Budding artists
Barry Smethurst of Buln Buln and James Hayes of Warragul South combined to win the 2017 Ironman 4x4 Adventure Challenge in Esperance, Western Australia last month.
An extreme and fast-paced winch and navigation challenge, the event is held over seven days in terrain ranging from sand dunes, beach, rock, mud, water and desert. With James as navigator, the pair set off in a GQ Nissan Patrol in the different stages during the week, which included short course, massive navigation and gruelling transport stages.
The pair has successfully competed in the event over the past 10 years, notching a score of two wins and a second place.
Local artists have run workshops at Grace Berglund Kindergarten ahead of an art show in October.
The art show is an opportunity to raise funds for the kindergarten but also to give the children a unique learning experience and make connections with the broader community.
The staff felt inviting local artists to workshop with the children would be broadening the children’s understanding of what art is. If you ask a five-year-old, “what is art?”, they will generally answer “painting or drawing”.
The children have explored many different mediums of art, such as textiles, printing, photography, sculpture and bead making. To do this, artists from the Baw Baw Arts Alliance and the Open Studios group have visited to share their skills and passion.
Angela Betheras from Nickelby at Darnum taught the children about the colour and texture of alpaca fleece. Angela showed items of clothing she had made before teaching the children weaving.
Russell Lilford from Studio Alchemy worked with the children on colour mixing, starting with primary colours and mixing tertiary colours before introducing shades with white and black. Russell talked about perspective and contrast as well as how adding shade to paintings produces depth and shape to objects.
The kinder also had an excursion to Russell’s studio to observe printmaking and to gain ideas of what an art studio and art displays look like.
Wendy Hitchins has also taught jewellery making and Jessie McLennan sculpture work. The children have enjoyed staff-led art workshops based on artists such as Van Gogh, Kandinsky and Paul Klee. The children continue to explore and create their own pieces of art based on the skills and ideas they are learning.
The art show will be held on Saturday, October 28 at Grace Berglund Kindergarten and is open to the public.