INSPIRED BY PLACE

Martin Rek thought he was happy working as a graphic designer and a children’s book illustrator. But then he saw two exhibitions that made him realise the power of art.

The 35-year-old hails from the Czech Republic but has called Tasmania home for the past four years. He spent a decade living in Sydney prior to moving to Tasmania. He recalls the way he felt when he returned to the Czech Republic for a holiday several years ago and saw an exhibition by famed Austrian artist Egon Schiele.

“That changed everything for me,’’ he says of that exhibition. “It had an effect on me, I just fell in love with it and I want to maybe, one day, be able to create art that has a similar effect on people.

“It was one of those moments, I don’t really know how to put it into words. It was just a very nice feeling looking at these drawings and paintings.’’

When he returned to Australia he visited a Fred Williams exhibition in Melbourne. “It was the second time my jaw dropped, seeing his exhibition,’’ Rek says. “These were two moments — two influential figures in art — that really made me want to pursue art. I realised that it can have a deep, profound effect on people, just from my own personal experience. I didn’t think looking at paintings you could get so much satisfaction out of it.’’

Rek, whose intricate landscape drawings feature as part of a Works on Paper exhibition at Handmark Galley until October 14, says he has loved to draw since he was a small child but initially didn’t realise how talented he was.

“Mum actually saved a few drawings from when I was maybe 12, or around that age, and they were quite amazing, looking back at it,’’ he says. “I was always able to look at things and draw them fairly accurately without much fuss.’’

Rek came to Australia in his early 20s for a gap year after finishing his studies in the Czech Republic. He planned to return home to study art when he met his partner Natalie in Sydney and decided to study art in Sydney instead. Four years ago they moved to Tasmania’s Huon Valley, where Natalie’s parents live. They bought a property at Castle Forbes Bay, near Franklin, and love growing native plants and keeping bees. “It’s an idyllic life,’’ Rek says. “We’re lucky to be able to do that.’’

The keen campers love exploring Tasmania’s wilderness. “Our passion is the wilderness,’’ he says. “Tasmania makes sense for many reasons and wilderness is one of them. There’s something very unique about Tasmania’s landscape, and through my art I want to celebrate it.’’

Martin Rek’s drawings feature as part of a Works on Paper exhibition at Handmark Galley until October 14. Open 10am. handmark.com.au