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There are some artists who quietly work away in the margins of the art world, unaffected by fashion and the lure of fame, who gradually gain respect, not only for their art but also for their unwavering stubbornness in being true to their vision. Joe Furlonger, now in his mid-fifties, is such an artist. His unassuming profile in an era of celebrity and fads is refreshing as is his artistic humility. Unlike painters such as Juan Davila, who try to impose their aesthetic or political sensibility on the viewer, or William Robinson, who tries to charm you with his luscious landscapes, Furlonger doesn't spruik or flirt. His is a deceptively casual art that eases the viewer into his marvellous world.
 
There is no getting around the fact that Furlonger is an immensely productive artist, constantly reinventing himself. In our era some critics are suspicious of prolific creativity, as if abundant productivity goes against the grain of modernism's self-conscious struggle to create a masterpiece. Except for a 1999 survey of Furlonger's work at the Gold Coast City Art Gallery, Queensland,  it has been difficult to grapple with his prodigious output, which includes paintings, etchings, drawings, ceramics and sculpture. Although Furlonger's many solo exhibitions have sometimes been misinterpreted as undisciplined or not selective enough, they have been singularly brave because he invites us to fathom his creative process. At times in a Furlonger exhibition what we are witnessing is a mixture of raw first drafts and finished work. There is no attempt to present each work as a significant entity, instead they form part of an organic whole. With each artwork Furlonger reveals his process. In trying to find the right way to express his vision, the artist articulates a necessary balancing act between allowing his unconscious free rein, and shaping his experience with an astute and well-earned artistic judgment.
 
Few artists would put such vulnerability on display, yet it is an intrinsic part of Furlonger's artistic strategy that stretches back into the early 1980s when, in his 'Fisherman' series, one can see the artist working through the problems of colour and line. It is a characteristic of his early work that he seems more at ease in his drawings, sketches and lithographs than in his oil painting. The watercolour and charcoal depiction of fishermen and bathers have an exciting spontaneity, as if captured in situ.  
 
This article appears in excerpted form. You can read the full article in the Spring 2007 issue of Art & Australia.