newsletter - asoc
TRANSCRIPT
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Artists Society of Canberra Inc. Registered as a Cultural Organisation ABN : 85 510 725 624
www.asoc.net.au
CONTENTS PAGE
From the President
New Members, Inspiration
2
The Summer Art Experience ac-
count by Tim Hardy
3 - 5
SAE photos by Jenny Millet 6
For your calendar, ASOC Commit-
tee Contacts
7
ASOC/ACT Catchment Groups
Partnership Exhibition and forms
8-11
The Creative Web, Members News
and Opportunities, Workgroups
12
Same Time, Same Place Exhibition
entry details
13
Workgroup News – Exhibition at
Kyeema Gallery
14
My SAE experience 15
Our Sponsors 16
FEBRUARY/March 2019
NEWSLETTER Issue No 477
Artists Society of Canberra Inc.
PO Box 3629, Manuka Post Office, ACT 2603 Studio D, 21 Blaxland Crescent, Griffith ACT 2603
“A supportive creative community for visual arts and artists”
Founded 7 October 1927
ASOC Member’s Meetings
Sunday 24 February 2.30pm
**Spring Exhibition Discussion**
We want to hear from EVERYONE who was involved in
the Spring Exhibition. If you exhibited work, helped
out in any way, went along as a visitor - we want to
know EVERYTHING. If you are just interested in hear-
ing all about it - we want you too. The good, the bad
and the ugly. The more we know about last year, the
better we can do this year. Please give us your
thoughts and ideas and engage in some
lively discussion.
31 March TBA
Afternoon Tea Roster.
Please bring along a plate to share.
Members with surnames
A – K February meeting
L-Z March meeting
Please send contributions for the next ASOC
Newsletter to [email protected]
Deadline for the April/May Newsletter
is Friday 22nd
March 2019
Welcome to the new ASOC year.
We began with a full on creative flurry at the
Summer Art Experience. You can read (and see)
all about it in this edition. We hope that it gives
you inspiration to plan your own art experience
next year.
There are several opportunities coming up to
inspire ASOC members to get back to their art
spaces. Or maybe you will be inspired by one of
the fantastic tutors who will be giving work-
shops in our space at M16. The reference
calendar in this issue lists the workshops and
further full details are on our website.
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From the President
A very Happy New Year to all our members old and new. Welcome to 2019. I hope everyone had a good
restful break. The Summer Art Experience was a huge success and the Management Committee is
hugely grateful for all the extremely hard work that went into making it a very exciting event. Thank
you to everyone involved.
There will be a lot happening this year, beginning with the Management Committee working together
to establish a robust governance structure with policies and procedures that will ultimately make life
easier for all our members. Once we have a good solid framework in place we want to hear from you.
We will invite all members to a planning day where we can get creative and give everyone an oppor-
tunity to be a part of ASOC’s future. So start thinking now about what you want from your society.
Our next big event is the Catchment Groups Exhibition. We have secured a fantastic venue in the Can-
berra Centre with enough space to see artists in action as well as displaying the art entries. Fine tuning
is still being done, but I urge everyone to enter and also seriously consider demonstrating your skills. I
don’t believe there could be any better exposure for an artist than working in public.
We have some interesting guest speakers lined up for our Members Meetings this year. We will also
have more show and tell sessions. These have been very popular in the past. It is always inspiring to see
how other artists work.
Can I make an urgent plea for anyone who has any form of M16 or ASOC key to PLEASE let Alison Sewell
know as soon as possible [email protected]. There could be serious insurance implications if
we don’t know where all our keys are.
Create a great year!
Vickie
Art is not
what you see, but what you make others see.
Edgar Degas
Welcome to our new members
Amelia Banks, Lorraine Bright, Helen Culliver, Tricia
Frake, Sue Genner, Dawn Hayter, Nicole Henry Pamela
Hunt, Elizabeth Kenny, Ann Kenny, Nanette Simmons,
Kate Smith and Lisa Wylde.
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The Summer Art Experience – an account by Co-ordinator Tim Hardy
When Alan Jones stood down as President and Di Jones as Treas-
urer they handed over responsibility for the operation of the SAE.
So it was that I volunteered to take on the Coordinator’s role, having done it previously. Immediately, in early September, we set
up a SAE committee of 10 members. Beth Johnston, the new ASOC
Secretary, took on the critical task of handling the registrations,
and she did an outstanding job in this complex operation.
