Blog – 2010

Dane Lovett: name and work worth knowing

artists

8 December 2010

Dane Lovett has been in quite a few group shows in 2010. Recent exhibitions include Dedication at Chalk Horse (Sydney); Catch the Spirit, Seventh (Melbourne), and New and Used Paintings, TCB Art Inc. (Melbourne)

Currently on show at West Space, in Naarm / Melbourne's CBD, Dane Lovett's Paintingss is located in the first room (gallery 2) until 18 December 2010.

Every time I see Lovett's work it is fresh and alive. With the use of 1950′s, 1960′s colours, Lovett's work takes on a strange mixture of various decades. Lovett gives still life a modern twist and a unique style.

"Dane Lovett's paintings bring together subject matter from a variety of sources, moving freely between still-life, found imagery and portraiture. Paintingss is a group of not quite classical acrylic and watercolour works, where flowers, plants and interiors are twisted slightly with the inclusion of various musical iconography."

As a visual person it takes me a while to remember an artist's name. As I have seen and enjoyed Lovett's work a few times in 2010, I now remember his name.

Maybe this is clever marketing or a constant reminder that he is out there and active as an exhibiting artist. Which ever way it falls I now know Lovett's name and work.

West Space (view location on Google Maps)
Level 1, 15–19 Anthony Street, Melbourne

Wednesday to Friday, 12pm to 6pm
Saturday, 12pm to 5pm
Until 18 December 2010

Artist talk: Saturday 11 December 2010, 2pm to 3pm

 

Tim Webster's work: calming, mediative and hypnotising

artists

20 November 2010

I have been following Tim Webster's work for a few years now.

I generally find it difficult to give video or screen work time, and normally I do not stay and watch.

However, with Webster's work I am drawn in from the very start and am able to sit and appreciate. There are many factors that contribute to the success of Webster's work and I have tried to narrow down why it has always worked for me.

1. Presentation – No matter where the work has been, back room at Seventh, first room at Blindside, or Screen Space Gilford Lane. Webster has always occupied the space on offer well. Webster's approach is professional and has he has always used appropriate materials and technical equipment.
2. Technical standards – The work has always been of excellent quality and standard. I view many video works that lack excellent technical standards and it subtracts from the work instantly.
3. Image – The use of repetition helps draw the viewer's eye into where we are. The overload is consuming and addictive. Within 5 seconds the viewer is engaged. I find this element to be incredible important to the success of the work.
4. Sound – The sound is an important factor to the work and Webster manages to work the sound into the image, adding to the work rather than distracting.

Forever, For Later is the current show of Webster's showing at Screen Space and it is an excellent example of Webster's work. It is calming, mediative and hypnotising.

"Forty video screens in custom built frames, each containing a series of video loops, are arranged in the gallery as a three dimensional collage. Shot over three days in Brazil and Argentina, the work continues the artist's interrogation of time, memory and perception."

I wish Tim well on his travels back to Brazil and I look forward to the next body of work!

Screen Space – 30 Guildford Lane, Melbourne (view location on Google Maps)

 

Two Sundays at Heide Museum of Modern Art

spaces

1 November 2010

I have recently spent two fabulous Sundays at Heide Museum of Modern Art in Heidelberg (Melbourne).

What a lovely way to spend a Sunday afternoon. I loved Nan Goldin's 40-minute slide projection and, on the second Sunday, I viewed the Mirka Mora exhibition located at Heide I.

"Mirka's art is characterised by a sensuous, colourful naive style and an idiosyncratic iconography of recurring motifs, including angels, children, cats, dogs, birds and snakes. As well as painting and drawing she has worked in mosaic, soft sculpture and doll-making. Many of the artworks in this exhibition were once in the collection of Heide founders John and Sunday Reed and are inscribed with delightful personal messages, tracing the development of an enduring friendship.

"A highlight of the exhibition is a new large scale painting executed by the artist on the sunroom windows of the Heide I farmhouse."

The Mirka show is opened until 1 May 2011, so there is plenty of time to head down and spend an afternoon wandering.

