ARTS ZINE SEPTEMBER 2020 by Robyn Werkhoven

s t u d i o

L A

ARTS ZINE issue 38 September 2020

P R I M I T I V E

H E A V Y F R E E D O M

T H E D

https://youtu.be/ eGiLBkAmTdI

A C T

O S

Heavy Freedom, graphite pencil / oil pastel, H 52 x W42 cm. E&R Werkhoven 2020.

www.studiolaprimitive.net

NICK PONT http://nickpont.com/

PAGE 108

ALESSIA SAKOFF Regrowth IV, Ink and gouache on paper, 20x25cm. (with frame). Alessia Sakoff.

N Dark Landfall, 1100 x 1100 mm. Acrylic on canvas. Mark Elliot-Ranken.

http://artbymarkelliot-ranken.blogspot.com/

MEREDITH WOOLNOUGH www.meredithwoolnough.com.au

DEBRA LIEL-BROWN

Separation, H42 x W60 cm. Acrylics on paper. Debra Liel-Brown.

www.debraliel-brown-artist.com/

G E O

R G E G I

T T O

E S

A N

D R

E R

S U T H

R L

www.art-systems-wickham.com/

Art and Philosophy of the Spirit

JANIS LANDER http://janislander.com/

Left: Serpent fire below, white fire above, pastel/charcoal on Canson paper, H74 x W54 cm. Janis Lander 1997.

ART QUILL STUDIO https://artquill.blogspot.com Marie-Therese Wisniowski.

Memories. Technique and Media: Hand printed employing the artistâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s signature Multi-Sperse Dye Sublimation (MSDS) technique using disperse dyes, native flora and low relief items on delustered satin. Size: H55 x W 45 cm. Held: Zayed University Permanent Art Collection, Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

E Hellen Rose performing 'Lar Sha Ningahar/ Black Dress' Jalalabad rooftop restaurant. Photograph by George Gittoes.

www.gittoesmusicinternational.com

www.hellenrose.com

www.art-systems-wickham.com/

INFERNO 2020.

DEB ANSELL

slp studio la primitive CONTRIBUTORS

Gorgonain Square, Embroidery thread and pins on paper, H70 x W70cm. Meredith Woolnough 2016.

George Gittoes

Mark Elliot-Ranken

Hellen Rose

Rod Pattenden

Nick Pont

Eric Werkhoven

Avril Thomas

Robyn Werkhoven

Janis Lander

Sue Stewart

Meredith Woolnough

Art Systems Wickham

Alessia Sakoff

Debra Liel-Brown

SEIGAR

Barbara Nanshe

Bea Jones

Art Quill Studio

Rod Pattenden

Timelesstextiles

Lorraine Fildes

Newcastle Studio Potters

Maggie Hall

Dungog by Design

Brad Evans

Gallery on Dowling

INDEX Editorial …………

Robyn Werkhoven

Studio La Primitive ……

E & R Werkhoven

Feature Artist ………..

Nick Pont

18 - 33

Poetry …………………

Brad Evans

33 - 37

Feature Artist …………

Avril Thomas

38 - 53

Poetry ………………….

Mark Elliot-Ranken

54 - 55

Feature Artist ………...

Janis Lander

56 - 69

Feature Artist …………

George Gittoes

70 - 73

Featured Artist ………..

Hellen Rose

74 - 81

Poetry ……………….

Eric Werkhoven

82 - 83

Feature Artist ……………

Meredith Woolnough

Poetry ……………………

Bea Jones

102 - 107

Featured Artist …………

Alessia Sakoff

108 - 123

Poetry ………………….

Brad Evans

124 - 125

84 - 101

Featured Artist ……….

SEIGAR

126 - 137

Poetry ……………………

Maggie Hall

138 - 141

Print Awards 2020 ……...

Lorraine Fildes

142 - 169

Feature ………………..

STOLE the show

170 - 177

Fremantle Arts Centre

James Bayne, Oil Painting , H600 x W500cm. Avril Thomas

Front Cover: Extinction, Oil on Polyester, 1500 x 1400mm. Nick Pont 2019.

ART NEWS……………….

178 - 209

EDITORIAL

This month we feature two Hunter Valley artists - Meredith

Greetings to our ARTS ZINE readers.

And environmental artist Alessia Sakoff featuring her brilliant

Humanity is still fighting the plight of Covid 19 which continues to reap havoc

Woolnough and her exquisite embroidered textile works.

artwork inspired from nature. Lorraine Fildes, our resident travel photographer and writer,

on our existence.

has chosen a selection from the 2019 Fremantle Print Awards.

We wish to stress the importance of the Visual Arts , Music and Literature, in such demanding and challenging times, to keep creative and stay positive.

Artist Debra Liel-Brown writes about her new online art supply business.

The September Arts Zine includes a diverse collection of entertaining and in

Don’t miss out reading new works by guest poets Bea Jones,

depth interviews and articles on artists and writers.

Mark Elliot-Ranken and our resident poets Maggie Hall, Brad

Sydney based, contemporary, artist Nick Pont writes about his work, described as quintessentially Australian paintings and drawings. Award winning artist and film producer George Gittoes this month features an amusing and poignant story - The Egg Experiment. Hellen Rose, singer, performer and film producer at Gittoes Films

Evans and Eric Werkhoven. ART NEWS and information on forthcoming art exhibitions. The ARTS ZINE features articles and interviews with national and international

visual artists, poets and

writers, exploring their

world of art and creative processes.

presents another glimpse into her life in Jalalabad, Afghanistan. Avril Thomas is a South Australian based Contemporary Realist Painter

Submissions welcomed, we would love to have your words

specializing in portraiture and figurative work.

and art works in future editions in 2020.

Artist and author Janis Lander, writes about her book “Art and Philosophy

of the Spirit”.

Deadline for articles 15th October for November issue 39, 2020. Email: werkhovenr@bigpond.com

International photographer SEIGAR returns to the Zine with a series of work documenting four transgender people, “the intention of making their reality visible, respected and accepted by society through empathy”.

Regards - your editor Robyn Werkhoven

The publisher will not accept responsibility or any liability for the correctness of information or opinions expressed in the publication. Copyright © 2019 Studio La Primitive. All rights reserved. No part of this magazine may be reproduced , in whole or in part, without the prior permission of the publisher.

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S T

P R I M I T I V E

U D I O Africa, Acrylic on canvas, H60 x W45cm. E &R Werkhoven 2019.

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www.studiolaprimitive.net

L A

NICK PONT

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NICK PONT Nick Pont’s style is quintessentially Australian, and so are the stories he tells. He cites, among others, Sidney

Nolan

and

Brett

Whiteley

influences, as well as author

artistic

Tim Winton. The

painters’ influences are noticeable, while Winton’s ideas of character mystique and cultural escapism are highly visible in Pont ’s work. Pont is influenced by his memory of experiences, surrounding

environment

and

found

historical

references.

Pont completed a BFA at The University of Newcastle in 2013. Works have been shown at Muswellbrook Regional Arts Centre, Campbelltown Art Centre and Sydney art galleries including - The New Standard Gallery, Sheffer Gallery, Wagner Gallery and in 2019 Rude Assembly III, Burton Project Space, Sydney. 2020 Finalist, Muswellbrook Art Prize, Muswellbrook Regional Arts Centre.

Page16: Iso, Oil on Polyester, 1500 x 1400mm. Nick Pont 2020 Right: Figure in Landscape I, Oil on Polyester, 600 x 500mm. Nick Pont 2020. Issue 38 - September 2020

Reflection in Landscape, Oil on Polyester, H1170 x W1370mm. Nick Pont 2019.

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NICK PONT - INTERVIEW What attracted you to the world of Art and when did your artistic passion begin? I began dabbling in creative projects in my teens and started drawing regularly by my twenties. I was working a very bland

job in Sydney and found painting/ drawing at night to be fulfilling. As a way to exit the City I enrolled in Fine Art at The University of Newcastle. The art world appeared to be a way to escape the expected mundane routine of the norm. The attraction was the idea of a life-long practice, the pursuit of something meaningful and bigger then self. I didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t always want to be an artist, I didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t know what I wanted to be, if anything at all. The desire came as a rejection of everything else and it became an obsession.

Describe your work? Using a raw and painterly aesthetic, I aim to depict an honest introspection while simultaneously referencing contemporary society, literature and art historical. These influences provide an ambiguous sophisticated narrative with focus on providing an authentically Australian visual language.

What is the philosophy behind your work? My recent works are the result of a range of experiments in paint application and content. They pass through a variety of themes that shift from utopianism to self-reflection to environmental catastrophe. Most recently, interpreting the Australian bushfire disaster and the solitude of isolation caused by the pandemic has been at the forefront of my subconscious.

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Noah's Ark Oil on Polyester H1500 x W14000mm.

Nick Pont 2020

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Ark Oil on Polyester, H1500 x W1400mm.

Nick Pont 2020.

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Do you have a set method / routine of working? At this point in time I am only able to work once my

young child falls asleep. I would normally work for a few hours between 7:30 & 11:30pm 6 nights a week. Sometimes I will draw in the mornings but rarely paint during the day. When Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m able to shake up my routine by venturing into the landscape I would normally only focus on ink drawings and abstract candid photographs as reference for later work. I generally have a very vague idea of where a work will end up. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s an idea or feeling that I want to portray and a basic composition may be scribbled down on paper or onto the canvas. The layering of paint is built up over weeks and sometimes months through a mediative process of varying paint application techniques. Right: Utopianistic Dialogue, Ink on Paper, H490 x W390 mm. Nick Pont 2018. Issue 38 - September 2020

Why do you choose this material / medium to work with? How important is drawing as an element to your artwork? I currently work with a combination of three different mediums and techniques which influence and interwind with each other. Ink drawings are vital to the development of content and form throughout my practice. Drafted from life in the landscape or through found imagery translated in the studio, the drawings always remain wet as ink is blotched and scratched into the paper. The fluidity maintained throughout this process is one of the only constants in my practice.

My practice began as Works on Paper a dozen or so years ago. They have now developed to include a mix of many mediums including watercolour, gauche, ink, synthetic polymer paint, shellac and pastel with a wet and dry layering process. Washed and detailed areas meet to provide unity in variety.