We made a big promotion effort for the next three months, and as
a result we ended up with seven full workshops. However, we had
to cancel three which failed to attract sufficient numbers to make
them viable.
Canberra College once again proved to be an excellent venue for
the SAE. The administrative staff were very supportive of our
event, and in particular Larry, Building Services Officer, was a great
help throughout our time there.
This year we were very fortunate with the weather which was
relatively mild. The SAE event was bookended by heatwaves,
especially after we had left. Vickie Hingston-Jones claims this to be
a result of her prayers to the weather gods. Hmm.
The SAE committee decided to employ a removalist this year, IBEX, who provided a truck with two strong men.
This was partly on the grounds that we needed extra support in moving our very heavy printmaking press. IBEX
services proved to be very good: on time, careful with our items, and at a very reasonable rate. Both to and from
the College a team of four volunteers readied and distributed our equipment. (Some members might not know
that much of this is stored in the container you can see in the M16 courtyard.)
As students entered the College grounds on the Monday morning, the SAE operations set a welcoming tone. A
volunteer met them at the gate while another helped them with trolleys for carrying their equipment. Students
were personally guided to the sign in desk and then to their rooms in what are a complex set of buildings. To help
navigate these Stephen Clively put in a big effort in creating signage and simplified maps.
When David Hatton established the event in 2000 it was named the Summer Art Experience, not a summer art
school. It was to be foremost an experience. With this in mind, the SAE committee decided to have everyone
attend a Welcome Morning tea, something that was part of the SAE from its beginning. This short event provided
us with the opportunity to build a sense of community: that we were all there together to have a special experi-
ence, one that would be challenging, maybe painful at times, but ultimately a successful one. At this year’s morn-
ing tea, Vickie spoke along those lines.
Catering for all the morning and afternoon teas, the Welcome event and the Farewell
Lunch was expertly done by a wonderful team whose core was Sue Cook, Susan Reyn-
olds, and Kathleen Mills. They had some relief support from other volunteers during
the week. This catering was an outstanding aspect of the whole experience of stu-
dents: the food was varied, always available and catered to the special dietary needs
of some students. In the written evaluations many students commented very posi-
tively about this element of the week.
The eight tutors, Pauline Adair, Barry and Lucy McCann, Jo Hollier, Carmel McCrow, Tracey Creighton, Craig Penny
and Denis Clarke, were very generous with the sharing of their knowledge. Crucially they were highly supportive of
all students, particularly those new to medium or taking risks in attempting a new approach to creating art. Learn-
ing over five days is a substantial challenge, not only physically and mentally, but emotionally. Discomfort, doubt,
insecurity and frustration can all creep in, but with our supportive group of tutors we observed the overcoming of
these potential emotional blocks and a sense of new achievements. I valued interactions with those students who
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shared such experiences with me. And among some of the final written comments about the SAE were statements
such as: "An amazing experience" and an "Outstanding experience. Enjoyed every day”.
A crucial element in the smooth functioning of the SAE is the class coordinator, a member of each workshop who
supports the tutor and other students. Each coordinator kept in frequent contact with me, alerting me to prob-
lems and helping solve them. They led the setting up and clearing of rooms at the end. These are major tasks, and
they were done without fuss. At the end of the SAE I could hardly believe the transformation of messy rooms,
returned to their pristine original condition (guided by Steve Tomlin’s photos of the initial room configurations).
The Walk Around on Thursday provided an excellent opportunity for SAE participants and visitors to the College to
view and admire the work being produced in varied forms across the workshops. While we had some ASOC mem-
bers visiting, there was room for a lot more. Maybe next year?
The catered Farewell lunch proved very popular, and gave a sense of closure to what had been an excellent week
of learning and social interaction. I invited Larry from the College to join us for the lunch of homemade salads
(thanks catering crew), pizzas and bread and dips. Larry then drew a lucky number from a barrel. The result was
that Annette Sadler won an ASOC gift certificate for $500 which she can put toward a future SAE place or towards
ASOC workshops.
An hour after the lunch, a violent electrical storm hit the venue with large hailstones, trapping a number of us.
How fortunate we had been that day to have the luncheon in good weather. I had been watching the forecasts
and radar, and we had tried to plan for contingencies knowing of the looming threat. No doubt Vickie has been
making further claims about her special powers!!
