SKIN: A Celebration of Culture - Joshua Bonson

SKIN - Celebration of Culture showcases the Saltwater Crocodile's scaly cover up close and personal. Its armoured skin shown by artistically building up the serrations of paint - having applied layer by layer by hand and directly from the tube allowing the viewer to feel the presence of the reptile, run their hands across its skin.
The saltwater crocodile is my totem and I strive to create artwork that succinctly captures the very essence of the creature's natural sheathe through a painterly style that is largely monochromatic and abstractly expressionistic.
Colour, Camouflage, Culture and Texture intertwin creating a patterned network of interconnecting scales, a symphony of shades of blue, green, hints of yellow and white expressively applied with thick and textured strokes. Bold directional and expressive markings, build the richly textured painting, playing with a precision of curves and sophistication creating the scales of the saltwater crocodile and a spiritual link with the Land, Sea and Sky.
The completed work is also a landscape seen from a great distance and up close of rocks and sand - a terrain of the Northern Territory and the Torres Strait which is my heritage. The close-up artistic investigation of its thick, leathery skin with bony, plate - shaped scales then becomes the internal sleuthing to put in place the affiliations that define my own skin and my place in life. At the same time, bringing the audience up close to the saltwater crocodile's skin, enabling them to know its strength and also see the country from where it came, where I come from too.
Culture is an important part of my life and plays an equally important part in my art. I want the viewer to dwell in my culture and experience a close encounter with my totem.
I am a man of the Saltwater; a Crocodile; Proud of my Heritage. Joshua Bonson