Ken Done on the Ningaloo Reef
An insider look at Linton & Kay’s exclusive new exhibition.
ARTIST Ken Done • GALLERY Linton & Kay Galleries • WORDS Elizabeth Clarke
“Australians cling to the edge of the country, and the Western Australian coast is fabulous!” —Ken Done
Photo by Stuart Spence
It would be difficult to find a child of the 1980s or 90s who didn't dry off with a Ken Done Harbour Bridge beach towel. Colouring our childhoods with painterly impressions of the Opera House, tropical fish, Barrier Reef and various flora and fauna, Ken Done represents what it means to be Australian, and at 82, remains one of our most celebrated and successful artists.
Ken grew up in the Sydney suburb of Belmore and later in country NSW where he free-ranged with his mates and developed a lifelong love for drawing. At age 14, he left school to attend the National Art School in East Sydney and, after five years, headed to New York City and London, where he worked as an art director and designer.
When he turned 40, Ken picked up his brush full-time and, with wife Judy, opened his own gallery with a small range of t-shirts emblazoned with his drawing of Sydney Harbour. Since then, Ken has held over 100 one-man shows in Australia, Europe, Japan and the USA and continues to helm one of the country’s most enduring lifestyle brands.
Mask II by Ken Done
His collaborations with contemporary brands speak to a new generation who love his optimistic take on Aussie beach life and his beloved Sydney Harbour.
Ken's recent trip to WA's Ningaloo Reef inspired his third solo exhibition, The Joy Of Colour, with Linton & Kay Galleries. On the eve of its opening, Elizabeth Clarke chatted with Ken about everything from his favourite pink frangipani tree and the joy of snorkelling to swimming with whale sharks.
(EC): Ken, your new exhibition at Linton & Kay draws on a lifetime of colour. How bright is your palette right now?
(KD): Very! I love colour, but it's like musical notes - it depends on how you put them together. A critic once said that I “take the beige out of Australia”, which is interesting, but colour has always been around. Whenever I come to Western Australia, I make sure I have a window seat to see the middle of Australia and all its amazing colours. It gives me great joy.
Striped Reef I by Ken Done
You live by the beach in Sydney, which has always been your work's baseline. How does WA's coastline measure up?
I live on Chinaman’s, which is a harbour beach in Mosman, and I swim and walk it every day. Australians cling to the edge of the country, and our reefs and beaches are amazing. The Western Australian coast is fabulous; I've travelled from Broome to Darwin and been down south to Margaret River. Some paintings in my new exhibition with Linton & Kay come from my last trip to Ningaloo which is pretty amazing.
You are a passionate diver and have chronicled Australia's reefs for years. How are they looking these days?
I see some change, no doubt. I hope when people see my underwater paintings, they realise how important our reefs are and understand the responsibility we have to look after them. I have had a lifetime of diving. The first time as a little boy, when you put on an underwater mask and discover the joy of the underwater world, is wonderful. I don't try to paint what it looks like photographically - it's more about what it feels like. It’s the same approach I take to painting the beach, a figure, or a gorgeous flower.
Yellow Reef by Ken Done
As an artist and creative for one of Australia’s most iconic lifestyle brands, you continue to be incredibly relevant for new generations. What is your secret?
I'm pleased about it. We did a wonderful collaboration with the Australian fashion brand Romance Was Born and (lifestyle brands) Kip & Co. and Basil Bangs, and it's wonderful that the new and younger generations responded so well. Hopefully, it's good design that lasts over time.
After decades of making art, how do you prepare yourself creatively these days?
There's a certain pattern. Of a morning, after feeding the birds and walking the beach, I go into my studio. It's like a painting hospital - there might be a couple of paintings I'm working on at the back, some I still need to solve, and because I have my own gallery in Sydney, there's always a need for some work to go there. Over the last 12 months, I've worked on some fantastic projects, including Vivid Sydney and some big retrospective exhibitions. I've always got plenty to do. Always in my mind are endless images I need to get to.
Deep Dive by Ken Done
The Joy of Colour is your third solo exhibition with Linton & Kay Galleries here in Perth. It’s a vibrant homage to our Ningaloo Reef. What is it about this beautiful part of WA that excites you?
It's like the joy of love or flowers - a feeling almost impossible to define. It's how you see colours together. For example, I'm sitting in my house now, looking out the window at a pink frangipani tree. It's amazing with its deep green leaves and big clumps of bright pink flowers. How wonderful! I used my eyes like this in Ningaloo. It's just terrific. We went there to see the whale sharks, which was amazing. I like it better when it's shallow because I prefer to snorkel where the light is strong, and you can see all the details clearly. Sometimes it's the tiny things you enjoy the most.
As an avid traveller, you must be enjoying the post-pandemic world.
I am! Apart from my trip to Perth, I'm off to Victoria to do an exhibition, and then later in the year, I go to New Zealand and London. I like to travel. It reminds you how great Australia is.
What is your best tip for someone choosing a piece of your art for their home?
A painting is like a good date - you don't get it all the first time. I like to make paintings that give pleasure over time and I certainly hope mine do.
The Joy of Colour by Ken Done AM runs from
4 - 26 March at Linton & Kay Galleries, Subiaco
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