Artists create to share work, vision
THE following reviews were written before the closure of art galleries and spaces but we have included them for readers’ interest and to acknowledge the work of artists and creatives in our community.
FOR artists exhibiting in local and regional galleries, artist run spaces, community art centres and even commercial galleries it is important to be able to show their work and share their vision.
In our current climate of uncertainty and vulnerability with closures across the board our creatives - craft workers, visual artists, designers, actors, dancers, and musicians - with their often-tenuous incomes, are challenged more than ever.
The Met Gallery at the
Chocolate Cottage Complex in Highfields offers an airy exhibition space and a diverse range of original artworks and gift suggestions.
There are colourfully elegant sculptural glass designs by Sylvia Free, traditional earth-hued ceramic platters by Peter Bright, and funky lamps made by Warren Cole from upcycled metal bits that retain memories of their previous lives.
Idyllic, polished landscapes by Catherine Ketton adopt an “old master’s” approach to immaculate finish that generates a different response from the views captured by Diana Battle with their chirpy exuberance.
Eco dyed scarves by Sharon O’Phee are presented as wall hangings.
Mosaics by Tani Bates, who trained with mosaic maestro Guillo Menossi in Italy, incorporate fused glass, while a mosaic assemblage by Margaret Shaw carries a nostalgic element.
The animated setting and expressively loose brushstrokes in Kate Civil’s painting are offset against the vibrant and colourful pastiche in the mixed media work by Deidre Rutherford.
The Lockyer Valley Art Gallery in Gatton has been hosting the exhibition, State of Diversity, which is being toured by the Flying Arts Alliance.
This body of work represents submissions to the 2019 Queensland Regional Art Awards, the tenth such event initiated and supported by Flying Arts.
The QRAA offers regional artists the opportunity to work to a theme, such as State of Diversity, and thus extend their practice in responses that define the relevance of “place” in their lives.
The artists have taken both a broad and a specific approach to the topic using equally diverse media from pen and ink studies to videos, and digital animation.
The resulting exhibition is visually rewarding and thought provoking.
Memorable works include Emma Ward’s drawing of grasses and plants pushed against wire fences by flood waters.
Leisl Mott’s rich painting documents erosion and drought.
The sculpture using Perspex and MRI film by Amanda Bennetts speaks of wrestling with personal health issues.
The densely detailed surface of the painting by Helen Dennis is about a creek, a magical tree and family legend.
The almost naive imagery employed in paintings by Dre Adams and Vivienne Bryant, and in the screen print by Wanda Gibson, weave a narrative of memory.
A particularly moving work is Best Friends Forever, a digital print by Craig James.
This picture, with its salute to Joseph Beuys, shows service dog, Rosy with her best friend.
Barbara Stephenson’s textile creates a subtle free-form landscape.