida Blue owner found hosting Mr Plant’s exhibition an easy decision.

“I had one look online and went, ‘You’re my man’,” he said, noting the colour, movement, vibrancy and texture of Mr Plant’s work.

Richard Hall of next-door business Black Creek Music, popped in for the celebration, describing Ida Blue as a “destination shop”.

“You need shops people want to stop for,” he explained, confident Ida Blue fits the bill.

Mr Bryant expressed appreciation for the support Mr Hall has shown him since he moved in, being excited to have set up business alongside a violin maker.

While Mr Plant’s current exhibition is part of Art Connect South Gippsland’s Open Studio Trail, the show at Ida Blue has no fixed end date.