AT 81 John Mutsaers is a man brimming with creative thoughts, ideas and energy that flow from him like the oils from his paint brush.
Forty years as a successful full time artist has seen John produce a great depth and breadth of work.
This is evident in his 42nd and final solo exhibition at Wonthaggi Artspace where visitors will be treated to new paintings and drawings, and some favourites from the past.
While John favours painting portraits, enjoying the company and stories of his sitters, his work spans sculptures, landscapes, animals and birds, nudes, still life and two collaborative series - Looking Back and The Infinite Birdcage.
Having now the liberty to paint whatever he wishes, without the constraints of having to make a living, John is revelling in this freedom that he wished for, for many years.
“..now, the stuff I’ve painted, I don’t care whether people like it or not. I mean, I prefer for them to like it but if they don’t, that’s OK too.”
Works of realism hang on the wall of the straw bale living room John built himself ten years ago.
A man on a red bicycle pops out of the canvas with joy and movement. A still life of a very Parisian room where John and his wife Mary spent time together has a lovely sense of nostalgia.
A landscape of a cow grazing in a field hangs opposite, with a soft, ephemeral dream like quality.
John is currently working on black backgrounds – tonalism - a hark back to when he was first learning to paint and an exploration back into tones.
He sits down next to a clay sculpture of a bust, a man whistling with a bird on his shoulder, also whistling, a homage to Harry Belafonte and his quote, “You can stop me singing but you can never stop the music,” John recites.
John admits that his work has become more introspective since he experienced cancer.
“It was the most brilliant experience,” and he talks about the enormous amount of generosity and kindness he came across while undergoing treatment.
He speaks of his early years and the adventure of moving to Australia from the Netherlands at the age of 14 and losing connection to cousins but maintaining a strong Dutch identity.
“I am very Dutch. Dutch to the core.”
John talks of the injustice of the potato famine and the iron sculpture of people leaving Ireland.
“With pig iron, everything always looks awful and it has kind of an attitude behind it that says we’re not having a good time here.”
He talks of immigration, the importance of ancestry and culture, turning Wonthaggi into a sculpture town, and writing a play about the interactions between Rembrandt and Van Gogh.
He talks about the reconciliation movement, the deterioration of his aging artist friends, and collaborating with writers in his work.
He talks about death and he talks about creation.
“I’m in my last decade. I’m not worried about that, but considering this is my last go. I have to do something interesting.”
As Harry Belafonte said, no one can stop the music and John’s music is his art.
“If being an artist is somehow special, then I can’t let it stop being special to me,” said John.
John Mutsaers work is on exhibition at Wonthaggi Artspace until Sunday December 10.