Indulgence – I suppose what makes the day so pleasant is the new addition of Café Vue at Heide. If you pre-book you will receive the Menu Du Jour, at a set price. Otherwise, the trick is, on arrival, to put your name down on the waiting list, and the staff will call you when your table is ready.

So, after you walk around and see the three spaces – Heide House I, Heide House II and also the main space and the Heide store –, you are ready to sit and indulge. The menu is very well priced, clever bistro food. If you just want coffee and sweets, they can do!

When the weather gets better and the sun is shining, you could have a gourmet picnic in the gardens, which are beautifully maintained.

A great way to enjoy a Sunday afternoon!

Heide Museum of Modern Art (view location on Google Maps)
7 Templestowe Road
Bulleen VIC 3105

Telephone: (03) 9850 1500

Daily (except Monday), from 10am to 5pm

 

New York art secrets and highlights

New York tours

12 October 2010

Oh, it's been a while... I've been in the fabulous city of New York. It was a great trip with a lovely group of people (read about walk-to-art New York).

I was able to meet very talented artists and it was very special to catch up with those artists who have consistently supported and contributed to the walk-to-art program. There were many highlights and each tour changes with new contributors and new places to visit:

I discovered excellent quirky eateries and found special hang outs for me to people watch.

Unlike in Australia, many artists in New York have agents... This time around I noticed so much more marketing and networking going on. Charity functions and private house exhibitions have become an alternative for those artists un represented – which are many, especially in these economic times.

Bushwick Brooklyn is becoming the new artist area, as the rents are affordable with maybe a little more space.

The DUMBO Arts Festival 2010 was fun and I discovered so many studio spaces for locals and international artists.

I loved going to visit Keith Haring's Crack is Wack mural in Harlem and was surprised to see the playground surrounding the mural was named the Crack is Wack Playground.

It was also great to wander the streets and discover new paste-ups by Shepard Fairey.

Want to know more? I need to keep a few secrets to myself and to those who will be joining us on tour in May 2011. I hope you will be there!

That is all for now!

 

Nicholas Jones: book artist, dissector and carver

artists

7 September 2010

Congratulations Nicholas Jones!

I was very proud to see Nicholas Jones on ABC's Art Nation last Sunday.

I began working with Nicholas a few years ago, when he decided to become a full-time artist and left his teaching job behind.

Nicholas is well known in Naarm / Melbourne for his beautiful manner and impeccable look and grooming. He has a Bachelor of Fine Art (VCA), Master of Art (RMIT) and Grad Dip Ed (Melbourne University).

I have seen Nicholas go from strength to strength developing his works, widening his communities and opportunities. Nicholas has had many successful group exhibitions and significant solos. His work has been shown at Pablo Fanque (Sydney), Geelong Regional Gallery (Geelong, Victoria) and Craft Victoria, MARS Gallery and fortyfive downstairs (Melbourne) to name a few.

"Nicholas Jones has been described as a 'book artist, book dissector and book carver'. Based in Naarm / Melbourne, Jones collects discarded books that no longer have a home. Folding, refolding, tearing, cutting and sewing their pages, he carefully and quite deliberately dissects them, creating delicate and exquisite sculptural installations. Constantly inspired by the material he works with, Jones is intrigued by the history these books tell, 'as if they are explaining their lives as I slice into them'. Intrigued by their history and inspired by the idea of difference, his work is as much about process as it is about the form – 'these books were conceived, born, loved, stored, discarded, found anew, studied, cut, folded and reborn'."

Part of the Melbourne Writers Festival 2010, Nicholas's works were on exhibit at the Australian Centre for the Moving Image (ACMI), at Federation Square, in Naarm / Melbourne.

 

The artist's journey: sustainability, longevity and survival in a commercial world

artists

19 August 2010

For the last 10 weeks I have had a wonderful, talented artist stay with me named Michael Feigenbaum.

Michael is not simply a visual artist. He is a performing artist, a body percussionist, and in actual fact he is a rhythm specialist.

Take a look at this work on YouTube's mybeat2 channel.

This time with Michael has reminded me that all artists have a very similar long journey. A journey about sustainability, longevity and survival in a commercial world, which does not necessarily see art visual or performing art as a sustainable career.