The SAE was not without its inevitable glitches and problems during the week. As Coordinator I worked hard to
overcome these with the strong backing of our President. Thinking back over this week and the months of prior
planning and action, I am struck by the extent to which the SAE depends on a substantial number of our members
to mount and operate it. Some volunteer members brought along relatives to assist, and that is much appreciated.
All told I coordinated 38 people involved in the various phases of this event. I have mentioned some of these
supporters in the account above, but here is a more comprehensive listing.
SAE19: ASOC member volunteers
Registrations: Beth Johnston, supported by Paige Le
Logistics (transport): Bill Causbrook, Peter van Hens, Brigitte Causbrook, Steve Tomlin, Hans van Haalen,
Signage and maps: Stephen Clively
Class Coordinators: Lisa Wylde, Annette Rennie, Rosemary Hurley, Hans van Haalen, Hilary Warren, Jo Anne Pulko,
Michaela Laurie
Set up helpers: Jill Hanson, Teresa Maynard. Vickie Hingston-Jones, Gillian Bellas, Judi Power Thomson
Welcome and Sign in: Carla Begbie. Jean Willoughby, Leigh Murray, Alison Sewell
Catering Crew: Sue Cook, Susan Reynolds, Kathleen Mills, Lynn Nicholas, Peggy Spratt
(My apologies if I have left anyone out)
Non-member supporters: Nine relatives of members assisted in the promotion, set up, logistics and catering
ASOC thanks all of you for your contributions in making the SAE possible — and so very successful.
Tim Hardy SAE 2019 Coordinator
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Photography by Tim Hardy
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At Eternity’s Gate https://www.palacecinemas.com.au/movies/ateternitysgate/
Academy Award-nominee Julian Schnabel’s award-winning At Eternity’s Gate is a journey inside the world and mind of a person who, despite skepticism, ridicule and
illness, created some of the worlds most beloved and stunning works of art. This is
not a forensic biography, but rather scenes based on Vincent van Gogh’s (Dafoe) letters, common agreement about events in his life that present as facts, hearsay, and
moments that are just plain invented, and stars starring Willem Dafoe as the titular
van Gogh in a career best performance that’s earned him an Academy Award Nomi-
nation for Best Actor. Begins 14th
February at Palace Electric Inspiration for us all.
The SAE Thursday Open Studio Walk Around Photography by Jenny Millet
For all the photographs taken on that day please visit the ASOC website or Facebook page
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For Your Calendar.
See ASOC website for details and booking information. https://asoc.net.au/
February 16-17
23-24
24
Workshop with Jane Blundell
Shapes and Patterns: Painting Plein-air in watercolour with Mark Dober
ASOC Members Meeting 2.30pm at M16 ASOC workroom
March *
9-10
15
30-31
*
Chan Dissanayake ArtSTART watercolour modules commence
Turn your life drawing into a painting on day two. Acrylics with Leigh D Walker
Photo submissions for The ASOC/ACT Catchment Groups Partnership 2019
Oils. Water in the Landscape: painting a good seascape with Robyn Collier
ASOC Meeting TBA
April 11-19
19
4
The ASOC/ACT Catchment Groups Partnership Exhibition “Space and Spaces”
Collect unsold Art work from Canberra Centre
May 4-5
18-19
25-26
Being Creative with Still Life with Val Johnson
Wayne Davis tbc
Simple Strong and Striking watercolours with Tony White
ASOC COMMITTEE CONTACTS
PRESIDENT Vickie Hingston-Jones [email protected]
VICE PRESIDENT Renae Morris [email protected]
SECRETARY Beth Johnston [email protected]
TREASURER Stephen Clively [email protected]/
ASSISTANT TREASURER Hans van Haalen [email protected]
PUBLIC OFFICER Susan Reynolds [email protected]
MEMBERSHIP SECRETARY Sue Cook [email protected]
COMMITTEE MEMBER Bill Causbrook [email protected]
COMMITTEE MEMBER Alison Sewell [email protected]
COMMITTEE MEMBER Steve Tomlin [email protected]
OTHER CONTACT DETAILS
ACTING LIBRARIAN Lisa Wylde [email protected]
NEWSLETTER EDITOR Michaela Laurie [email protected]
WORKSHOP COORDINATOR Josie White [email protected]
WORKGROUP COORDINATOR Tim Hardy [email protected]
WEBMASTER Jenny Millett [email protected]
FACEBOOK Vickie Hingston-Jones [email protected]
INSTAGRAM Tracy-Ann Collins [email protected]
