Hamish Fleming’s Solo Exhibition: Nowhere Is Ever Really That Dark

I have been following Hamish’s work for a few months thanks to his active Instagram page. The algorithm first showed me one of his Hungry Jacks paintings and I was delighted to discover that the artist is based in Adelaide and paints actively.

When he announced his Solo Exhibition at The Mill, I had to go see, obviously. Art on the screen can give one an idea of what the work actually looks like, and art in-person is when one can actually see and feel the work. I find that scale is another element that is better recognized in-person, when viewing art.

This is Hamish’s third Solo Exhibition. The largest one he’s done so far, in terms of spending about two years working on it. 29 of his paintings are a part of this exhibit.

Personally, I LOVE the title of the show. “Nowhere Is Ever Really That Dark”. Can be applied to so many things in life, not just painting. The typeface used to display the title at the show too, is something I appreciate. Impeccable attention to detail was obvious.

Hamish paints en plein air. On the scene, out in the dark, standing with his easel and canvas and paints. He mixes most of his own paints too. Oh! And he is largely self-taught. At 24, Hamish Fleming is an artist worth paying attention to. His ability to find beauty and atmosphere in everyday places makes me curious about where his work will take him next.

His work looks a bit young and innocent. As one of my fellow viewers of the exhibition mentioned, Hamish’s work oozes young masculinity. And there’s also this old-world charm mixed in with it. A Hungry Jacks at night painted with oil paint. The paintings are a mix of oil on linen, oil on panel, a watercolour on paper and also oil on aluminum.

What seem like daily, ordinary objects and scenes, are painted and presented with this sense of old-world romance. It’s a pair of boots, but it’s also love. It’s an oyster, but there’s a story there. There’s a certain depth in his paintings. I see that evolving even more so as he continues to practice.

I particularly like the contrast between the Hungry Jack’s painting and the domestic interiors. One is a recognisable commercial space at night; the other works through the intimacy of objects that appear to have accumulated stories over time.

The excitement in the air was palpable. The show opened at 5:30pm and it was already a full house with at least 50% of Hamish’s work with red dots beside them. By the time I was leaving, there was a steady stream of people coming in and from reports I heard of later in the evening, there was quite a queue of folks waiting outside, patiently.

There is life crawling all over and inside Hamish’s paintings. And behind his eyes. His day job is at the Art To Art store, which, at least to me, is EPIC!

The exhibition is on till the 15th of January at The Mill, and I highly recommend it. Even though, from what I’ve heard, all the paintings had red dots by the end of the first day of the show. Which is not surprising at all. When you see work like this, you know it’s best to grab a piece while he’s still in Adelaide.

I asked him, “Why Adelaide?” and apart from the fact that he was born here, he said that he likes that he can go from a beach to the mountains within minutes. Urban scenes, landscapes, everything is close by and accessible. Streets that are quiet enough to allow him to paint in peace, could also be an added reason.