Jacky Winter is pleased to present Still. the debut solo exhibition of Melbourne-based artist Carla McRae.

Still. is a study of the ways in which we find and access feelings of calm, rest and focus. From familiar routines to small everyday acts of mindfulness, we create space for ourselves and others through ‘stillness’. It might be a slow rise, taking time, letting the mind wander with a walk, watering plants or sitting down to draw — sinking into our physical place and clearing out mental space with simple, solitary actions.

Using a primary and pastel colour palette, the drawings are rooted in the depiction of the everyday. Bright colours and bold, geometric shapes distill familiar scenes into simple forms. Characters drift through their worlds of solitude and clean, open space with a focused, serene disposition. Threads of good energy and positivity run through the works in the form of recurring shapes and objects tying the worlds together.

The mediums of McRae’s original pieces are simple and modest; reducing everyday scenes to clean pigment marker lines in open space or full opaque blocks of coloured pencil. These core pieces are set alongside a shelf of 3D wooden objects, large-scale murals, a self published zine and a limited edition print. Familiarity, simplicity and openness provide space for the viewer to place themselves into the worlds depicted and to access their own sense of calm and stillness.

Carla McRae is a Melbourne-based illustrator and designer. Growing up on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland, Carla spent her childhood obsessing over cartoons, pop culture and hunching over a sketchbook. After studying a Bachelor of Arts majoring in design at the University of the Sunshine Coast, she moved to Melbourne where she now freelances from her tiny home studio under her sometimes-pseudonym The Paper Beast.

Using paper, pencil, fine liners and markers her drawings depict small, open narratives and stories about characters and their worlds. Her characters are strong, independent and busy exploring the spaces they occupy, or enjoying the beauty of small gestures and quiet moments. When she isn’t working on projects, she enjoys making art works, small runs of books and zines and drawing all day.