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CALL FOR ENTRIES - The ASOC/ACT Catchment Groups Partnership 2019 The Artists Society of Canberra (ASOC), the ACT Catchment Groups and the Canberra and Region Heritage Festival present an Art Competition and Exhibition on the Theme “Space and Spaces” at the Canberra Centre, Level 1 – overlooking the Canberra Times Fountain, Ainslie Place, City Centre. Includes Art Demonstrations by Local Artists 11 – 19 April 2019, 9.00 am – 5 pm daily, with late-night shopping Friday 12th April “Space and Spaces”
Parks and gardens, rural properties, bridges, churches and other centres of religion, cemeteries, the arboretum, observatories (Tidbinbilla, Mount Stromlo, Orroral Valley), buildings of significance in the development of the region, eg. the Albert Hall, the Kingston Power House, university build-ings, regional architecture, embassy buildings, sacred Aboriginal sites; suburb, town and city plan-ning;
Expanses like lakes, water sources - rivers, dams, waterfalls, forests, and natural heritage; associ-ated recreational pursuits; roads, tracks and trails; a clearance (rural, building or housing projects); or seasonal aspects of life in the region;
Objects and artifacts used in changing “spaces”; Urban myths and legends including the song lines; The mind-space resulting from freedom including customs and rituals of the regional populace;
and Last, but not least, the Space theme – outer space - the long history of Canberra and Region and
its association with space exploration and astronomy – Go for it!.
Use your painting to express why the subject is significant to the theme. There are numerous other “spaces” to consider! Use your imagination about “Spaces”.
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Important Dates: Exhibition runs thurs 11- sun 19 April 9.00 am – 5.00 pm daily Friday Late Night Shopping hours 12 April until 9pm
Completed exhibition form received by 22 March You will then receive an online form to fill in for the duty roster and for artist demos Exhibition Opening celebration details TBA
Sign in your artwork to Canberra Centre 11 April. 8.30 – 10.00 am
OPEN ART COMPETITION ASOC/ACT Region Catchment Groups Art Exhibition and Prizes,
April 11 – 19. 2019 ICON Water Best In Show Prize $2,000
plus 4 other prizes including people’s choice
Exhibitors must complete the entry forms and those living in the local area be prepared to offer some assistance (either personally or by a friend/family member) to help staff the Exhibition and encourage art sales. Please indicate your preferred times on the Help Roster that will be emailed to you on receipt of your entry.
Completed Entry Forms must be mailed to: The Artists Society of Canberra, PO Box 3629, Manuka Post Office, ACT 2603; or Email to: [email protected] to arrive no later than 22 March 2019. Ready to hang Art Works are to be delivered to the Canberra Centre, First Floor, elevated area overlooking the outside fountain between 7.30 and 10.00am on 11th April 2018. Unsold artworks are to be collected on Friday 19 April 2019 between 3.00 and 5.00pm.
CONDITIONS OF ENTRY
1. All entries must be the unaided work of the exhibitor completed in the last twelve months and be for sale.
7. Works must be clearly marked on the reverse side with a label including the artist’s name, telephone number, address, title of work, the medium(s) used, and the sale price
2. This is an open competition. Your entry should fit with the theme of the competition:
Space and Spaces.
8. All exhibitors are responsible for their own insur-ance. ASOC will take all care but does not accept responsibility for loss, theft or damage. If an agent is delivering or collecting the work, a signed authority is required.
3 To receive member entry fee discount, exhib-itor must be a financial ASOC member at time of entry.
9. The exhibition will be hung at the Coordinator’s discretion and no discussion will be entered into.
4. Entry fee for ASOC Members $20 per art-work, $25 for non-members. There is no limit on the number of entries per person, however, works that exceed 1 square metre including frame will incur an additional $10.00 on the entry fee
10. The winner of any of the judged prizes is also eligible for the Framing Pieces “People’s Choice” Award.
5. All works must be for sale. A 25% commis-sion to ASOC will apply on all works sold.
11. ASOC may photographically reproduce an art-work for publicity purposes. Copyright remains the artist’s.
6. All works must be presented ready for hang-ing and display at a professional standard. Works must be dry, sealed, neatly finished, and not painted on heavy materials.