Currently my main focus is on larger paintings in oil on polyester. I may do smaller paintings on board as I like the hard service for mark making, these works will normally appear thicker and more aggressive. The works on polyester are generally more translucent with thin, thick, abstract & detailed areas. The fine grain and the mould resistant quality of this material are suitable for my technique and sub-tropical location.

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Ode to Solitude (figure with guitar in Landscape), Oil on Polyester H1050 x W950mm. Nick Pont 2020.

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Soundscape (After Matisse) Oil on Polyester H1050 x W950mm. Nick Pont 2020.

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The Painter's Room (Urunga Studio) Oil on Polyester H1500 x W1400mm. Nick Pont 2019.

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What inspires your work / creations? Everyday Life, culture, spirituality and my surrounding environment are my general areas of interest.

What have been the major influences on your work? In this day and age, I would say influence is coming in from all directions through books and with imagery so easily accessed itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s hard to pinpoint a single source of direction. Writings by author Tim Winton along with many artists intuitively inform my practice.

Any particular style or period that appeals? What are some of your favourite artworks and artists? I enjoy a vast range of painters from mid-century to current and would note my main influences as being Sid Nolan, Arthur Boyd, Albert Tucker, Jon Mulvig, Guy Warrnen, Ian Fairweather, Brett Whiteley, Vincent, Picasso, Matisse, Gauguin, Antony Gormley, Richard Long, Peter Doig, Daniel Richter, Bill Viola, David Middlebrook, Justin Williams, Rhys Lee and Noel McKenna.

What are the challenges in becoming an exhibiting artist? Name your greatest achievement, exhibitions? The main challenge for me has been finding a suitable gallery to build a long-term relationship. I am now based on the mid-north Coast of NSW, this has become even more difficult as galleries are not easily accessed. While I am busy raising a family, I have moved my focus to purely developing my work and showing in public galleries via prizes and proposals. Recent achievements include being selected for the Muswellbrook, JADA, Fishers Ghost & Waverley Art Prizes to name a few. Issue 38 - September 2020

The Painter's Room (After Lucian Frued) Oil on Polyester H1500 x W1400mm. Nick Pont 2019.

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Paradiseâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Uncomfortable Reality, Ink on Paper, H750 x W525mm. (9 panels), Nick Pont 2015. Issue 38 - September 2020

How has the COVID 19 Virus affected your art practise? What are you working on at present? The work often takes on what’s happening in my surroundings. Sometimes this is a conscious effort to start a conversation or record a period of time through painting. At times themes just creep in. Even though I usually spend most of my free time working in solitude, I think eventually the extended stay at home and lack of visitors crept into the work. I haven’t ventured far from the ongoing antipodean subject of figure in the landscape for months now.

Your future aspirations with your art?

I’m not looking to stay still for too long at any point in time. My goal is to continue to push my work into uncharted territory, develop content and form and organically find new directions. -Nick Pont © 2020. Right: Figure in Landscape, Ink and conte on Paper, H380 x W280mm. Nick Pont 2020. Issue 38 - September 2020

Studio portrait, photograph by Tim Swallow.

B R A D

moving each wheel there's this old couple

When I see them

who come into the library.

It's usually on the 3rd floor where he's either just going

They arrive

into or coming out of

on the same day

the disabled toilet.

at the same time each week.

When I see them I ask them if they need

E V A N S

The old boy's

help & they both say 'no'

in a wheelchair;

quickly.

when he moves she helps him

I get the feeling that they've sought

a little & when she moves

enough help

he helps her - moving each wheel.

enough times that 'help' is only ever

they are both frail

delivered in the form of glossy leaflets,

& slow & very patient.

from charitable trusts.

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I get the feeling that they've sought

they are both frail

enough help

& slow & very patient

enough times

and what little help there is

that 'help' is only ever

is shared wordlessly between them...

delivered in the form of glossy leaflets, from charitable trusts. - Brad Evans ÂŠ 2020. leaflets with premium phone numbers that they have called many times, where faceless people will either not answer or misunderstand their situation, and who will send them straight on to somewhere else, who then send them straight back

to some automated messagingâ&#x20AC;Ś

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the approaching election - Brad Evans he tries to sleep

his needs are basic and

on the concrete stairwell

misunderstood by many:

between floors 1 & 2.

some shelter - a bed to rid himself of exhaustion

Sometimes, Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll see him

and a little nutrition.

cocooned in his doona eating a breakfast of soft drink

I see many more out there

and a stale packet of crisps

thrown out onto the streets, lying in shop doorways -

and his face tells me that he has no interest

a city full of silent suffering

in the approaching election

in lots where hope seems long abandoned.

in the suit-swapping leadership

- Brad Evans ÂŠ 2020.

campaign now in full swing. Issue 38 - September 2020

B R A D E V A N S

just an unimportant moment to remember

listening to Chet Baker’s

My empty mug

“Tis Autumn”

sitting to my side:

while outside a window,

A poetry prize

a hedge does a soft shimmy

from some long-forgotten competition

to 40mph winds. lost The dim daylight

of its morning coffee.

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AVRIL THOMAS

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AVRIL THOMAS Avril Thomas, born in Malaysia, has enjoyed

a lifetime of drawing and until 1996 it was essentially was a private pursuit. Whilst living in Queensland Avrilâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s talent was recognised and was asked to teach.

On returning to South Australia she has participated in many joint and solo exhibitions. Her main focus is portraiture in charcoal, graphite, pastel and oil, all with a tonal realist style. Avrilâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s works can be found in Hong Kong, U.S.A. as well as round Australia in corporate and private collections.

Page 38: The Artist, Oil on canvas, H3 x W 4ft. Avril Thomas. Right: Greg, Oil on canvas, H4 x W3 ft. Avril Thomas. Issue 38 - September 2020

Minister From Downunder, Oil on canvas, H4.6 x W6ft. Avril Thomas. Issue 38 - September 2020

AVRIL THOMAS “The joy of creation is the impetus”

The joy of creation is the essence! Painting of a portrait is the most enjoyable collaborative process for both sitter and artist. The pleasure we both get from it, is immeasurable. I paint or draw portraits or

figurative works mainly -- sometimes a landscape, always with a tonal realist style. My works for the most part have been commissioned portraits they incorporate elements of the subject’s life, a nuance or a moment….

always unique.

My work is in corporate and private collections round Australia, USA and Hong Kong. Every work has its own story! The more publicly displayed works - the portrait of Marjorie Jackson-Nelson AC CVO MBE at the National Portrait gallery Canberra. https://www.portrait.gov.au/people/avril-thomas-1956

Issue 38 - September 2020

Two

marathon style collections showing medical fraternity at work followed. One took place at

Flinders Hospital in South Australia as part of the Arts In Health programâ&#x20AC;Ś.. Theatre works

https://www.youtube.com/watch? v=lb8vDqZ5ESE&fbclid=IwAR0fTsqQGs_TcRmKvZ1eLjIejVKlnDpWOrr7NCrQMsSd7o8Cr7r3gFPaFhg 10 Surgeons and their staff took part, this was a 42-piece collection. Then a collection for Adelaide University School of Medicine to celebrate their 125th Anniversary 59 luminaries were painted or drawn

demonstrating their specialized field.

My studio is at Magpie Springs https://magpiesprings.com.au/ There is a gallery on the property where my work hangs at the moment, but many artists both local and

international have exhibited, worked and visit here, painters, sculptors, photographers and musicians. My artists website is https://avrilthomas.net/

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The Remedy, portrait of Hon Dr Basil Hetzel, Oil on canvas, H91 x W 1023, Avril Thomas. Issue 38 - September 2020

T H E A T R E W

O R K

S David Operating, Oil on canvas, H77 x W61 ft. Avril Thomas. Theatre Works exhibition at Flinders Hospital, South Australia. Issue 38 - September 2020

Two Heads as One, Oil on canvas, H77 x W61 ft. Avril Thomas.

Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a Wrap, Oil on canvas, H77 x W61 ft. Avril Thomas.

Theatre Works exhibition at Flinders Hospital, South Australia.

Theatre Works exhibition at Flinders Hospital, South Australia. Issue 38 - September 2020

The Frog Man, Oil on canvas, H5 x W4 ft. Avril Thomas.

Untitled commissioned portrait, Oil on canvas, H3 x W2.6 ft. Avril Thomas. Issue 38 - September 2020

The Boys Oil on canvas

H4 x W3 ft. Avril Thomas.

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Vice Chancellor Anne Edwards, Oil on canvas, H4 x W3 ft. Avril Thomas.

Her Excellency Marjorie Jackson-Nelson AC CVO MBE, Oil on canvas, H6 x W5ft. Commissioned by the National Portrait Gallery, Canberra ACT. Avril Thomas. Issue 38 - September 2020

Cheryl Bart, Oil on canvas, H5 x W6 ft. Avril Thomas. Issue 38 - September 2020

David Castine Reid Commissioned portrait Oil on canvas

H2.6 x W2 ft. Avril Thomas.

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Bruce Oil on canvas H4 x W3 ft.

Avril Thomas.

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Normanville, Oil on canvas, H2.6 x W 3 ft. Avril Thomas. Issue 38 - September 2020

https://avrilthomas.net/

The Creek, Oil on canvas, H3.6 x W3 ft. Avril Thomas. Issue 38 - September 2020

'Salt and Iron'

Acrylic on canvas, H1400 x W1800mm. Mark Elliot-Ranken 2020. Issue 38 - September 2020

The Laugh of Women

“Fresh fish” cry the vendor’s their children underfoot, the smells of cooking and spice still the dying wind whispers and then

The laugh of women in the warm night

the laugh of women again and again.

Do you remember, softness and silk?

under the thatch roofs

Harsh and hot during the day,

atop sand, stone and fire

an unforgiving sun a baking earth

bending figures, the colour of honey chatter and…

softly the breeze steals in from the sea,

chatter again, that laugh the men too gossip of the day

always forgiving.

and fishing in deep waters.

Late of the day the sailing breeze gallops in from the deeps

Under the velvet of the stars,

bringing the salt-crusted fleet to…

still the dying wind whispers and then

the white sand of the beach.

