1984: London - Air and Space Studio.
LONDON 1984 - La CARNIVALE - Drawings
In 1984 Gary Willis was awarded the Australia Council 'London Studio' at the Air Gallery. These Carnival drawings become a 'what the buttler saw' window into the dreams and disillusions of a one man travelling circus.
'Willis is a Metaphysician in a frenzy' - Elwynn Lynn - 'The Australian' 1985
1990 -1998: London - Europe
From 1990 to 1998 Gary lived and painted under the patronage of Arthur Boyd in Arthur's London residence at Parliment Hill. Introduction - Arthur Boyd.
1990 -1992: London - Amsterdam
A series of paintings which cross the expressionist lineages of the German Expressionists and Cobra groups with the Antipodeans and Angry Penguin painters, misappropriating a wide range of themes, to voice notions of otherness. Text - David Langsam
1992 -1995: London - Spain
Late 1992 Willis took up an artist-in-residency with 'Delfina Studios' in Spain. Working with the painterly vocabularies of 'The Flamenco School' of Goya, to develop a series of paintings, drawings & etchings to evoke the mythology of 'The Impossible Dream'. Text - Larry Buttrose
1995 -1998: London - Venice - Saarbrueken
A series of paintings based in the imagery of 'La Commedia del Arte' those artists who stay alive by their wits singing for their supper. The Bips, Beppos & Grocks, the Punchinellos & Pierrots, the Harlequins & Columbines - 'Les Saltimbanques'. Text - Kate Challis.
1999 - 2004: Central Australia - Melbourne
VOST - APPROPRIATING ANTIPODEAN TERRITORY
Returning to Australia late 1998, Gary Willis began a series of paintings based on the seminal Australian myth of VOSS; The European explorer who disappeared into the 'Never-Never' of Aboriginal Australia in his bid to cross Australia east to west in the mid-nineteenth century.
1972 - 1982: The Early Years: Australia - Japan - New York
'DIARY of a DEAD BEAT MODERN ART TYPE'
Artist's Book: The Early Years written and published in 2001. Introduction - Dr. Anne Marsh. Philosophy to performance; the theoretical context. An illustrated and personalised account of the artist's conceptual development.
The complete website detailing all periods and aspects of his work - from 1972 to the present, from philosophy to performance and painting, including video tapes and texts.