12. Local exhibitors are asked to contribute to the operation of the exhibition through rostered help or equivalent activity. (eg residing within 40 kilometres of the exhibition venue.)
13. Acceptable media for 2D fine artworks include pencil (charcoal), pen and ink drawings, inks, water colours, acrylics, oils, pastels, hand-done printmaking, mixed medium and collage.
Photographic or 3D works are not acceptable.
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ENTRY FORM ASOC/ACT Region Catchment Groups Art Prize April 2019
Theme: Space and Spaces. PLEASE PRINT IN CAPITALS
NAME If ASOC MEMBER please state MEMBER NUMBER:
Please consider volunteering for the environment - ACT and Region See: http://www.environment.act.gov.au for brochure
YOUR CONTACT DETAILS Address (Home) Phone (Home) Mobile E-Mail:
ART WORKS SUBMITTED RE: - Space and spaces
TITLE OF WORK 1. SIZE IN CM, eg: 20x10 cm MEDIUM USED Brief Artist’s comments on what inspired the work (for display with the artwork)
Sale Price $
TITLE OF WORK 2. SIZE IN CM, eg: 20x10cm MEDIUM USED Brief Artist’s comments on what inspired the work (for display with the artwork)
Sale Price $ TITLE OF WORK 3. SIZE IN CM, eg: 20x10cm MEDIUM USED Brief Artist’s comments on what inspired the work (for display with the artwork)
Sale Price $
Please add another page if you wish to enter more works
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FEE PAYMENT AND DECLARATIONS
Entry fee for ASOC Members $20.00 per work; for non-members $25.00 per work, for framed works over 1 square meter please add $10 to your entry fee. Total Entry Fee: Number of art works………….@ $........ each = $....................
I am paying by (please circle) Cheque (payable to ASOC) Credit Card (Visa or Master Card) – Cash – EFT. If paying by EFT: Pay to Artists Society of Canberra, BSB 633 000, Account number 163574684, indicating ‘your family name CP entry’. Please send a copy of the bank receipt with your entry form. Card Number:__________________________________Expiry Date:___________________
Name on Card______________________________CVV Number on back: ____ Signature:_________________________________Date:_________________
TAX DECLARATION I paint as a hobby - Yes / NO (circle appropriately). If ‘NO’ ABN #______________________
AGREEMENT When you sign-in your artwork on 11 April 2019 between 7.30 and 10.00am at the Canberra Centre, First Floor elevated area (overlooking the Canberra Fountain), in the City, you will receive an envelope containing your exhibition number(s). At that time please check the draft catalogue for correctness and advise the staff on duty of any needed amendments. Declaration: I agree to abide by the conditions of entry and have completed the Tax Declaration. I note that ASOC does not collect GST.
SIGNED___________________________________________DATE_____________________
ENTRY FORM ADDRESS AND DEADLINE
Please send your completed entry form with entry fee 22 March 2019 to: ACT Region Catchment Groups Art Prize Artists Society of Canberra Inc PO Box 3629
Manuka Post Office, ACT 2603 Or email to: [email protected]
If visiting the ASOC studio you may place your envelope in the studio mail box. In 2019 we are linking our OPEN Exhibition with the Canberra and Region Heritage Festival 13 April – 5 May 2019, which is focusing on the Anniversary of the First Moon Landings, and thus SPACE.
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Members News and Opportunities The 20
th Annual Briscoe/Raglan Art Prize 2019
The Raglan Gallery Cooma. Entries by 23rd March. For details please visit: https://raglangallerycooma.com/
ASOC Contemporary Art Group Exhibition
‘Painting the Town’ at the Yarralumla Gallery and The Oaks Brasserie (at Yarralumla).
Opening 3pm on Sunday 24 February. Exhibition runs till Thursday 28 March.
Hours: Tues-Fri 10am – 4 pm and Sat-Sun 8.30am – 4pm.
