Gillie
and Marc Schattner’s work is the perfect marriage
of style and content: their art uses a colourful and
exuberant meshing of figurative expressionism and Pop
Art to explore themes of contentment and happiness.
Their recent dog series was inspired by research that
showed that if you want to live a happy life, the single
most important thing you can do is get a dog. Gillie
and Marc are fascinated by the things that give
us pleasure, the things that make us happy,
the things that make life worth living, and they make
art which embodies that quest. The bold, simple shapes
and rich colours and textures they use in their paintings
and sculptures are a source of simple, positive pleasure,
while also suggesting metaphors for our search
for happiness.
Gillie
and Marc Schattner’s art draws on their work in
the fields of graphic design and advertising, as well
as Gillie’s experiences working as a registered
nurse.
They
have worked with the Smile Foundation, The Black Dog
Institute and Australian Red Cross Blood Service. They
are also successful portrait artists, and were recent
finalists in the Archibald Prize. Specialising in children,
pets and celebrities, their portraits are in
international demand. Their subjects include
Rhonda Birchmore, Scarlett Johannson, John Konrad, Archbishop
Pell, Dr Harry Cooper, Jimmy Little, and the late Peter
Brock. Marc and Gillie have had over 30 solo exhibitions,
and are hung in prominent corporate and gallery collections.
They are also published authors with
their recent children's/gift book, 'The Happiest Day
of My Life'
becoming a best seller.
Gillie and Marc Schattner live in Sydney with their
two children, Jessie and Ben, plus a dog and a cat.
