In the Gallery and OnlineCelia Perceval’s recent series of work draws upon direct sensory engagement with bush locations in Southern NSW in late 2019. Studies were instigated in bushland in the Royal National Park and near the Clyde River and then transcribed to canvas at her home studio. Shortly after, the Black Summer bush fires tore through and most of the artist’s subjects were burnt out. The artist’s lush and vibrant landscapes represent a personal memoir, in joyous markings and colour, of the area’s spectacular and untouched country at a specific moment in time before sweeping physical change.     A further collection of paintings captures the energy and beauty of remote parts of Ireland. This is where Perceval has spent time since Lockdown in early 2020. In Ireland, she executed works en plein air, bringing to life the experience and emotional sense of being there in the landscape’s wild terrain. Completely absorbed in her work, she ‘channels’ nature through her. And in a painting, such as ‘Wild Yellow Iris in the Creek (Coen Kerry Ireland)’, the light and atmosphere has been produced from the artist’s direct engagement with the open air experienced during Spring.   According to Dr Andrew Frost, “Perceval is a dedicated explorer of wild and hidden places, trampling across the wilds with her equipment, searching out sites where rivers meet the ocean, looking for vistas that capture her imagination. Her style is gestural, but contained by a precise sense of composition, favouring strong lines and deep colour, with glimpses of the sky, sea or mountains beyond the vegetation of the middle ground… Perceval describes her response to her subjects as one that’s both personal and intensely emotional.”These spectacular new paintings, by highly respected and acclaimed artist, Celia Perceval, are presented by Wagner Contemporary Online and at the Gallery.