Workgroups – http://asoc.net.au/asoc-workgroups/
MONDAY Pastel Explorers
9.30 am - 1:30 pm
Convenor: Ian Bignall:
WEDNESDAY Ways with Watercolour 10.00 am - 1.00 pm Convenor: Stella Perin
FRIDAY ASOC Contemporary 10:00 am – 4.00 pm Convenor: Cheryl Parkins [email protected] 0414 819 719
MONDAY Experimental Expression 1.30 pm - 5.30 pm Convenor: Sue Cook: [email protected] 0413 297 834
WEDNESDAY Drawing Creatively 1.30pm-4.30pm Convenor: Tim Hardy [email protected] 6258 7178
SATURDAY Saturday Oils 9.00 am – 12.30 pm Convenor: Anita Shooks [email protected] 0428 919 843
TUESDAY Portrait & Life Drawing 10.00 am -1.00 pm Convenor: Jim Tweddle [email protected] 6247 7769
THURSDAY All Comers
9.30 am - 12.30 pm
Convenor: Annette Rennie
[email protected] 6291 4212
SATURDAY - Saturday Sessions 1:30 pm - 4:30 pm - Convenor: Louise Spencer - [email protected]
TUESDAY Fun with Printmaking 1.30 pm - 4.30 pm $5 per session Convenor: Simone Doherty: [email protected] 62592095
THURSDAY Flora and Fauna 1:00 pm – 4.00 pm Convenor: Gillian Bellas [email protected] 6288 5041
This time we are looking VERY close to home at our own ASOC website and in particular, ‘Our Artists’ page.
https://asoc.net.au/our-artists/ Currently, there only three members listed!
Jenny Millet, our web designer extraordinaire, has set up a page just so each of us can tell visitors to our site
what we do. It is one of the benefits of belonging to ASOC and has led to sales of work and commissions.
Please send Jenny a short description about you and your art along with some picture examples. Pop over to
the page to see what the other artists have contributed as a guide. If you have a webpage, blog, Facebook
page etc. you can include this too. [email protected]
Just another great way that ASOC is linking art to the wider Canberra and its region community.
The Creative Web
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Same Time, Same Place - Entry details
To enter: Send an email by Sunday 31 March 2019 addressed to [email protected]
with Same time Same place in subject line, and attach:
good quality, high resolution (300dpi) jpeg image(s) of your work(s), no bigger than 1MB
the bank receipt for the fee payment.
Information in the email text must state:
Your name
ASOC Workgroup you are a member of
Title of work(s), media used and finished size
Sale price or NFS
That you have read and agree to the Entry Terms
That you have paid the entry fee by Sunday 31 March 2019
Entry fee per work: $30, refundable for any works not hung, must be paid by Sunday 31 March 2019 to
ensure eligibility to submit.
Pay to Artists Society of Canberra, BSB 633 000 Account number 163574684, indicating ‘Your surname Same time’. Send the bank receipt in your email to [email protected]
Ilona Lasmanis, the curator, will decide which works to hang and make all decisions on the hanging. The
exhibition space will only hold a limited number of works. At least one work by each contributing artist will
be hung. If you enter more than one work, you will be contacted by ASOC and advised which work(s)
have been shortlisted for possible hanging.
Works must be:
Ready to hang with hanging wire across the back of the work.
Have the artist’s name and phone number written on the back, as well as the work’s title, media used and price.
Exhibits are accepted at the owner’s risk. Due care will be taken of submitted works, however neither ASOC nor M16 (or their representatives) will be responsible for any loss or damage, howsoever
caused.
Delivery/Collection:
Details for delivery of artwork will be advised closer to the date and after the curator has been able to
consider the digital entries submitted on 31 March.
Pickup from M16 on Monday, 10 June 9.30 am – 11.00 am
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Workgroups News - Drawn Together Exhibition. 3-24 March 2019. Opens 3
March at 2pm. Kyeema Gallery 13 Gladstone Street, Hall, ACT.
The inaugural exhibition of the ASOC Drawing Creatively Workgroup.
What is drawing? This question has challenged art lovers throughout time and has made for many an interesting
discussion as to whether an artwork is actually a drawing or a painting. For the purposes of our group the discus-
sion is irrelevant. What we enjoy and pursue is working together on mark making, with or without the use of
colour.
“If drawing is to be a means of exploration and experimentation an artist has to embrace risk taking. That means a
group setting needs to be a strongly supportive one. I believe we have achieved that state”. Tim Hardy Drawing
Creatively Coordinator.
Within the Drawing Creatively workgroup there are artists ranging from emerging artists through to those who are
highly accomplished award winning. We are a collaborative group. Members lead sessions to share the various
skills and techniques they have acquired over time, developed through experimentation or through attending
workshops. By this means we encourage and support each other to further our skills and engagement with making
art.
