Winter Reflections
Studio update after a season of quiet
My last newsletter finished with us returning early from our road trip down south and with me awaiting knee surgery. I’m glad to say that went well and my recovery has been steady, although slower than I had anticipated. The studio was neglected for a few months while I was occupied with other things.
My photos were sorted into folders, the travel studio was unpacked and the sketchbooks placed on a shelf. My studio database and image collection spanning two decades of art practice is closer to being all in one place with files in order - note I said “closer”, not “up to date”. It is now August and I haven’t been out sketching since April. As the weather warms up and my strength and stability increases I’m hoping we will be back on the walking tracks before too long.
Books
Abundance of computer time provided an opportunity to continue my book series of portfolios from my “ONE” photographic project. You may have read my previous newsletter / Substack from October 2023 about the first book in this series. This is a link if you missed it : ONE October 2023.
During June I collated ONE2, a second portfolio of film photography and poetry from an earlier road trip to South Australia during September last year. Link for more about that: MY HEARTLAND January 2024
Recently while chatting with friends I was asked “Have you made any more books?”
A dormant wintering seed flickered. I hadn’t, but I did have collections of photographs from locations around my local area which I had done as part of this project - One location, one hour, one roll of film. Initially the project was only about the photographic exploration and the book idea grew as the project unfolded. Yesterday my proof copy arrived in the mail. After a final proof-reading by someone other than myself, ONE3 will be released in the next few weeks.
In the studio
On my return to the studio I continued to develop an artwork for an exhibition in Brisbane. I was able to do the majority of the making seated and in short stints which was helpful. The story of this artwork is for another post but if you are in Brisbane and have an opportunity to see the exhibition, “Threads of Love - Weaving Christ’s love across cultures and boundaries”, it is showing at the ACU Gallery, 1100 Nudgee Road, Banyo, weekdays 9 - 5, until 20th September 2024. The exhibition is a group show by Artists of Visionaries. My artwork is “Held beside a pool of tears”, mixed media.
As something a little different, and as a warmup when I was ready to return to the easel, I set up a still life with a few objects from the studio in a dark box with a single light source. I enjoyed the process, and I find it stimulates my creativity to do something different from my usual practice. However, don’t expect to see a series of realistic still life oil paintings from me any time soon.
Having returned to the studio I am working on a series of paintings on canvas for an upcoming solo exhibition in Tasmania early next year. The majority of artwork was completed before our trip, but I have more ideas to explore in this series that will correlate well with the existing body of work. More information about the exhibition will come as it approaches.
Galleries and Exhibitions
Currently showing are the Visionaries exhibition in Brisbane ( see above if you missed it), and Glenvale Gum is an en plein air oil at Murray’s Art & Framing Toowoomba. Coming in September to Murray’s is a Spring in Bloom themed intake and I’ve had two artworks selected, one oil still life (what was I saying about still life?), and a small gouache of waterlilies.
Downlands Art Show in also in Toowoomba during September and I have had two paintings selected for inclusion this year. Warrumbah Bluff and Western Creek - Viewpoints. Keep an eye out for an upcoming Substack / newsletter with the stories of these artworks.
And, “ta-da”, I have had the opportunity to be involved with a new art gallery start-up at Highfields - The Chapel Gallery. The building is an old weatherboard (timber) church which was relocated to save it from demolition for a mine. Having been repurposed for different roles, it is now an art gallery showcasing the work of over twenty local artists. I have been privileged to be part of the curation team and it has been a joy to arrange and install a wide variety of artworks of different media and subjects.
The gallery is open 10 - 3, every day, and each day there is an artist on duty so do pop in if you are in the Highfields - Toowoomba - area, especially with the Highfields to Crows Nest In Studio Art Trail each weekend in August, Carnival of Flowers coming up in September, and the Toowoomba In Studio Art Trail also during September. Collect art trail brochures and maps at the front desk of The Chapel Gallery.
And you can find a few paintings of mine in the gallery, as well as unframed hand coloured lino-prints and books ONE and ONE2. The third book will be available at he gallery soon.
Looking Forward
We are not out on the walking tracks yet, but Brett’s photos from our South Australian trip are almost processed (only 2000 to go). In the meantime time in the studio will be working on the new paintings for Tassie.
My thoughts for Substack include a series of posts / newsletters where I share the background stories of some of my artworks and series so keep an eye out for those.
Thanks for reading this far. I realise its been a long one.
Cheers,
Sharon