JANIS LANDER

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Art and Philosophy of the Spirit JANIS LANDER Janis Lander is an artist and author. Her art is represented in collections in Australia and overseas, including Germany, France and U.S.A. She works in oils, printmaking, and pastel and charcoal on paper. Her work is figurative, focusing on themes around portraits and landscape. Her portraits have been hung in the Archibald Salon des Refuses, the Portia Geach Memorial Award, the Doug Moran National Portrait Prize, The WA Black Swan Prize, and numerous group exhibitions. Her landscapes have been hung in the Plein Air Parliamentary Prize in NSW Parliament House Sydney, and the Broken Hill Regional Art Prize. Her meditation paintings reflect a long involvement with yoga. Since 1997 Janis has taught Vision/Art Workshops, using a combination of meditation techniques and art practices. From 2000-2012 Janis completed two degrees at The College of Fine Arts at UNSW. In 2014 the Routledge/ Taylor &

Francis Group

published a monograph based on her PhD thesis, titled “Spiritual Art & Art Education”, as part of the Routledge

Advances in Art and

Visual Studies. Since 2014 Janis has been a sessional lecturer at CCE Sydney University in the history and published her book “Art and Philosophy of the Spirit”, based on these lectures. Right: Mapping the crystal structures in the energy body, pastel/charcoal on Canson paper,

H74 x W54 cm. Janis Lander 1994. Issue 38 - September 2020

JANIS LANDER - INTERVIEW Could you tell us the background to your new book with Atropos Press? Janis: My meditation background encompasses almost thirty years of practice and teaching. I completed a doctoral thesis at UNSW on spiritual art in 2012, and published a monograph based on the thesis, with Routledge/Taylor & Francis, New York, in 2014. After I graduated from UNSW, I began teaching a course in the history and theory of meditation at CCE Sydney University, titled Art and Philosophy of the Spirit. So this new book has developed over a period of seven years in response to the studentsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; questions. The tone of this book is informal like the CCE course, unlike my first book which was intended for academic researchers. This book is aimed at readers seeking an entry point into the techniques of meditation. It gives a detailed account of generic experiences and offers practical advice. I have included seventeen examples of spiritual art drawn from Eastern and Western meditation systems that offer cross-cultural comparisons in the practices and the goals. Drawing energy from earth and stars, pastel/charcoal on Canson paper, H74 x W54 cm. Janis Lander 1994. Issue 38 - September 2020

Why is art such a focus in meditation practices?

Janis: Spiritual systems deploy art as an instructional device to teach students about subtle anatomy and consciousness. Art can awaken subconscious levels of the mind and therefore art can convey information intuitively. And because

spiritual practices are ubiquitous in our species, a study of spirituality within diverse cultures yields a vast body of art a wonderful global visual language of signs, symbols, and gestures. Some spiritual art is illustrative of energy flows, like Tai Chi diagrams, or Hatha Yoga diagrams. Some spiritual art implies abstract states of consciousness, like the geometrical yantras.

Mapping the structures above the crown, pastel/charcoal on Canson paper, H74 x W54 cm. Janis Lander 1994. Issue 38 - September 2020

How did you select the 17 art images from so many available images?

Janis: I wanted images that would support the theories behind the practices. The writings of spiritual masters are surprisingly consistent across the different cultures, which has allowed me to find a commonality in the theories behind the practices. Similarly, spiritual art also demonstrates surprising consistency across millennia, and I selected art that would reinforce this argument. At the conclusion of each of the ten chapters there is a graphic schema, a representation of complex narratives in a simple graphic shape. A visual shorthand if you like. I picked a broad cultural range including the Philosopherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Stone, the Taijitu, the Solar Cross, the Pentagram, the Shri Yantra. In addition there are

7 diagrammatic images of masters from both Eastern and Western spiritual systems, all implying the essence of meditation practices. At the end of the book there is a section unpacking or decoding the significance of each image. In fact, the book itself can be viewed as an exegesis of these

17 images. Holding an intense connection, pastel/charcoal on canson paper, H74 x W54 cm. Janis Lander 1994. Issue 38 - September 2020

What about the book cover? Janis: Well I was fortunate that artist Sally Robinson agreed to design the cover for my book. Sallyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s award-winning portraits are well-known in Australia, but her abstract designs not so well-known. She is a brilliant designer and I knew she would create something special. I sent her the images I was using in the book and the colours I envisaged, and she came up with this elegant geometrical design combining three of the forms â&#x20AC;&#x201C; the Alchemical Stone, which is the central concept of Western Alchemy, laid over the double trikona, which is used extensively in the Yoga tradition, with a diamond shape (representing the energy of unity and stability) emerging from the interaction of the forms, and generating a sense of depth. Because the design is linear there is a lot of space in the composition that draws you in

and allows you to reflect on the message. So the book cover visually states the central thesis of the book â&#x20AC;&#x201C; that all spiritual systems are connected.

Right: Art and Philosophy of the Spirit, pub. Atropos Press, available on Amazon.com.au, Amazon.com and BookDepository.com. Cover by Sally Robinson Issue 38 - September 2020

What is the book about?

Janis: Art and Philosophy of the Spirit explores both Western and Eastern spiritual systems, seeking a common thread and a broad inclusive vision. It examines different spiritual practices common to spiritual systems and looks at how these common practices in different cultures are reflected in the art. It also considers common problems that arise in

meditation, so if you want to get the most out of the book, you need to engage in a practice. This book is intended to be a handy reference to assist you during your practices. The strategic use of meditation techniques is the prerequisite to attaining altered consciousness and related insights. Spiritual

knowledge isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t a theory, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s an experience.

Holding the fire, pastel/charcoal on Canson paper, H74 x W54 cm. Janis Lander 1994. Issue 38 - September 2020

Could you summarise the central argument?

Janis: In Art and Philosophy of the Spirit the narrow focus of spiritual systems is defined as knowledge acquired within the theoretical framework of energy and consciousness. The awakening of the energy body is systematic, and the book describes the major systems available to people and the variety of strategies they deploy. The ‘art’ refers to intuitive

wisdom found in images, the ‘philosophy’ refers to the concepts and theories behind practices, and ‘spirit’ refers to the quintessential energy that links us to primal creative energies and leads to transformed consciousness. The meditation teachers that I reference offer techniques and

practices leading to this transformation. Finally, spiritual art is examined as an iconography for both the philosophical concepts and the intense experiences.

Exploring the structure of the heart, pastel/charcoal on Canson paper, H74 x W54 cm. Janis Lander 1994. Issue 38 - September 2020

What has inspired you to write your books and why did you choose this subject?

Janis: I hope to demystify the meditation process because, in the practical sense, we are discussing standard methods and predictable outcomes. I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t discuss any practices that I havenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t tried. I aim to explain the theoretical framework that makes sense of the practices. The more information available to people the less likely they are to join a cult and be

seduced and misled by some charismatic conman. The

study of spirituality is based on a vast body of knowledge with a long history, but it needs to be reconsidered and clarified in light of 21st century science and technology.

Working on the larynx, pastel/charcoal on Canson paper, H74 x W54 cm. Janis Lander 1994. Issue 38 - September 2020

And why do you think people should meditate? For mental health and physical relaxation?

Janis: There is often a misunderstanding about the goals of meditation. Meditation can be deeply relaxing. Meditation can bring mental clarity. Meditation can assist in healing therapies. Meditation can help to control violent impulses. All of this is true, and these are positive outcomes. But these are the psychological side effects of a successful meditation practice.

The ultimate goal of meditation is the transfor-

mation of consciousness. Over thousands of years of practice, according to the writings of masters in different cultures, the real aim of meditation is to connect the mind with the frequencies of energy that shape our consciousness. And this is based on the understanding that human beings are defined by our consciousness. Our behavioural patterns are governed by our thoughts and emotions. If we work on our consciousness, on the very source of our self-awareness, then we change the way we think, and we change the way we behave. We do not meditate in order to escape our lives, but in order to enhance our lives, to perfect our lives.

Balancing ida and pingala, pastel/charcoal on Canson paper, H74 x W54 cm. Janis Lander 1995. Issue 38 - September 2020

What in your view is the main difference between spirituality and religion?

Janis: Well, for a start, spiritual systems are not that organized. The teacher/guru/master will instruct a group of students for a while. Students learn specific techniques from the teacher, that have worked for the teacher. The individual students will learn all those techniques and then focus on whichever technique is the most effective and suitable for his/her individual personality. It’s up to the individual meditator to push the technique to its ultimate conclusion – the transformation of consciousness and the shaping of a life lived in that consciousness. At some point most students

leave the teacher and then continue their private practice for the rest of their lives. It is a personal odyssey and, in the end, a private experience. The concept behind spiritual practice is along the lines of “Know thyself – and thou shalt know the universe and all its gods.” You can see that this self-determined undertaking towards self-knowledge, where ‘self’ is defined as consciousness and energy, is very different from the goals of organized religions. At their best, organized religions aim

to provide a sanctuary for a community, where people can seek guidance from priests and request blessings of the gods. But more often religions become trapped in financial and political agendas, and historically, in wars. However, at the core of every religion is the spiritual experience, and spiritual systems simply focus on that experience, and avoid the politics.

Issue 38 - September 2020

Stabilizing the energy body, pastel/charcoal on Canson paper,

Exploring infinite dimensions, pastel/charcoal on Canson paper,

H74 x W54 cm. Janis Lander 1997.

H74 x W54 cm. Janis Lander 1997. Issue 38 - September 2020

And could you please explain what these images are that are accompanying the article, since they are not in the book. Janis: These art works are in a video that I made in 1998 for the meditation school I was involved in.

They are personal

records of my experiences during the first few years of meditation. They are as accurate as I could make them, however I should be clear that the experiences are different for each

individual and these are self-portraits, not generic

portraits. The early stages of meditation are all fireworks. For

the first time you are exploring your energy body. The chakras are flaring, and the energies are moving in the channels. You are unblocking stuck energies and glimpsing your potential. You are mapping your energy body for the first time. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s very exciting and often trippy. You have all kinds of strange experiences and visions, and, of course, I made a body of art about them. My teacher Samuel was keen to make a video about meditation practices and use my art as a visual explanation. In all I created about seventy pastel paintings and oil paintings, and here I have selected a few of them that focus on the theme of mapping the subtle anatomy (the centers and the channels) of the energy body during meditation. They show the foundation of everything that I teach. - Janis Lander ÂŠ 2020.