To explore the wide variety drawing styles we use of a variety of tools including sticks, pencil, pen and brush and
add colour with charcoal, graphite, ink, watercolour, acrylic and other mediums.
The Workgroup was formed several years ago and meets during school term time on Wednesday afternoons. We
have many long term members in addition to members who have joined for shorter lengths of time. There is a
waiting list and from time to time opportunities are given to people on this list to join us for plein air sessions.
As a group (Maureen Bartle, Tim Hardy, Denise Moule, Steve Tomlin, Ros Archer, Beth Johnston, Petri Povel, Shirley
Fisher, Elizabeth Rogers, Patricia Newton-Howison, Linda Tawagi, Irene McHugh , Vickie Hingston-Jones, Jo Tanton.
and Hans van Haalen), we are appreciative of the opportunity provided by Capital Wines Hall to exhibit our work
in their beautiful Kyeema Gallery. We encourage you to come along and enjoy the hospitality at the cafe and
gallery Kyeema and to engage with a diverse group of artists who are drawn together by their shared passion for
mark making. https://capitalwines.com.au/kyeema-gallery/
Maureen Bartle, Exhibition Co-coordinator
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My SAE Experience or This year I decided to start it with a whoosh
In the months leading up to the Spring Exhibition, I looked at the Summer Art Experience brochure. I hummed and
hared for several weeks – ok months. Would I take a course that was in line with the art I create at the moment?
(very detailed and time consuming – and which I do love doing). Or, would I consciously make the decision to step
out of my comfort zone and step into places I had only dreamed of in my art imagination. I filled in the form. I
transferred the $. And I pressed the button. I enrolled in Fresher, Faster, Freer – Abstract with Tracy Creighton.
As I packed up my list of tools and materials into a big plastic box the week-end before, checking off each item on
the list, I did feel a bit like I was packing my bag for the first day back at school. As I set out in the car early on
Monday morning, I had butterflies. Why? I have absolutely no idea. It was completely irrational for a woman my
age to feel this way. But - What if I don’t like it? I like what I do – why am I wanting to do something else?
Deep breath.
I tried very hard not to bring along my pre-conceived ideas along or to judge myself too harshly. No, I am not back
at school looking to get a good mark to pass. It’s extremely hard not to do this. We all want praise and a good mark from the teacher. We want validity.
If you go down this track you are selling yourself short. You are there to learn for yourself. To embrace new ideas
and techniques, get those little tips which can actually change the way you approach and create art – maybe forev-
er. This new work you are creating is sometimes like riding a bike for the first time. You have your feet hovering
above the ground in case you fall. You wobble around trying to get your balance. You are slow and tentative. You
need a hand on your back guiding you along. Sometimes you get a bit cocky and bang – down you go in a scream-
ing heap. I was going so well now I’ve ruined it! You can’t expect what comes out of your hand and onto the paper
or canvas to be fabulous when you are learning something completely new. But, that’s a bit hard to stomach. Well
it is for me.
The week went all too quickly and I was exhausted – mentally and physically. Creating art, learning new ideas,
thinking about what you do and pushing yourself is really hard work. I learnt by doing, looking and by listening to
what Tracy was sharing with us and eavesdropping on what she was telling the other wonderful artists in the
group. We all had different styles and I think we all learnt a great deal from each other as well.
I gained so much from doing the course. It was a real challenge at times getting out of my comfort zone of milling
over fine detail scribbling for hours and hours. But that's a very good thing. I am like a pig in mud back with paint
which I haven't used in decades. I am rejoicing in the way it does its own thing when sprayed with water and I am
learning how fantastic my new best friend, white gesso, is. I've got such a long way to go. It's a joy but really, really
hard at the same time. But I feel excited about my work again. It's a bit terrifying changing. I've set up 2 areas in my
shed. One for coloured pencil and one for paint. So I've got two pieces (at least) on the go at all times and am
incorporating what I learnt into my coloured pencil work and have used pencils in work on canvas. I still like my
“old” style and the whole process of it. This may change. Or it may not. It will just take a while working through it.
So, I'll just keep going along and see where this leads me. You’ll see how I go and if I dare to be fresher, faster and
freer. And more abstract. I think I will!! Michaela Laurie
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