For about ten years or so, Jeff J Mcinerney was my muse and model. He was my mate and comrade in art a lot longer than that. Jeffs Dead now, he died in 2018. We had been planning a show together but he died before it happened.

Earlier this year we held a retrospective exhibition of Jeffs work at galllerygalleryinc. The show was called a howl from beyond the grave and along with Jeffs paintings the show also featured three portraits of Jeff that I painted over the years ( the portraits are featured in this publication) and Pio did a reading . As a consequence of that show, I was invited to submit some words and pictures from the show to this publication.

In preparation for my submission to this publication I was looking through my files for images etc and I came across some writing Jeff did as part of the application for the show that me and him where going to have that never happened. It was surprising and good to hear Mackels in his own words and I thought that it might be interesting for youse out there too.

Note to editor – I have copied in what I had of Jeff’s writing in full but please feel free to abridge as suits editorial purposes.

Josh Wilson

Mackels in his own words :

Hello,

My name is Jeff McInerney and I am 28 years old. I have been painting for about ten years. Eight years ago I went through a psychosis, and had a lot of problems with medications used to treat the psychosis. The works I plan on showing are about these experiences .

I plan to exhibit works that are very emotive, to show the ups and downs of mental illness and of life and be presented in a way which is interesting to the eye. The challenge for me as an artist is to remain true to what can be a depressing and boring existence with out boring and depressing the viewer to the point that know one wants to look at my work. I try to make the boring and depressing exciting.

In 'The Battle' as in many of my works I pursue this challenge by using metaphor as a dramatic device. I am constantly torn between a desire for naturalism and raw expression in my current work.

Like in Munchs 'The Scream', I want to take a negative emotion, like anxiety, and turn it into an image that has substance, and a certain beauty. I am trying to convey this beauty through colour and pattern, mark making is a very important part of my work and I hope it reflects the unsureness and fragility I face in my life.

There would like to hang five works in my show, along with my friend Josh Wilsons works I would like are show to be a visual feast to the viewer and one that gives and gives.

I use metaphors to express my ideas, this can be seen in the painting ‘The battle’, which uses a boxing match to illustrate the ongoing endeavour to overcome mental illness.

I also recreate scenes that I have seen. The painting Alleyway comes from viewing the alleyways of Melbourne. Other times I paint scenes that have happened to me directly, the painting ‘Did I, didn't I’ is taken from an experience I had, when I was on medications that would give you intrusive thoughts and OCD symptoms. So if I saw a child or an old lady I would have the intrusive thought that I hurt them and would check several times to make sure they are O.K. Home is a painting taken from life, it is an image of the back of my house and a very unhappy man that represents my emotions at times. Balcony is a painting that represents the frustration of not having a partner.

The paintings involve the use of strong colour and pattern, that represents the anguish or positivity connected with the subject matter. I take inspiration from the natural and suburban environment, especially Brunswick and Carlton.

Thank you for your time in reading my proposal, and I look forward to your response.

Yours sincerely Jeff Mcinerney.

Published in Unusual Work No. 38, November 2024

Collective Effort Press, Melbourne, VIC