Stabilizing the energy body, pastel/charcoal on Canson paper, H74 x W54 cm. Janis Lander 1997. Issue 38 - September 2020

Art and Philosophy of the Spirit, pub. Atropos Press, available

on Amazon.com.au, Amazon.com and BookDepository.com. Cover by Sally Robinson.

http://janislander.com/

Leaving the body during yoga nidra, pastel/charcoal on Canson paper, H74 x W54 cm. Janis Lander 1998. Issue 38 - September 2020

THE EGG EXPERIMENT

Issue 38 - September 2020

THE EGG EXPERIMENT George Gittoes

Growing up in Rockdale in the 1950â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s we had our own small chook yard with nine beautiful little bantam hens. It was my job to collect the eggs for breakfast. I had an orange eggcup shaped like a rooster and

enjoyed chopping the pointy top off and spooning the inside out onto my buttered toast then adding pepper. When I started secondary school, at Kogarah High, our Science teacher showed us how to do field research. We were all told to invent our own experiment and record the data.

I had always been puzzled by which end of the egg came out first the pointy or the round. I got a pane of glass out of a discarded window and replaced the wooden perch, in one of the boxes of the hen house, and lay very still underneath with my flashlight ready to watch the event. I was so surprised by what I witnessed I decided to verify it by repeating it with our other eight hens. I told my neighbour, Richard Ledgerwood and he agreed to let me experiment with his twelve hens. Issue 38 - September 2020

I did drawings and proudly submitted the results in the neatest form, a dyslexic 12 year, old could produce. The next day, each student had to stand and read their papers in class. But my paper had the whole class laughing so much I could not finish. I was given a D Minus, the lowest mark possible, and told by my angry

and red faced Science teacher that when I got the opportunity I â&#x20AC;&#x153;should switch to Art Classâ&#x20AC;?

Decades later, inspired by the work I had seen at Documenta X, in Kassel Germany, I decided to take my

professional 4K camera and film what I had discovered as a youth. The only place I could access was a horrible, stinking poultry farm with thousands of identical battery hens in small cages that had never run free or seen the light of day. I wanted to get out of there as quickly as possible with feather dust filling my lungs. I was stunned when my camera began to record the hens laying eggs with the opposite end coming out first. I filmed forty of these battery chickens laying their eggs and all laid the same way. I wondered if my observations as a 12 year old were wrong and went to a free range farming area. After three refusals I got a farmer who gave me access. Once again the chickens laid the way I had witnessed as a youth. Immediately, I felt the world needed to know this and edited the two together in a political work which I felt showed how industrial poultry farming was perverting the natural order of things. Issue 38 - September 2020

I have submitted my video piece to many museums and Art Biennales but all have flatly refused telling me that my ‘Egg Video’ is either, not art, too political or tasteless. My artist Friend, Carolee Schneemann, loved the work and encouraged me to persist.

Recently, I decided to show the video to students at a high brow art school in New York . After the first few seconds most covered their eyes and would not watch. At the end I was attacked for A) Not getting a woman to film as my subject was a female chook, a hen, making it inappropriate for a man to film B) It was cruelty to animals C) I should not be showing this without the permission of the chickens.

As a final note , I have to warn you it is useless to try recording my experiment on your phone cameras and posting to Facebook , Twitter , Tic Tock or Instagram. I’ve tried all of them and immediately been blocked with warnings that the content of my post is “Too explicit and violent”. - George Gittoes © 2020 The Egg Experiment is a total fiction.

http://gittoes.com/ Issue 38 - September 2020

Good Girl Bad Girl Jalalabad H

E Hellen Rose performing 'Lar Sha Ningahar/ Black Dress' Jalalabad rooftop restaurant. Photograph by George Gittoes.

Issue 38 - September 2020

Message from Jalalabad Friday, 2 October 2015, Hellen Rose. Making the music video clip for Black Dress/ Lar Sha Ningarhar.

Good Girl Bad Girl Jalalabad Making the video clip for 'Black Dress' a traditional song from the region here, titled in Pashto, ‘Lar Sha Ningarhar’ was a forbidden and dangerous adventure. George lined up with the guys from our favourite 'gangster run' restaurant (only the tough make and keep money here) to allow us to use their roof top location. It was great fun creating this whole 'Snow Monkey Soundtrack’ album with the wonderful Melbourne based musicians in collaboration with our Yellow House Musicians here in Jalalabad. Hugo Race (The Fatalists, Bad Seeds) Co Produced and performed with me on the Sound Track along with the famous Mick Harvey (Birthday Party, Bad Seeds, PJ Harvey), Brian Hooper (Beasts of Bourbon, The Surrealists) and Kim Salmon (The Scientists, Beasts of Bourbon) Dan Tucceri on piano along with other wonderful

Melbourne based musicians. Also, famed local Jalalabad muso's, the hundred-year-old Sufi/Shaman Saeed, Murtezah, Zalalai Pahkta, Alfridi and the Laquman Players. What a line up!! What an incredible sound!! From mellow hypnotic, to, out and out rock and roll at its ‘sophisticated cool’ Melbourne style finest! The sound fits the movie inter culturally incredibly well, from the tough street gangsters to the ghost busters and romantic country side as well as a miraculous love story. Linking cultures through a surprising cross cultural collaboration emphasizes the humanity of both cultures and I believe bonds us closer.

Issue 38 - September 2020

It's hard for us to imagine a world where singing in public is punishable by death and women singing doubly so.

Najeeb, King of the traditional ‘Gypsies’ of the region, the nomadic Koochee Tribe owns the most famous and wonderful restaurant in Jalalabad. Najeeb is also an Actor in the local film industry and passionate about the arts and great friend of

The Yellow House Jalalabad. We first met Najeeb when making a series of Pashtun Drama’s in 2010. He arrived at the shoot spectacularly with SUV convoy, armed guards, hair slicked back, dark sunglasses, carrying double pistols and double bullet bandelero’s across his chest! He dressed and arrived for the part! He is actually a peace-loving man who risks his life every day to keep the Arts and Film Industry of Jalalabad alive and has been a close friend ever since. He was thrilled that I had learned so many Pashto songs and is a devoted fan and offered the rooftop of his restaurant for us to make the film clip for the afternoon, along with his team of armed guards.

The guys at the venue where we had organized to make the video clip were prepared for; 'mob rage', 'stone throwers', ‘sniper guns’, every madness that this region can come up with. They had Ak47's, Machine guns, Grenades and Rocket Launchers (just the daily hardware). These guys were battle hardened, buff, bright eyed and bushy tailed and ready to let the lady sing!

I quickly made my way into the restaurant in my stifling burqa, preying my makeup wasn't running down my chin! This was

the cooler part of the day and what George calls the ‘magic hour for film’ an hour before sunset and a huge balcony overlooking the Kabul River with the mountain peaks of Tora Bora in the back ground- location, location! Issue 38 - September 2020

Najeeb production still by Hellen Rose making 'Talk Show' Pashtun Drama. Issue 38 - September 2020

We had the whole crew in and setting up, the electric generator running and restaurant helpers scurrying here and there dutifully averting their eyes from 'the foreign woman' although I was still under my burqa waiting for the 'moment'.

Suddenly all was go, go, go, and George had given the order for 'action'! My burqa off! I was there abruptly as if naked for all the cruel world to see, though I was covered from neck to ankle and wrist in the local clothes, a gorgeous dress I found in the Bazaar. Suddenly the music shattered the deathly anticipation, it pierced the afternoon air with its strange guitar strums but slowly revealed a familiar sound to the thousands of pricked ears primed for a radius of 100mtrs around, their own beloved song sung by me, 'a foreigner' and in Pashto! I started miming along and modestly twirling my scarf and dress as the song whirled its way into the air and up toward the unsuspecting eagles that forever hover over the river, eyes

piercing downwards searching every inch of the waters for fish as the shallow waters seem to boil along the endless stones and rocks. The unfamiliar, hitherto unheard electric guitar sounds, vibrating up to them and momentarily shocking their little bird hearts, until becoming a part of the atmosphere forever here, the song drifted on amidst the heavily armed helicopters dragging giant â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;hell fireâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; missiles through the skies and the monotones of the monotonous drones, slow as fat blowflies in the afternoon heat.

I became quite bold and confident and started twirling and putting more passion into my delivery. Suddenly I saw the eyes of one of the helper boys in his teen years staring at me, eyes as big as two shiny saucers, boys only see their mothers and sisters at home, he couldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t help himself but stare, I winked at him and he blushed and looked shocked and scurried back down the stairs.

Issue 38 - September 2020

Hellen Rose performing 'Lar Sha Ningahar/ Black Dress', Jalalabad rooftop restaurant . Photographs by George Gittoes, courtesy of Hellen Rose.

Issue 38 - September 2020

Grown men had now gathered on the second landing beneath the balcony as the song played for the third time and I got bolder and stepped toward the rail of the balcony. I sang out gesturing toward the river catching the staring eyes of the men on the balcony below, only in a blink, as they craned their necks upward to see me, I was careful to come across as non-provocative, sexually, as possible, for a woman like me that could have been my biggest challenge, I am not sure it worked at all. We kept shooting as the sun started to sink.

Next round of the song George told us this was our only chance to use the drone camera, the traffic on the bridge relentlessly kept bumbling stupefied along in the end of working day heat, stunned momentarily by what we were doing but somehow perhaps believing it may be some kind of mirage hallucination they kept trundling along toward their struggling

wives. The drone camera was up in the sky, the song drifted yet again into the afternoon air, tension was even higher now, but still no incident, not one feel of a stone hitting my back, no large crowd forming. I whirled, and we pushed the limits, the song played one more time to the golden orange and then blood red and pink sunset. The sun slipped quickly but spectacularly down the Western side of the turning world.

Time to leave, still no cries and jeers, not bullets or warnings. I put my burqa back on and made my way down the precarious spiral stairs that lead to the roof top balcony. I was shocked by what I saw, tears in the eyes of tough men, their hands on their hearts, I nodded and said Alicum Asalaam gently as I exited. I could see them coming up to George one by one, touched and poetically thanking him for bringing me there in whispering and hushed tones. George said he had never seen these war hardened fighters so soft. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Almost feminized somehowâ&#x20AC;?, he said.

