Art Cup Project
Artist: Basil Antonas
Title: Fen
Medium: Acrylic on canvas
Fine textural details give his works a distinct depth and tangibility. Basil lives and works in Parkerville, Western Australia.
Introducing: Basil
We sat down with Basil to find out about the man behind the painting and the painting in front of the man.
What’s his coffee order?
Long black. Cause then you can tell if it’s a good coffee. I love good coffee.
Where can you view his work?
Follow me on Facebook for updates and visit my website to view more. On the website right now. My last exhibition was at The Orangery in Shenton Park. There’s a funny story there, 3 weeks after the exhibition opened the COVID lockdown occurred so it was locked in there for 6 months. Luckily, I had already sold quite a few, but it took 6 months to get the art out.
Why did you choose this piece of artwork for the cup?
Originally, I chose 2 pieces, but I think Karvan chose this because it had a liquid feel to it and the colours were stimulating well, that’s what coffee is, isn’t it? It’s liquid, and it’s stimulating and pleasant.
What is the story behind this piece of art?
It was about 2 years ago; I was painting this landscape, and I had the idea of doing a cascade of greenery like a rainforest. My environment influenced me, living out here, regional, amongst these trees. I started looking at all of this greenery and loved it. Then, I did a very moody sky on top with the white in the painting representing water. That’s what I was thinking. When you see the painting in person, the colours are much deeper and moodier. The cups are lighter. Still very nice, though. There are a couple of paintings I’ve done similar to this painting, but I like to try different things all the time. I got into art so I could push and experiment. Usually, I paint to get an emotion across. When people look at my art, I like to think they’re responding with a feeling. They’re not simply thinking “that’s a tree,” there are plenty of trees around, but they’re feeling something. I create emotional landscapes.
What appealed to you about this project?
It’s really nice to be involved with a great group of artists. I feel thrilled to be a part of it. I also think that anything that pushes art into the community, I like. I think it’s a payoff for living in a good society, one where it’s not just about work. You need to have stuff.
Around you that makes life worth living. I was thinking the other day whilst I watched the news. Every night it finishes, they have a sports segment. But why don’t they have a minute for an artist? You could have 365 different artists a year. But there’s sport every night. And I like sport. But art is also a huge industry. When COVID hit, people stayed home. They got online and watched films or viewed art in some form. That’s what people live for. I’m glad Karvan is doing this and I know they’re a quality company, too.
Why is it important to support the arts?
Art is a way of contemplating and celebrating life, and we need that. I think art soothes everyone and can create. Once you begin, you feel good about yourself. That’s why I love the community of art and that’s why I love this project. It’s bringing art too.
Everyone, people who buy their coffee every day. I also think you can always judge a society by its art. How progressive they are, if they’re willing to be brave and break some rules–I think that’s really important, to break some rules. You can see the progress of the country. And that can be traced back to the caveman. Who created art on the walls? That’s how far back it goes. We never lost that. It’s in every one of us. I wonder if the cavemen had art critics…