Those artists who do run the marathon tend to have the same skills, philosophies and disciplines:

• They are mentally fit, physically fit and have great practise.
• They are skilled in their medium, pushing forward and opening up doors.
• They are out there, networking in person or on social media; they are forming relationships with others in their field and are running a very tight business.
• They are respectful of others, their talents and time.
• They have great communication skills and return emails, phone calls and texts.
• They have started with a strong foundation and have grown organically from hard work, good relationships and good business practise.
• They have ensured that their "brand" is respected and they have been conscious of every move.

I am very fortunate to have such amazing people in my life, people who are successful in living a life out of their passion and need to express. People like Michael Feigenbaum.

 

Independent and "Unrepresented"

artists, Melbourne tours

29 July 2010

I feel very fortunate to be given the opportunity to curate a show at fortyfivedownstairs, in Naarm / Melbourne. "Unrepresented", with artworks by Nicholas Jones, Christopher Koller, Ted McKinlay, Chloe Vallance and Ben Walsh, opens on Tuesday 3 August 2010 (5pm to 7pm).

Mary Lou Jelbart, artistic director of fortyfivedownstairs, describes the show: "'Unrepresented' responds to the vagaries and minefields of the art world that contemporary artists encounter. Curator Bernadette Alibrando, who delves beneath the surface of Naarm / Melbourne's commercial gallery scene and spreads her network far and wide, has selected five artists who have chosen to remain independent. While most artists see representation by a gallery as the best possible situation, others deliberately remain outside the accepted system."

I am an independent art consultant who works with artists on a very personal level. Where I can, I help connect, mentor and facilitate opportunities. My greatest pleasure is to sell work and know that it is adding value not only to the client's life and environment, but also to the artist's career.

Gathering and presenting the artists featured in "Unrepresented" has been a great opportunity for me to pull the curtain on all the behind the scenes work that I do. fortyfivedownstairs is as independent as I am, and to be able to give these talented artists such a prestigious stage to present their current work is a great honour.

Selection process – The selection process was not very difficult. I keep in contact with artists and visit their studios often, both personally and because of walk-to-art. Sometimes I park artists that I work with and wait for opportunities that would be beneficial to them to arise. As much as it is about the art, it is also about exposure, which artist is ready and who is accepting, and is grateful and professional enough about an exciting opportunity.

Within the artists chosen... old acquaintances (Christopher Koller and Nicholas Jones) and new discoveries (Ted Mckinaly, Chloe Vallance and Ben Walsh).

I have been working on this show since the beginning of the year, intensely with the artists in the last few months. I decided not to have a theme, but to make each wall a stage for each artist.

"Unrepresented" is about artists who are currently independent. They are all managing their own "businesses" and are not "anti-gallery", just happen to be independent at this stage of their journey.

View the Unrepresented catalogue (PDF file, 7 pages, 1MB)

When: 3 to 14 August 2010 (Tuesday to Friday, 11am to 5pm; Saturday, 12pm to 4pm)
Where: fortyfive downstairs – 45 Flinders Lane, Melbourne, VIC (view location on Google Maps)

 

Melbourne's Utopian Slumps: new focus, address and exhibition

artists, spaces

14 July 2010

Utopian Slumps has moved from a non-fon-profit organisation on Easey Street, in Collingwood, to a commercial art space at 33 Guildford Lane, in Naarm / Melbourne (view new location on Google Maps).

"Discreet Objects", curated by Melissa Loughnan and Helen Hughes, opened on Thursday 8 July 2010 and it's great to see the space finding its feet at its new address.

Highlights of this exhibition, which includes four artists – Lauren Berkowitz, Alex Martinis Roe, Elizabeth Newman and Sriwhana Spong –, are the 2 installations by Lauren Berkowitz:

• "Installation #4″ (above) is a beautiful installation of Naarm / Melbourne's telephone books – 400cm (height) x 400cm (width) x 40cm (depth). The columns and the names give a slight memorial feel and is quite a silent, reflective piece of work. As the artist has noted, it speaks of "obsolescence and vulnerability through its fragile form, but simultaneously regenerates, mutates and hints at its ability to grow infinitely".
• I love "White Residue" (2010), Berkowitz's second sculptural component in "Discreet Objects". "White Residue" is made from the factory off-cuts of leather cricket balls. Berkowitz has managed to create a beautiful installation that is soft, elegant and translucent from ceiling to floor. Discarded materials are suddenly transformed with the use of thread that weaves its way through these white rubber off cuts.

