Adam Oste

Grace

Online Exhibition

24 Feb 2026 – 07 Mar 2026

Adam, for as long as I’ve known him, has existed in a state of active tension. By this I mean he is constantly challenging the world within him and without him, his place in it and his place outside of it. With his Faith as a guide, Adam tries to make sense of the unjustness of the outside, and his gratitude for the inside. In this series Adam presents us with this eternal conundrum. Two seemingly unrelated subject matter, but for me, they are one and the same. They both symbolise a rest in the cycle, a curiosity, a rare moment of calm reflection in a world that leaves little time for such ponderings.

Throughout these works Adam finds calm in the moments after chaos. A child at rest. A car burnt out in the bush. Not burning out, but burnt out - at rest. Likewise, the child resting, safe in its mothers arms or in the comforting scent of its own bed. The car, peaceful among the native flora, cared for by the spirits of the bush, gently observed and acknowledged by Adam - standing at a safe distance from the wreck - as if not to disturb it, not to stir it, so as to not to scare it off. As if one snapping twig could wake the wreck back into the hooning of its final moments. A creaking floorboard waking the child, roaring the day back into the inevitable chaos of parenting. But Adam is thoughtful, careful, respectful of the peace, the rest is not disturbed, instead it is observed and honoured. Its in these moments where Adam is able to reflect, where time slows down for long enough to gain perspective, to grip the chaos, to understand the heartbreak and most importantly to show thanks, to glimpse Grace.

Adam’s dedication to en plein air is also a sincere nod to his character. It shows a respect for his subject, he himself an accountable presence in the exchange. Adam could easily take a photo of the scenes he paints and work from them but he is not paparazzi, he is painter. He is as much a part of the subject as what is caught inside the four edges of the canvas. Subject and artist spend the time together, they exchange.

Adam captures moments. Both the moment that is shared with his subject but also what has just happened, the moments before Adam put brush to canvas, and all the moments before that. Likewise, Adam’s mark making is a suggestion of what is there in front of him, around him but more importantly it suggests what is not there. Like the early Australian Impressionists he captures an impression, light and absence of light, but instead of an obvious yearning for European approval, he has cut out the nonsense, the unnecessary flare, the ego, he has cut
through and carefully uncovered a more honest and importantly more Australian observation. One of admiration, acknowledgement and curiosity as opposed to one of ownership and acquisition. His monotone approach is also a nod to Adam’s study of printmaking, the understanding and use of positive and negative can make his paintings feel like a screen print but with more human touch. The inside moments of home and family are tackled with the emotional intimacy of a Joy Hester ink drawing, gentle, considered and beaming with admiration.

This collection of works are a gift from Adam, a freeze frame of calm, an opportunity to be still, reflect and glimpse Grace.

– Essay written by Jacob Boylan