Salvatore Zofrea: Days of Summer | A Maitland Regional Art Gallery Touring Exhibition

Salvatore Zofrea, Illawarra Flametree, 2008, Hand coloured woodcut print on Japanese Hitachi paper, Edition A/P, 69 x 88.5cm

Salvatore Zofrea is one of Australia’s most accomplished woodcut artists. Salvatore Zofrea’s latest body of work Days of Summer, is a touring exhibition presented by Maitland Regional Art Gallery, and is, the culmination of almost twenty years of making prints.

Well known for his paintings and prints that are primarily narrative, allegorical and religious in content, Zofrea has taken a new direction with this series and used the very distinct Australian landscape as his inspiration to express the exuberance of life and his ‘wonder at the manifestation of God’ in the natural environment. This series of woodcut prints, featuring native flowers and birdlife, presents to the viewer the life, colour and movement found in the bushland close to his studio in Kurrajong in the lower Blue Mountains of New South Wales.

Zofrea notes that he was inspired to create this series of new work after finding a new appreciation of the beauty and abundance he saw in the Australian bush. Having been born in European Zofrea was intrigued by the ‘prickly sharp points’ in the Australian flora which is very different from the flowers and foliage found across Europe..

Although there were over 100 woodblocks created in preparation of this exhibition the suite touring comprises of 40 singles images of flowers and birds along with a monumental landscape measuring approx 2.4m x 3.6m.

Zofrea added ‘With these large landscapes, I want to convey the impression of mankind in scale with nature – to give the full visual impact of walking in the bushland and the mental sensation of texture and scent.’

Salvatore Zofrea Touring Exhibition Information (PDF)

Salvatore Zofrea Education Kit (PDF)