The opening event for William Holt’s new exhibition was held on Sunday 1 February at Stockyard Gallery, where friends, gallery volunteers and art lovers gathered to welcome a powerful new body of work.
The immediate impression is one of scale and grandeur. Large canvases dominate the gallery walls, alive with explosions of colour and bold gestural marks. There is a palpable sense of energy and force in Holt’s paintings. On closer inspection, that same grandeur exists within the microcosm of each work: layers upon layers of texture reveal themselves, and what initially appears spontaneous is shown to be the result of thoughtful, deliberate working and reworking.
Gallery president Lynne welcomed guests and introduced the artist, who spoke about his practice and philosophy. Holt has recently relocated to the windy hills above Toora, where he has established a new studio. He holds a Master of Fine Art in Painting from Monash University and works across painting, sculpture and installation. His work has been exhibited widely, attracting both Australian and international collectors.
Holt’s practice is highly physical and material-driven. He often works outdoors, allowing sun and wind to shape the process, and he routinely recycles paints and earlier works. This approach gives his paintings a strong sculptural presence, emphasising texture, movement and the tactile energy of the canvas. The paint itself is largely reclaimed: old tins of house paint gathered over time, transformed through the addition of pigments. At the centre of the gallery, a tightly bound assemblage of used tins, cans and brushes sits on a plinth, all coated in a thick green patina.
“Nothing is wasted,” Holt explains. Materials are recycled and repurposed with an artist’s eye.
Many of the works suggest landscapes — sometimes terrestrial, sometimes cosmic — evoking distant planets or galaxies, as well as the small and intimate: decaying bark, lichen on rock, a dried creek bed or waves crashing onto a coastline.
Holt shared his favourite painting with me, a work that speaks eloquently to both his process and philosophy. As his life changed, the painting no longer felt complete and called out for reincarnation. In the reworking, earlier layers remain visible through seams and fissures, lending the piece a sense of mystery and solemnity alongside its dynamic energy.
Abstract art is a language we instinctively understand, yet one that can feel forgotten in our technology-filled lives. This exhibition invites viewers to slow down, look closely, and spend time absorbing the vitality and depth of William Holt’s work. Kate Smiley