Issue 38 - September 2020

I swiftly went from the stairs to the waiting car, I glimpsed a few onlookers through the gauze of my burqa, none looked aggressive, just with misty eyes and hands on hearts. I felt so glad I had the courage to do this simple thing, sing. We headed back to the Yellow House making sure no one was following us. - Hellen Rose ÂŠ 2020.

Please go to the link to see the music video clip!

www.gittoesmusicinternational.com

www.hellenrose.com

Great mates George and Najeeb, production still by Hellen Rose making 'Talk Show' Pashtun Drama.

ad infinitum

As in listening to these timeless tunes of the wind,

E R I

a rumour expounding only some of the details and in addition, lest we forget to mention, start again

I N

on what is here say, in honour of each otherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s down going something of a vague self-abasement, that makes us spin back onto the right track.

Surely worthy of a bit of a yarn we need to have, one day!

Here is the thing, constantly repeating itself.

An old armchair where we conduct our meditation in style,

overlooking a mighty limb of a part of the Universe. Clouds sailing, scurrying, images of the Red Sea inside our eyes.

Breaking up, I canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t hear you properly, I strain to focus on the theme.

Complicit in having lived, in short I feel so close to it all and I fear

that all this spinning around will make me very dizzy.

ad infinitum endlessly revised, but frailty is casting itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s nets,

Not the Dervish, not the accomplished practitioner,

to let the big ones go. Who may well have us for dinner instead.

N Issue 38 - September 2020

E R

COLLABORATION

Take a bloody break, I tell you, soar too high and you will get burnt

Navigate the Heavens, this space this man made world

It is as if there is room a plenty in these imaginary life spans,

Word for word as if I missed something important, something vital alive to encompass evolutionary processes.

Yes in a way I am only able to focus on the present

It is just, that it simplifies each logical thought,

A T I O

It isn’t as if I really live in the here and now

trying to explain is a very tedious business, very concise. Of late I have re-discovered arithmetic, as in trying to get to the simplicity of numbers As a way to redemption and to embrace the concept by way of imaginary fraction, and it’s multiple usages, in as many areas as can be possibly conceived. - Eric Werkhoven© 2020.

H O V

E N

Issue 38 - September 2020

MEREDITH WOOLNOUGH

Issue 38 - September 2020

MEREDITH WOOLNOUGH Meredith is an internationally acclaimed, award winning artist from Newcastle,

Australia. Her work is held in public, private and corporate collections worldwide. Meredith Woolnough's elegant embroi-

dered traceries capture the delicate beauty of nature in knotted embroidery threads. Through a delicate system of tiny stitches she creates intricate and complex openwork compositions that are then carefully pinned in shadowboxes, just like preserved specimens. Page 84: Coral Fan Circle, H40 x W40 cm. Embroidery threads and pins on paper, Meredith Woolnough 2016.

Right: Lilypad, H103 x W93cm, Embroidery thread and pins on paper, Meredith Woolnough 2015.

Issue 38 - September 2020

Hydrangea Petal, H82 x W93cm, Embroidery threads and pins on paper, Meredith Woolnough 2015. Issue 38 - September 2020

Meredith Woolnough - Interview When did your artistic passion begin? I think I have always had a love for making and creating things. I was drawn to art even as a young child and it was always my favorite subject at school. Have you always wanted to be an artist? Yes. I feel very lucky to be able to make a living as an artist.

Describe your work? I make embroideries inspired by natural forms and structures. But when I say embroidery it is probably not whatever you are thinking of. I use a domestic sewing machine and a water-soluble fabric to create what is essentially a sculptural drawing made of thread.

To create my work, I turn all the settings on my sewing machine off so that it is just that needle going up and down really fast. I then move my base fabric around the needle to build up a drawing in thread. It is the equivalent of moving a sheet of paper rather than a pencil to do a drawing. The base fabric I use is watersoluble so it acts as a temporary surface for my drawing. Once the drawing is complete, I wash away this base fabric leaving my stitched drawing behind. This drawing can then be shaped and molded to give it more form. I generally mount my drawings onto pins to display them, similar to insect specimen collections. Issue 38 - September 2020

What is the philosophy behind your work? My work generally maps the frameworks of the various veining systems found in nature to create work that explores the balance, harmony and connectivity of life on Earth. Inspired by the patterns, structures and shapes found in plants, coral, cells and shells my embroideries represent both the robust beauty and

elegant fragility of life.

Why do you choose this material / medium to work with? I love the look and feel of a stitched line so I was always drawn to embroidery as a medium. But, the

water-soluble fabric that I use as my base fabric is the magic ingredient in my work. This material is what made me want to explore this type of machine embroidery in the first place. I loved the idea that I could do a drawing in thread and then wash the base fabric away. I felt like I was liberating my drawing from the fabric and

giving it new life as a three dimensional object.

How important is drawing as an element to your artwork? I have always seen my works as drawings. They are just unconventional drawings, made from thread. I also do a lot of sketching and drawing when I am exploring new subject matter and developing my designs. So drawing is a hugely important part of what I do and how I create.

Issue 38 - September 2020

The New Neighbours install, Tamworth Regional Gallery 2017.

Meredith Woolnough installing her work.

Issue 38 - September 2020

Ginkgo Florette, (detail) Meredith Woolnough 2014.

Ginkgo Biloba Study 1, Embroidery thread and pins on paper, Meredith Woolnough. Issue 38 - September 2020

Caladium, H81.5 x W66cm, Embroidery thread and pins on paper Purple Coral Fan, Embroidery thread and pins on paper, Meredith Woolnough.

Meredith Woolnough 2016. Issue 38 - September 2020

What inspires your work / creations? I am inspired by nature and its beautiful interconnecting systems. I explore many different types of natural subjects and structures in my work but I seem to keep coming back to things in nature that have intricate veining systems. I have always been drawn to the beautiful structures in coral fans and leaf skeletons, so

they are favourite subjects of mine.

What are the challenges in becoming an exhibiting artist? I think many of the challenges that an artist faces when they set out to exhibit their work are the barriers we put in our own way. The worries about not being good enough or the fears that this type of work isn’t a ‘real job’ can stop us from putting our work out there in the first place. Luckily, my work has always been well received by the public and I always get a great response from exhibitions, so I am always motivated to keep going, to keep working and to keep producing good work.

Name your greatest achievement, exhibitions? I have been honored to be included in some prestigious exhibitions such as the ‘Tamworth Textile Triennial’

in the last few years. I also produced a book ‘Organic Embroidery’ a few years ago, which was a big ‘bucket list’ moment for me. Issue 38 - September 2020

Amazonian Water Lily, H69 x W69 cm, Embroidery threads and pins on paper,

Coral Polyp Study, H40 x W40cm, Embroidery threads and pins on paper,

Meredith Woolnough 2014.

Meredith Woolnough 2015. Issue 38 - September 2020

How has the COVID 19 Virus affected your art practice? Covid19 has interrupted the teaching/workshop aspect of my practice. All of my face-to-face workshops have been cancelled or postponed. But that has encouraged me to develop some online courses, which has been hugely successful so far. In regards to the ‘making art’ aspect of my practice, I have just been

chipping away at my current projects in the studio. My studio practice is very isolating work at the best of times, so not much has changed there.

What are you working on at present?

I am currently working on a project I set for myself at the start of the year to create 100 new embroideries for my next solo show. I have called the project the ‘100 Embroideries Project’ and have been steadily releasing a few new pieces in the series every week on social media. Each piece is quite small, around 10 – 12cm across, and it has been a great project to explore new ideas and concepts without too much pressure being put on the final artwork. I am finding it to be a very enjoyable project.

What do you hope viewers of your art works will feel and take with them? I hope that my work instills a sense of wonder in people and that it encourages them to look closer at our natural world.

Issue 38 - September 2020

Ginkgo Circle, H40 x W40cm, Embroidery threads and pins on paper,

The New Neighbours, Tamworth Regional Gallery

Meredith Woolnough 2014.

Embroidery threads and pins on paper, Meredith Woolnough 2017. Issue 38 - September 2020

Evergreen Leaves, H40 x W40cm, Embroidery thread and pins on paper,

Mushroom coral Mandala, H93 x W93cm, Embroidery thread and pins on paper,

Meredith Woolnough 2016.

Meredith Woolnough 2015. Issue 38 - September 2020

Red Cabbage, H94 x W94cm, Embroidery thread and pins on paper

Cell structures, H40 x W40cm. (Framed), Embroidery thread and pins on paper,

Meredith Woolnough 2014.

Meredith Woolnough. Issue 38 - September 2020

Red Coral Bowl, embroidery thread, 20 x 20 x 20cm., Meredith Woolnough.

Embroidery process, Meredith Woolnough.

Issue 38 - September 2020

Blue Coral Bowl, Meredith Woolnough 2015.

Embroidery process, Meredith Woolnough.

Issue 38 - September 2020

Your future aspirations with your art?

I simply hope to keep creating work and to continue to make a living from my art. I feel incredibly lucky to have a job where I can create beautiful things that I am proud of every day.

Forthcoming exhibitions? My next solo show is fast approaching. I will be exhibiting my ‘100 Embroideries Project’ at the Milk Factory Gallery in Bowral, NSW, Australia. August 15th through to September 15th 2020. - Meredith Woolnough © 2020.

Cell Azure Ammonite, H103 x W93cm. Embroidery thread and pins on paper, Meredith Woolnough 2015. Issue 38 - September 2020

100

Scribbly Gum Leaf, Embroidery thread and pins on paper,

Leaf Circle, Embroidery thread and pins on paper,

Meredith Woolnough.

101

THE PLACE WHERE KUPE* ATE THE WIND

E A J O

* e pronounced as in egg

Here down the steep track

And here (to hear the sea), a shell

I follow the flattened grass

and a feather for a dulcimer pick

yellow gorse and rusty bracken,

and a stone worn slick

shadowed by ink-washed clouds threatening rain.

to warm the cheek.

Again I return to this place

Beneath cragged cliff

gazing towards the horizon’s blade

my tread winds behind

splitting sea and sky.

in black sand

Here on this West coastal

over shards of paua shell

wild and wandering beach

barely whole,

tangles of kelp,

past a carcass and bones worn down.

flat malleable slabs the colour of whisky,

twist with savage artistry

Beach combing,

between the daily delivery of driftwood.