Lauren Berkowitz has completed a Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) in Sculpture at RMIT (Melbourne), a Graduate Diploma in Fine Arts, Sculpture at the Victorian College of the Arts (VCA, Melbourne) and a Master of Fine Arts (MFA) in Sculpture at the School of Visual Arts, New York.

She has exhibited across institutional and commercial spaces in Australia and abroad, including:

• Monash University Faculty Gallery (Melbourne)
• National Gallery of Australia (Canberra)
• La Trobe University Museum of Art (Melbourne)
• Monash University Museum of Art (Melbourne)
• Heide Museum of Modern Art (Melbourne)
• Artspace (Sydney)
• Roslyn Oxley9 Gallery (Sydney)
• Art Gallery of New South Wales
• Echigo-Tsumari Art triennial (Japan).

What: "Discreet Objects"

When: until 31 July 2010 (Wednesday to Saturday, 12pm tp 6pm)

Where: Utopian Slumps, 33 Guildford Lane, Melbourne (location on Google Maps)

 

Street art of Naarm / Melbourne (look!)

artists, Melbourne tours

17 June 2010

I am constantly out and about and walking the streets of Naarm / Melbourne. I encounter a lot of street art, but I realised that I very rarely write about it.

I speak about street art like any other medium; to me good art is always good art – regardless of where it is.

One artist work that I connect with out on the street is the work by the very talented Miso. Miso (Stanislava Pinchuki) is an early 20s artist living and working in Naarm / Melbourne. Miso creates work for the street and for art spaces in which intricate drawings and installations fill the space. Miso's street art has been purchased and archived by the National Gallery of Australia, which is such an achievement for someone so young.

I often walk my groups by Miso's gorgeous hand drawn portrait past-ups in the city streets. When new ones appear, it gives me such pleasure to share these engaging works with others.

"Miso is really taken with the idea of art, and especially street art, as being something which binds us as a community. It functions in a very old fashioned way, in that it becomes a way of telling and sharing stories and images, embedding them within the city. Like folk art, it comes to have a very particular, practical function. It brings us together as makers, viewers and consumers, finding new pieces and exploring the possibilities of our cities. In this sense, a lot of Miso's work deals with telling stories. It is heavily inspired by the Ukrainian folklore she grew up with, alongside sharing stories from Eastern Europe today, as well as from her new home in Naarm / Melbourne." JM – available from Miso's website, cityofreubens.com

Next time you are out and about and walking the streets of Naarm / Melbourne, look! You may just see.

 

Drawn to drawing in Open Water

artists

31 May 2010

I've decided that I am drawn to drawing and, of late, have been viewing drawing exhibitions and hanging out in drawing studios:

Exhibition confirms a rebirth in drawing and works on paper
In love with drawing and works on paper

Maybe it's the spontaneous mark making or the fact that it hasn't been re-painted or re-worked over and over again.

"Open Water", an exhibition by Rebecca Jones currently on at fortyfive downstairs, in Naarm / Melbourne, is a beautifully example of a well put together and thought out show. Rebecca is a swimmer and it is clear that her knowledge and emotion are transported into the work.

Rebecca has captured the movement of an open water swimmer and the choice to use tracing paper mounted on acrylic and installed on an acrylic bracket creates a seamless wave of people. The brilliant presentation allows the work to breath and yet is joined, as the works wrap around a corner of the room, the viewer is lead to three larger works on the opposite wall.

It is a very white room with minimal work... the use of the room has been executed brilliantly.

I have had the pleasure of working with Rebecca in the lead up to this show and it is so exciting to see her ideas and techniques develop.

Don't miss this show... it is fresh, light and very fulfilling.

