I started on this painting about 9 years ago with the vague idea of my son Luke in a thoughtful setting with his dog Maggie.

The image of the remains of a building in Armenia from the 11th century took me by surprise when I was given a calendar by Armenian tradespeople living in Australia.

Some of the earliest remains of early Christian buildings are in Armenia and you can see in Archile Gorky’s early work in America the use of symbols from this period creating some of the most rich and mystical painting in the early days of Abstract Expressionism

The rocks and water are entirely out of my imagination. As is the sky to fit  the mood. 

When I started the work my son was a healthy inquisitive child. As a young man he became very ill. The subject in the work then had to be about transition. He was now between the earth and the stars. So the title for the work was chosen - ‘Querencia ‘. The title is a Spanish word for a place in a bull ring where it is said the bull is safe from all harm.  

With these narratives in my work I try to come to terms with issues that can’t be resolved by discussion. A painting can convey a feeling of wonderment but also at the same moment, sorrow and loss.

Luke Charles Fry

27 / 6 / 1990 — 3 / 3 / 2019

Luke was a patient at Chris O’Brien Lifehouse for four years. He was attended to with great care and dedication by all the staff. The work can be viewed at Lifehouse in the waiting room for blood tests on the 1st. floor (119 - 143 Missenden Rd, Camperdown NSW, 2050).     

Querencia

Acrylic on cotton,    152 x 69 cm. 

2013 - 2022 .