Here at Te Kaihau o kupe, ‘the place where Kupe ate the wind’, Pohutukawa, Banksia, Teatree and Flax dig in and hold firm

I probe the smooth contours for salvage

against the Southerly squall’s

limited only by scale.

backdrop to the raucous squawk of gulls.

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102

Unbenign elements swirl and swoop

were separated

as if to throw the ego far out to sea,

and all things were formed

as any flotsam or jetsam.

by the gods of their union.

‘Aieee’, I cry, ‘Aieee’ and it is carried on the wind for no one to hear but me in this place I know, this place I go to find peace within the turbulence when the breath slowed, blows warm on cold fingers and empties into a sense of oneness.

In my bach on the hill

with wood, feather, stone and shell I find a pencil to unravel the detail then words, slow as a snail trail, crawl over the mind’s bumpy track. The ocean snores on his back, draws me inside the roar of his spumy breath,

Humbled by the gods’ voice

frothing against that vast invisible shoreline.

and held in fierce embrace

Lulled by this primal rhythm

I feel small,

the stilled mind listens,

my inner turmoil

to glean washed up fragments of dreams

reduced to its rightful space

torn from a bigger picture.

in the great scheme of things –

I turn towards him and sigh

back to the beginning

‘ I wish…..….’

when Ranganui, the sky father

Ahhh wshhh, he echoes,

and Papatuanuku, the earth mother

ahhh wshhh. Issue 38 - September 2020

103

LYGON STREET, CARLTON Bea Jones Where caffeine culture vultures cruise an al fresco boulevard past the strawberry, poppyseed, blueberry mousse trio of terraced facades, spruikers in waistcoats lure the epicure to Il Primo, Piccolo Monde, Via Veneto â&#x20AC;&#x201C; names that caress the tongue like gelato and cappuccino.

Soap bubbles then lagging leaves float by the lazy tracery of balustrades and winter trees, filigreed against stone and sky.

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104

Pediments and parapets like wedding cakes of stucco vaunt a baroque opulence. Below shadowed porticos

fashion flaunts its haute couture. While the literati and glitterati promenade leather and gold an old man shivers, legs bare. In the cold, a dog wears a designer- label coat. To Lygon Street

come Melbourneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s famous and infamous, the pauper and the stars. Whether by chocolate or crack they die, they come to granite and grass,

monolith and menorah in the cemetery cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s classless mortality. Issue 38 - September 2020

105

VICTORIA STREET, RICHMOND Bea Jones To this street of character(s)

Gold and scarlet,

comes noodle soup and chopsticks,

scarlet and gold good luck scrolls

thin china and green tea,

hang in spice- filled shadow.

new rubber sandals next to bok choy,

Fish, horses, dragons and frogs

the smells of the wok

swim, prance and jump

and sweet and sour pork;

in a jade stone menagerie

vermilion legs dangling

where smooth- bellied Buddhas

in a surreal pigscape.

belly dance in one’s palm.

An eclectic mix of Bacon’s grotesque imagery and Rembrandt’s glazed pigment.

In an Aladdin’s cave fringed with paper lanterns, delicately decadent, I buy for the I Ching’s oracle

Here’s pork cake, turnip cake,

three Chinese coins,

beancurd roll.

wondering what fortunes

Bird’s nest, taro cake,

have been cast to the wind

ginseng jelly

through the nothingness of their centres.

all ducking yellow. Issue 38 - September 2020

106

E A

Bea Jones has lived in Melbourne since 1998 when she moved there from Newcastle. She is a visual artist and poet and has contributed to anthologies and performed live readings since the 90's. Her poem 'The Place Where Kupe Ate The

Wind' was shortlisted for the prestigious ACU poetry award in 2019 and she has again been shortlisted in 2020.

Bea won the Ada Cambridge Poetry Prize in

A recent anthology about Melbourne streets

E S

2016.

called ' On The Street' contains the two poems shown here.

Issue 38 - September 2020

107

ALESSIA SAKOFF

Issue 38 - September 2020

108

ALESSIA SAKOFF Alessia Sakoff is an environmental artist based

in Newcastle. She is interested in using a combination of traditional and abstract landscape techniques to document humanityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s treatment of nature. Her current body of work over the last 5 years has been regularly exhibited in local and

regional galleries and has been added to public and private collections across NSW. Currently represented by Flinders Street Gallery in Surry Hills, Sydney.

FLINDERS STREET GALLERY

Page 108: Out of the Woodwork No 3, Ink and gouache on paper, H50 x W50 cm. Alessia Sakoff. Right: Glenrock Alive, Ink on paper, H50.5 x W40.5 cm. Alessia Sakoff.

Issue 38 - September 2020

109

Earth Ink and gouache on paper H50 x W50 cm. Alessia Sakoff.

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110

ALESSIA SAKOFF - INTERVIEW When did your artistic passion begin? What attracted you to the world of Art? My passion for art grew from my high school art classes. My family would also encourage me to visit galleries where I was inspired by the diversity and uniqueness of artists. I saw creating and viewing art as a great way to focus my energy. It also gave me a freedom to experiment that I didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t find in any other discipline.

Have you always wanted to be an artist? I remember originally wanting to be a marine biologist. At school I would draw out the images in marine books onto paper. Science and research have always played a big part of my practice, but I probably realised it was a lot more relaxing and a fun to keep drawing.

Describe your work My work is centred on nature and the environment. I use a combination of abstract and representative painting techniques, working primarily with ink and gouache on paper. Although some of my works could fit under the banner of botanical illustration, I consider them landscapes as I like to take one aspect of an environment and bring it to the centre of attention. Issue 38 - September 2020

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What is the philosophy behind your work? The philosophy behind my work is that beauty is in all the unpredictable and uncontrollable forces of nature. From overgrown weeds and vines to the regrowth of new seedlings from the carcass of a fallen tree, every detail is a sign of life and should be realised. Drawing landscapes out of the abstract and chaos, I aim

to motivate audiences to protect this beauty and strength. The balance between abstraction and representation is also a symbol of our current position on the scales of environmental harmony, and we choose which way we tip.

Do you have a set method / routine of working? In my routine, the first step of any artwork is just to be in an environment. It could be a new place or somewhere Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m revisiting, but I like to discover the area before bringing out a sketchbook. To adhere to my passion for environmental rejuvenation, I use recycled materials to mount my artworks on wooden frames.

So, after researching and sketching, my next steps are usually made in the shed cleaning and fixing old timber supports to use for a new work. Then I apply the first layers of ink to the paper. These layers are mostly created outside of the studio in various environments and weather conditions. Left under the influence of the elements and the lay of the land, the ink is pushed around and washed away, creating a unique print of the surrounding habitat. Then itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s back to the studio to apply the layers in gouache. This is

where I use representative painting techniques to draw out a landscape from the abstract ink pattern-work.

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Bushland II, Ink on canvas, H1.8 x W13m. Alessia Sakoff, Newcastle University Gallery. Issue 38 - September 2020

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Why do you choose this material / medium to work with? I choose to work with ink because I like its versatility. It can create different patterns depending on its application, the surface it’s being placed on and the conditions it’s under. I also use ink and gouache as they are water soluble and I can throw any old ink-water onto the garden without harm. Gouache is also one of

my favourite materials as it is opaque like acrylic, yet water activated and quick drying like watercolour. I also like the matte finish it gives, allowing the gouache to stand out powerfully on top of the ink layers. How important is drawing as an element to your artwork?

Drawing has always been at the heart of my practice. At one point, I created works with strictly representational drawing techniques that kept me limited. Then my ink sketches underwent a period of experimentation and mess-making to arrive at the ink patterns I use today. So, although I still use traditional methods in sketches and in detail layers, I also consider my abstract mark-making to strongly relate back to drawing. What inspires your work / creations? My work is inspired by weekend walks through the local park. Specifically, walks through the Glenrock State Conservation Area. As a kid, this was a favourite pastime spent discovering trails and types of plants and not much has changed for me since. Those that know me are aware that it’s impossible to go for a bush hike with me without stopping every hundred metres to sketch a tree’s root system, canopy or just a unique piece of bark. Issue 38 - September 2020

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The Shore III Ink and gouache on paper H 50 x W50 cm. Alessia Sakoff.

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What are some of your favourite artworks and artists? Any particular style or period that appeals?

A favourite artwork that I constantly think back to is Katsushika Hokusai’s “The Great Wave off Kanagawa”. It’s an artwork that shows the awesome power of nature over man and was created in the 19th Century in opposition to a society that celebrated everything worldly and material. I think we’re coming back to a time where we need reminding of the power of nature if it’s not properly maintained.

I’m also drawn to the works of contemporary calligraphers and to name a few, the works of Shoko Kanazawa and Koji Kakinuma. I’m interested in the way they capture energy and flow in each stroke and I highly recommend watching their filmed processes

Entwined, Ink and gouache on paper, H47.5 x W42.5 cm. Alessia Sakoff.

as they work on wall sized sheets of paper. Issue 38 - September 2020

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What have been the major influences on your work?

Outside of the world of Fine Art, I’m also influenced by music and animation. A strong influence from family, music is everywhere I go, so unfortunately, I’m the person whose music you can still hear even when I have headphones on. Since I spend a lot of time working on detailed paintings, music is the best way to keep my brain active and focused. I also find music influences my mark-making as the rhythm sets the tone for the work. Artists on repeat are The Pixies, Gorillaz and King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard. Another indispensable influence on my practice is animation. In particular, the animation work of Studio Ghibli. They are to blame for my passion and complete obsession with the colour green. Those who have experienced their work before will understand, and those who haven’t, I encourage you to select any one of their films and the reason will become apparent. For those who would like the quick answer, you might like to search for the work of Art Director and background illustrator Kazuo Oga. Their diverse, hand-painted scenery not only sparked my passion for landscape painting, but also for the gouache medium the background artists use. In an ambitious attempt to study background art at one point, gouache became one of my all-time-favourite media that I use in most of my artworks today.

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Out of the Woodwork No 5 Ink and gouache on paper H50 x W50 cm. Alessia Sakoff.

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Out of the Woodwork No 7 Ink and gouache on paper H50 x W50 cm.

Alessia Sakoff.