When: Until 5 June 2010 (Tuesday to Friday, 11am to 5pm; Saturday, 12pm to 4pm)
Where: fortyfive downstairs – 45 Flinders Lane, Melbourne, VIC (view location on Google Maps)

 

Unique curator, talented artists and like-minded individuals

artists, spaces

15 May 2010

I visit many art spaces and meet many people in the commercial gallery system. It is always a pleasure popping into Tolarno Galleries, as curator Olivia Radonich is warm, friendly and open.

On 15 May 2010 a refreshing show curated by Olivia, "Points of View", was opened. It presents new works by Brendan Huntley, Andrew Long, Dan Moynihan, Connor O'Brien, Riley Payne and Jake Walker – artists who are in their emerging years and not in the stable of Tolarno Galleries.

For me the highlight was Brendan Huntley's work. I have been following his career for a while and, whilst he has had excellent shows at Utopian Slumps and Hell Gallery, his work in "Points of View" would have to be the best I have seen to date.

"Brendan has produced an assortment of vessels, infusing them with lifelike sensibilities. Through sculptural and two-dimensional form, multiple personalities are evoked and the facade of the everyday revealed. Brendan's works are concerned with the beauty of the mundane, dealing with the ordinary and what often lies beneath. Exploring our joys, fears, thoughts and observations of life..."

I love "Like-minded individuals 2009–2010", a 18-part sculpture of ceramic on linen with plinths. It is a body of vessels communicating, and Brendan's naive style works so well.

Congratulations to Olivia on a well-curated show of six very talented artists. I understand the time that goes into delivering an excellent show, not only is it about the work; it's about the trust, relationship and understanding.

What: "Points of View"
When: until 26 June 2010 (Tuesday to Friday, 10am to 5pm; Saturday, 1pm to 5pm)
Where: Tolarno Galleries – Level 4, 104 Exhibition Street, Melbourne VIC (view location on Google Maps)

 

Exhibition confirms a rebirth in drawing and works on paper

artists, spaces

27 April 2010

It's not often that I revisit a show, but I have made several visits to "Contemporary Australian Drawings 1″, currently on at RMIT Gallery.

Brilliantly curated by Dr Irene Barberis (Director of the international research hub, Metasenta Pty Ltd at RMIT), "Contemporary Australian Drawings 1″ is part of the 2010 international Drawing Out conference that was held by RMIT University in April. Drawing Out is collaboration between RMIT and University of the Arts, London.

Two rooms are dedicated to established and emerging artists who have made a significant contribution to contemporary drawing in Australia.

I have seen a rebirth in drawing and works on paper. It is as if drawing has become fashionable once again and has gained much needed respect by the viewer and buyer (read the post "In love with drawing and works on paper").

"Contemporary Australian Drawings 1″ is an excellent example of the depth and breath of mark making using various mediums, surfaces and forms of technology.

For me, the highlights were John Wolseley (pictured above), Daniel Price, Ghostpatrol and Chloe Vallance.

What: "Contemporary Australian Drawings 1″
When: until 26 June 2010 (Monday to Friday, 11am to 5pm; Saturday, 12pm to 5pm)
Where: RMIT Gallery, 344 Swanston Street, Melbourne, VIC (Google Maps)

 

See glass in a different light

artists, spaces

26 March 2010

The last 50 years has seen the elevation of glass as a new form of contemporary art. "10 Contemporary Australian Artists: A glass act", currently showing at Australian Galleries in Collingwood (Melbourne), is an exhibition of sculptural glass curated by Sandy Benjamin and Caroline Field.

Having worked with many of the artists exhibiting in this show (and also sold their works), I totally understand the aim of "A glass act": to bring contemporary Australian glass to the attention of connoisseurs of fine art. We always speak about painters, printmakers and sculptors; we tend to forget about the talented glass artists.

Many of our Australian glass artists are highly respected and sought after in the United States, Europe and Japan. I salute Australian Galleries for engaging Sandy Benjamin, who is one of the most educated, talented and passionate collectors in glass in Australia.

Highlight Among the 10 artists, the highlight for me was Mel Douglas.

Mel Douglas's "slow process of construction and realisation manifests in the finished blown and engraved object". The result is a dark, beautifully shaped object that is still and silent. The engraving of the line is repetitious, meditative and precise.

If you have time, make room to pop into Australian Galleries to view this outstanding exhibition and to see glass in a different light.

What: "10 Contemporary Australian Artists: A glass act"
When: until 28 March 2010 (Friday and Saturday, 10am to 6pm; Sunday, 12pm to 5pm)
Where: 50 Smith Street, Collingwood VIC (view location on Google Maps)

 

Melbourne exhibition: artworks that put a smile on your face

artists, spaces

10 March 2010

There is something quite unique, fresh and inspiring about artists who have not gone to arts school and who are self taught.

The current exhibition at TCB art inc., in Naarm / Melbourne, is showing two artists who fall into the above category:

Craig Dermody (Front Space) and Riley Payne (Back Space) are very talented and inspiring artists who are both passionate about the need to create.

Craig Dermody's found paintings are humorous and light. The repetition of the black and green witches and the red or white swirly-eyed monster figures are naive in style and technique, with the placement being well-executed. I enjoy the way the work has been installed and especially the fact that the it places a smile on your face... it's fun!

In the back room Riley Payne's drawings are delicate, highly technical and a joy to examine. There is something beautiful about graphite on paper, shadow and incredible detail. "A brief history of public sculpture from mon – fri" examines high and low cultures through kittens, garden gnomes and other household objects. The works are not spontaneous drawings, rather very detailed, time-consuming works of art. Again, the work is installed perfectly... as we also state 'less in more'.

Well done to two very different artists who share the same intense passion and the need to create and exhibit. The exhibition ends on Saturday 13 March 2010.

What: Craig Dermody & a brief history of public sculpture from mon – fri/Riley Payne
When: until 13 March 2010 (Wednesday to Saturday, 12 to 6pm)
Where: Level 1, 12 Waratah Place, Melbourne, VIC (view location on Google Maps)

 

Experience a powerful installation in Naarm / Melbourne

artists

25 February 2010

I don't think I've seen a great installation since Sarah Duyshart's exhibition "The Lure of Echo" (read my blog post about her installation).

Installation is difficult to execute; there are many elements involved, especially technical issues relating to structure and performance.

On Thursday 18 February 2010 I went to the opening of "Slow Dance" by Shay Minster at West Space, in Naarm / Melbourne.

"'Slow Dance' examines the tragic comedy of the human condition. Appearing familiar and amusing at first, the project explores the suppression experienced when a personality is radically altered through the manipulation of their environment. A clown motif – drained of its usual high colour and its joyous free dance restricted – flails about in a futile attempt to fulfill its intended purpose. Stuck in endless repetition, 'slow Dance' confronts, in an absurd manner, the existential vacuum."

Shay Minster:

• constructed the room to be smaller
• painted the walls, ceiling and floor in white
• hid every cord possible
• placed electrical sensors for the air pump to work
• lit the clown with fluorescents that were strategically placed to light the room.

The immaculate presentation is all part of why this installation is so successful, not to mention that the concept is strong and clear, and the work has emotional connection with the viewer.

• The "Clown" is white.
• The "Clown" is unmasked.
• The "Clown" does not fit.
• The "Clown" is restricted.
• The "Clown" is a misfit in this space.

Haven't we all felt like this at one point in our lives?

Go and experience this powerful installation:

What: "Slow Dance"
When: until 13 March 2010 (Wed to Friday, 12pm to 6pm; Saturday, 12pm to 5pm)
Where: West Space (Gallery 3) – Level 1, 15–19 Anthony Street, Melbourne, VIC (view location on Google Maps)

Shay will be giving a free artist talk on Thursday 11 March 2010, between 12.30pm and 1.30pm.

 

In love with drawing and works on paper

artists, spaces

11 February 2010

I have fallen in love with drawing and works on paper. Yes, it is fashionable and, yes, it has had a rebirth. It's so beautiful to see the line work and build up on paper.