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What are the challenges in becoming an exhibiting artist? I find that the biggest challenge in becoming an exhibiting artist is maintaining motivation and keeping the creative ball rolling. Of course, there are also financial and time management barriers, but I think they are all part of one big challenge that artists face. I find that loud music, a lot of ink, and some new messy

experiments is a great way to feel productive and stay motivated. How has the COVID 19 Virus affected your art practise? The COVID 19 pandemic has been a rollercoaster for my art practice. I was in the middle of an overseas

study for my art practice when border closures cut my study short. After, recovering and reorganising the rest of my year, there was a short limbo period where I didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t know what to do or think of next. I think I was a bit nervous to create something new, where it was probably the best time to dive into experiments and try something different. But since regaining focus, the COVID 19 shutdown hasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t limited me too much. As an introvert, social distancing has not bothered me, and the more house-cleaning people do, means the more council pick-ups for me to hunt down materials. Name your greatest achievement, exhibitions? My greatest achievement is my solo exhibition in September 2019 at Flinders Street Gallery, Surry Hills.

It was a proud moment to see my works represented in a Sydney gallery, and it felt like a combined display of everything Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve learnt through my studies and volunteer experience. Issue 38 - September 2020

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Alessia Sakoff in her Studio. Photo courtesy of artist.

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What are you working on at present? I am currently working on a series of landscapes to present in my next solo show in March 2021 at Flinders Street Gallery, Sydney. The landscapes will be drawn from both Australian and international environments.

I’m also working on a large, four-metre-long artwork for the University of Newcastle’s new refurbishments. I’m very excited about this piece, as it’s taking a new direction from my other paintings.

What do you hope viewers of your art works will feel and take with them? I hope viewers walk away with a new appreciation for the details found in nature. And with this, I also aim to motivate audiences towards environmental regeneration, or maybe just get them to pause on their next bush hike to look at the trees.

Your future aspirations with your art? Looking ahead, I would like to work on a much larger scale and get comfortable taking risks with my markmaking. If I think back 3 years ago, my practice has dramatically changed, so it’s exciting to think about what will happen over the next few years. Stay tuned!

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Forthcoming exhibitions? The next exhibition I am preparing for is a group show titled “In Ink” at The Owen’s

Collective Show Room in Islington. Opening in late November, it will be a celebration of everything ink and I’ll be sharing the walls with local artists Marguerite Tierney, Barbie Procobis and Megan Burley. I will also be exhibiting artwork at Newcastle Art Space with the Zeitgeist exhibition for the This is Not Art (TiNA) Festival in October and The Artist in Art group exhibition in late

Fig Heart, Ink on paper, H50.5 x W40.5 cm. Alessia Sakoff.

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B R A D

on those very rare occasions on those very rare occasions they would come to my parents' door, knock politely wait politely, as I looked at them from the dark interior; I, too, would wait where they would finally look at their wristwatch

before walking away into a fresh,

E V A N S

new round of Friday night. Why I failed to greet, I have no idea

but felt of them another world, whose interests aspirations values were not mine, and never would be. Issue 38 - September 2020

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B R A D

on this, the 2nd night of Lupercalia, I heard a hoot a downing of tools and they were off… the car was on the curb and had been jacked up 5 days,

things weren’t looking too good

E V A N S

and I waited to see how long they would persevere before, finally, abandoning it, where it would be gradually ripped apart by vandals & the weather, transformed into a bedsit for wino’s to sleep & piss;

but

the 2nd night of Lupercalia, I heard a hoot a downing of tools and they were off with a smooth running engine in a trail of exhaust unseen they left me there

on this, Issue 38 - September 2020

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SEIGAR TranSItion Issue 38 - September 2020

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TranSItion - SEIGAR Photography This series aims to show the lives of four transgender people with the intention of making their reality visible, respected and accepted by society through empathy. In the title: TranSItion the syllable SI that means yes into Spanish is capitalized and in bold to emphasize and reinforce the constructive and assertive approach to their stories Each person is presented in two images, a portrait and a photograph of an object that represents their transition. The four participants opened their houses and their rooms, the objective of showing their privacy was to expose their worlds. Fear is what leads human beings to discrimination or

hate, so when people know the realities that they ignore, they can stop being afraid. The objects were chosen by them as the symbols of their transitions and in this way, the relation people establish with objects was also explored. These things were positioned on top of different hashtags that were selected previously by the four to define themselves, the use of these labels is to show they are more than their transitions, because no one can only be described just by one word. The colours also portray their identity because the hashtags were printed using their favorite colours. The portraits become the traditional representation and the photographs of the objects give a more modern and technological way to understand their identity. Aarรณn, Mer, Wyatt and Yuli were interviewed during the process of this series, and I must say thanks for their trust and for opening their hearts for me. Ignorance produces hate, knowing is the best way to tackle

ignorance, and empathy is the only path to love. This project is part of my last focus and interest in photography that is identity, everything that defines us. Issue 38 - September 2020

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A A R

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Name: Aarón

He prefers working with children or elderly people, giving

Age: 18,

the same information just to the audience. He understands

Zodiac Sign: Leo Fave Color: Green. TranSItion object: Aarón chose the Mister Photogenic 2019 band that he got in a male beauty pageant because he feels he has always been visible since he started his transition. Hashtags: #humble #kind #brave #sincere #courteous #loyal

there are many ways to be visible and adapting to help others. He considers himself a reasonable and pacific person. His grandmother lived and experienced the dictatorship during Franco’s

period, but he could change

her mind to make her accept him. His dream would be not having to explain it and he also wishes there was no need to associate to fight for their rights. These days, he studies Speech Therapy at the University, in Tenerife.

#stubborn #determined #immediate #protector #reasonable #pacific.

About Aarón: Aarón has been given lectures and workshops about LGTBIQ people to inform and also to help, especially focusing on his personal experience. Since he was three years old, he liked his hair short. When he was eight, he was obliged to wear a dress, but he went back home to change, he would never put on a dress anymore. He liked playing football, but according to society that was not compatible with being a girl. He felt society was treating him in a way he didn’t feel like. He never felt he was a girl. He identifies himself as gay guy. He didn’t suffer bullying at school probably because of his strong confidence. He keeps on living in the same neighbourhood and having the same friends and contacts. He confesses the operations can scar your life, but they are like war scars, that means “you suffer but at the same time you get stronger and that makes who you are”. He also visits schools to talk to students about transgender people. Issue 38 - September 2020

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Y U L I P E R E Z

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Name: Yuli Pérez Age: 23 Zodiac Sign: Capricorn Fave Color: Pink

TranSItion object: Yuli chose a female shaving razor because it represents the harshness of the social stigma. Women are not supposed to have body hair, so she feels women have made a mistake following the beauty rules that society imposes them. She’s got a sensitive skin so this makes it worse for her. She just feels that beauty is something more than having hair or not. Shaving hurts her and she finds all this offensive. She anyway considers herself pretty, in fact she is a quite confident girl.

Hashtags: #strong #force #brave #delicate #courage #empathic #happy #smiley #honest #sincere #intuitive #vain #teaser #transparent #anxious #impulsive #innocent.

About Yuli Pérez: She was raised as a girl, even though she would be called by her male name. She’s been out as a girl since she was 11 and she started her treatment at the age of 16. She feels she hasn’t suffered much because she started quite early. However, she has been bullied, and she has also been maltreated, she thinks these issues are still ignored by society. She has experienced difficult situations and sad stories in her life that she doesn’t like sharing in her social media, but she would tell them if they can help others. She overcame a bad relationship with a man that was using her vulnerability during the transition in his advantage. Now, she is stronger, braver and happier than before. She considers herself a straight girl, and even though she never thought she could have a love relation with another transgender person, she finally met

someone and she is quite happy with him. She feels they can understand each other. She is an activist though she is a bit tired

of the associations because they require lots of effort and it’s also energy and time-consuming. She feels there is still discrimination and hypocrisy

towards transgender people. However, her people accept and love her. She would like to write a book about her life, to leave a

message behind so others can relate to her story. She defends her freedom in the social networks, she likes to show her body but she sometimes has been attacked by her own friends. She is against this censorship. She would like that people were more coherent with their ideas and values. Issue 38 - September 2020

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132

Name: Wyatt Age: 41

These days, he still plays and feels free. I interviewed and shot Wyatt in a difficult moment for him, he had just said goodbye to an important relative in his life. When I returned

Zodiac Sign: Gemini

the football to him, he looked different and he was smiling.

Fave Color: Blue.

He is a strong man.

TranSItion object: Wyatt chose a football, because it represents his freedom. Wyatt always felt he belonged there. He could be who he really was playing this sport with his friends. The football pitch was a safe place to be himself, and just be one more guy in the male group.

Hashtags: #transparent #courteous #sincere #committed #generous #kind #friendofhisfriends #familyoriented #homely.

About Wyatt: Wyatt started his transition two years ago. He is a bit shy and he prefers others to do the talking, but in fact, he is much loved by his people because he is quite generous and kind. He is the person who during a friends or a family meeting would be looking around to see if someone needs something, so he can help. He is a helpful man. He feels that being so generous and caring can sometimes cause him troubles, because he finds it hard to say no. He just likes pleasing his people and likes to see them happy and fine. Football is his escape, when he plays football he just feels like a child again, the number 7 was his number and he remembers how free and happy he was wearing that top. Issue 38 - September 2020

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Name: Mer Age: 20 Zodiac Sign: Solar: Leo/Lunar: Sagittarius/Ascendant: Scorpio Fave Color: Yellow-Orange.

TranSItion object: Mer chose a beautiful clown because she

She kindly gave me some prints of her wonderful art pieces at the end of the shooting and the interview. She likes fighting for peopleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s rights. Mer feels she has got a fighter spirit.

started her treatment during a summer she visited her house in Germany, and this clown has always been there. She lives in Tenerife but she often travels to Germany. This object reminds her of her childhood. She likes the clown more than before because she feels like a girl. Hashtags: #delicate #sensitive #intense #perseverant #fighter #advocate #supporter #activist.