"Debut VI" is an annual exhibition at Melbourne's Blindside that, in 2010, is curated by Natalya Maller, Drew Pettifer and Andrew Tetzlaff.

The artists who have been selected to exhibit are Maggie Brown, Christo Croker, Dylan Hammond, Ted Mckinlay, Sophie Mitchell, Sam Page, Van Thanh Rudd, Jacob Weiss and Marcin Wojcik.

For me, I engaged in Ted Mckinlay's work, "Those places you were not (All at once)", 2009–10, pastel on paper, 110cm x 150cm. I have not seen pastel on paper in such a long time... and Ted manages to create many layers with a clever colour palette.

There is great line work, perspective and, amongst the many buildings, a human element with a glimpse of a child standing on a balcony, alone, looking out beyond the edge of the paper.

"From morning to noon to night we barrage our senses with visual imagery that our mind dutifully shelves, classifies and catalogues as our waking experience. It is this phenomenological accumulation that McKinlay investigates through layering tableaus rendered in shadowy pastel. Fleeting moments are conjoined and superimposed on short eternities, some detailed with hypersensitive clarity and others disregarded as incidental fragments. The whole becomes a labyrinth of imagery, a non-functional record of information that mirrors our own unreliable memory."

We lose so many of our "works on paper artists" to painting... maybe it's because, as a society, we feel painting holds more presence, value and prestige.

I hope we do not lose Ted to the painting world. He is very talented and a mid-emerging artist who has lots of potential!

What: "Debut VI"
When: Until 13 February 2010; Thursday to Saturday, 12pm to 6pm
Where: Blindside – Level 7, Room 14, Nicholas Building (37 Swanston Street, Melbourne, VIC); view location on Google Maps

 

Carolyn Fels: a solo show after hard work

artists

29 January 2010

The great pleasure of doing what I do is being there when something wonderful comes through for an artist.

Carolyn Fels would have to be in her late 60s; I'm not quite sure of her exact age (she looks fabulous). Carolyn went back to the Victorian College of the Arts (VCA) aged 47 after raising her family, and she has had a successful journey of being represented. However, since the closure of her gallery in 2006, Carolyn has struggled to get back into the commercial wheel.

Carolyn has old fashioned communication skills, she is a fantastic networker and seems to know everyone. For the last 4 years, Carolyn has been knocking on all doors that may lead to the golden path of a solo show in a great space.

We have lunch once a week, share art stories and talk about other doors that Carolyn could knock on.

Finally in 2010 good news was delivered, and Carolyn was offered a solo show by Anna Pappas Gallery (formerly Uber Gallery).

I am very excited for her, and Carolyn's smile beams from ear to ear. Carolyn is a very clear example that we are never too old, never too tired, never too poor to start again.

Carolyn works hard, wishes hard and never stops believing the universe will deliver!

 

New year, new art space and Chloe Vallance

artists, spaces

7 January 2010

Hello 2010 – what a great feeling this year has!

This week I popped into Carbon Black Gallery, a new contemporary art space on High Street, in Prahran – a lovely space for emerging artists. Carbon Black's first show consisted of 11 emerging artists across various mediums:

• Aly Aitkin's fantastic, humorous well-crafted sculpture
• Jane Brown in photography
• Marisa Corral (printmaking)
• Chris Dolman (printmaking)
• Daniel Kolieb (photography)
• Kristin McIver (painting)
• Sheena Mathieson (sculpture)
• Rishi Meyhanden (photography)
• Luke Rogers (sculpture)
• Michael Staniak (painting)
• and my favorite, Chloe Vallance, in drawing and painting.

Chloe has recently received her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree with Honours from the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT) and has had numerous solo and group exhibitions since 2007.

Chloe's work is small and intimate, well drawn with movement and texture. The use of a wooden background and coloured pencils work so well. Chloe's people have been captured in movement, riding, walking a path or sitting.

They are isolated figures on wood, with no background or middle ground. The smaller the figure the more intense it becomes as the viewer is forced to look with intent. Chloe's work is very reasonably priced and can sit quite comfortably alone or in a collective group.

Check Chloe's website

Enjoy!