About Mer: Since 2017, she started to behave socially as a girl. Last summer, she started with her hormone treatment. She uses her social networks as a way to release her feelings. She is emotionally sensitive and now she thinks she is even more sensitive. These changes as a life metaphor also coincided in time with her moving from Germany to Tenerife. Her granny understood her and that is something that surprised Mer, sadly she passed away last year. Mer has also suffered bullying at school, but she tries to see as part of her past, though she is conscious she still can feel the consequences. She is into art, what is more, she is an illustrator. She also loves doing sketches and digital works. She also has a special connection with music. Issue 38 - September 2020

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Seigar Seigar is a passionate travel, street, social documentary and conceptual photographer based in Tenerife,

Spain. He feels obsessed with pop culture which shows in his series. He is a fetishist for reflections, saturated colours, curious finds and religious icons. He also flirts with journalism and video.

His main

inspiration is travelling. His aim as an artist is to tell tales with his camera, creating a continuous storyline from his trips. His most ambitious projects so far are his Plastic People, a study on anthropology and sociology that focuses on the humanization of the mannequins he finds in the shop windows all over the world, and his Tales of a City, an ongoing urban photo-narrative project taken in London. He is a philologist and also works as a secondary school teacher. He is a self-taught visual artist, though he has done a two years course in advanced photography and one in cinema and television. He has participated in several exhibitions and his works have been featured in many publications. He has collaborated with different media

such as VICE and WAG1. He writes for The Cultural about photography and for Memoir Mixtapes about music. Lately, he has experimented with video forms. His last interest is documenting identity. Recently, he received the Rafael Ramos GarcĂa International Photography Award.

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Because nobody imagined living here II, Seigar, Glasgow 2012.

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BLACK HONEY MAGGIE HALL Issue 38 - September 2020

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Black Honey

Why canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t they see !

We fall awake before fingers in tired mistrust Hands hold pens full of ink - empty quills tied to paper Lost thoughts of wetted seeds - trapped inside a shell

Existence . . .

Is this how life creates ? To blame another for the first sin

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Deliberation in silenced echoes

A past martyrs forgotten speech - It must be true, so letâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s kill again !

We are only human because our bodies stand Ambitious hunger tasting blood from anotherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s fight

Silence breeding hate through the sleeping crowd

Who are we to judge? A panel of educated puritans Who decides the fate of so many a silenced mind?

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The thinker dictates - as the bully destroys Leaders weakened by fear - of the next state

We live in history made by another’s truth We bow down to an unspoken Justice

Who is right - who is wrong ?

Who mines the strongest Parasite ? Who are you to decide - who is going to fight ?

It doesn’t matter . . .

. . . because you’re the one, who wrote this song.

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THE FREMANTLE ARTS CENTRE PRINT AWARD 2019

LORRAINE FILDES Issue 38 - September 2020

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HISTORY OF THE FREMANTLE ARTS CENTRE The Fremantle Arts Centre (FAC) is one of Western Australia’s major arts organisations and it offers a rich cultural program of exhibitions, residencies, art courses, music and events. It is housed in an impressive heritage listed neo-Gothic sandstone building. Unfortunately, the history of this building is not so impressive. It was built by convicts in the 1860s to house the Fremantle Lunatic Asylum and Invalid Depot. The asylum eventually became the depository for any social problem such as alcoholism, prostitution and the elderly. In 1909 it became the Government Home for Women. Until 1941, the buildings remained home to poor and elderly women. Protests in 1941 by several women’s groups concerning the condition of the home finally resulted in its closure. In March 1942, a group of 12 American naval servicemen fleeing the Japanese invasion of the Philippines arrived in Fremantle and were given billets in the old Women’s Home. After the servicemen departed the building was left vacant and in 1958 was threatened with demolition. It was

saved largely through the efforts of Sir Frederick Samson, then Mayor of Fremantle. His vision for the site was to establish both a Mariners’ Museum and an Arts Centre. The building was restored, and the Fremantle Arts Centre opened in 1973. It has become the centre of a flourishing art community in Fremantle.

Fremantle Arts Centre’s exhibitions program offers a diverse selection of contemporary art. All FAC exhibitions are free to visit to ensure the programs are accessible to everyone. One of the main exhibitions hosted every year is the The Fremantle Arts Centre Print Award. It is Australia’s premier annual showcase of artists’ prints. Now in its 44th year, the Award and exhibition continue to present the best works from established, emerging and cross disciplinary artists from across Australia.

I was lucky enough to visit the centre when this award was on exhibition. I hope you enjoy my selection of prints. I have included first, second and highly commended prints plus several other prints to illustrate the huge variety of techniques used by the artists and their amazing skills.

Next to each print I have included the information provided by the Fremantle Arts Centre. Issue 38 - September 2020

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PRINT AWARD 2019 PRINT AWARD 2019

First Prize Rew Hanks (NSW)

In 2017, Rew Hanks spent three wintry months in Iceland, exploring the country’s black volcanic landscapes and Southern mountain ranges. Overwhelmed by the scale and contrast of white snow dusting black rock, the artist depicts the majesty of the land

engulfed by a turbulent sky

Gone fishing East of Faskrudfjordur 2018

and uninhabited. That is, until ‘examining photographs I noticed a solitary fisherman by the

Linocut on paper

water’s edge. Close by, a small boat of fisherman skillfully maneouvered the perilous waves.’

Edition of 50

Their presence for Hanks was an insidious reminder of the penetration and impact of human

H70 x W200 cm.

endeavour into the landscape. Issue 38 - September 2020

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Second Prize

In this print Napangangka Jack depicts Kuruyultu, near Tjukurrla in

Eunice Napanangka Jack (NT)

Western Australia. “This is my country,” she says “It all happened

Kuruyultu, 2019

speared a wallaby at Kuruyultu. That night he ate that wallaby. At

Ink on paper

the same time my mother could feel me moving inside. She was

Edition of 20

heavily pregnant. That next morning, after my grandfather killed the

Printed by Basil Hall Editions

wallaby, I was born.”

before I was born. I have a scar on my back from it. My grandfather

H50 x W100 cm. Issue 38 - September 2020

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Highly Commended Nadia Kliendanze (NSW) Pebbles, 2018 Colour reduction lino print on paper Edition of 15 H30 x W30 cm.

Ndia Kliendanzeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s work is based on observations of the character of light as it meets and reflects from different surfaces. Here, stones on the beach, soaked with rain from the basis of a complex printing process. The artistâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s photograph is translated into a pattern, similar to cross-stitch, drawn onto linoleum, cut and printed. From here the artist cuts into the lino plate further, changing its pattern permanently, and printing another layer of ink, in a different colour over the first. This

process is repeated multiple times.

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Highly Commended Mark Dustin (Vic) Felt Suit, 2017 Screen print on felt Unique state print H200 x W90 cm.

Drawing on his proximity to his grandfather’s profession of coffin-making, Mark Dustin meditates on the role that photography can play in making people address their own mortality. Felt Suit is based on a photograph from Dustin’s family archive, showing how empty coffins would be wrapped in felt, ready to be transported all over the country from the train yards. Dustin has used the same kind of felt to make this print, as we imagine countless empty boxes dispersing out, destined for people who’ve passed away in communities and families far away.

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Highly Commended

Julie Mia Holmes works with monotype, a printmaking method in which erasure plays a central,

Julie Mia Holmes (NSW)

somewhat contradicting part in building up an image. Walking the tide lines of

Anchorless, 2018

artist identified a similar pattern of creation and erasure in the trails and patterns made by limpets

Monotype on paper

and molluscs on the beach. Anchorless kelp and round holdfasts that have washed ashore are â&#x20AC;&#x153;a

Unique state print

metaphor for the relationship most of us have with our own environment, untethered, disconnected,

H57 x W112 cm.

Broulee Island, the

disrupting the surface of the perfectly rolled up layer of ink.â&#x20AC;? Issue 38 - September 2020

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Highly Commended Kyoko Imazu (Vic) Entomologist’s garden, 2019 Etching and aquatint on paper Edition of 25 H60 x W54 cm.

Kyoko Imazu is interested in paying attention to the weeds, bugs and pebbles that the artist considers to be our tiny, everyday neighbours. When we look closely, beauty and complexity becomes visible in every petal, leaf and wing, every state of life, death and regeneration. The artist spent months in the Melbourne Museum’s entomology room, drawing insects to research this work. “It’s so easy to not think about small, seemingly insignificant things,” says Imazu. “On the other hand, if I always stopped and really looked, I’d get so overwhelmed by their wonder.”

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Highly Commended Clare Humphries (Vic)

Clare Humphriesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; artworks explore the notion of aura, often referencing experiences

New Moon on Monday, 2019

of loss, rituals of bereavement and perceptions of distance to propose a liminal

Reduction linocut and monotype on wood

space. Humphries lives and works in Melbourne and is currently working as a guest

Edition of 2

lecturer at the Royal College of Art in London.

H35 x W170 cm. Issue 38 - September 2020

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Anne Starling (NSW) Detritus, 2019 Linocut on paper Unique state print H78 x W108 cm.

Anne Starling’s work examines the way that people interact with one another within the container of urban environments. In this print, she critiques the accumulation of man-made waste and unsettling spaces, which have arisen through the project of industrialisation, pointing out their environmental impact. “The natural landscape has been compromised,” says the artist, “to accommodate progress: society co-habits with constant development and accumulating products. These mountains of waste now form the new urban landscapes of excess.”

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Raimond de Weerdt (NSW) Forgotten Summer 2, 2019 Giclee print on Canson Rag Edition of 4 H76 x W61 cm.

Raimond de Weerdt’s work traces the complex ways in which images are made, share, found, lost, accessed and classified in the online realm. For this print, the artist6 used found online image files carrying the ‘CCo’ creative commons free-use status in their filename. “These images are mysterious and somewhat sad,” he says. “Their original purpose has been forgotten or has expired. Some

have no known author and all information about the image is lost.” With prints like these, de Weerdt repurposes and reinvigorates the life, or indeed the after-life, of the imagery they contain.

Seong Cho (NSW) Australian Rhapsody, 2018 Woodblock print on French cotton paper

Edition of 3 H62 x W256 cm.

Drawing upon her unique perspective as a Korean migrant and Australian citizen of 30 years, Seong Cho’s work tells stories about the vastness and diversity of the Australian landscape. Ï often picture what this place would have looked like millions of years ago, ”she says, “imagining a time when the natural world dominated, before human civilisation took hold. In this print, Cho imagines a rugged land and the unbridled freedom of running emus, using her own calligraphic style and brushes she has fashioned from organic fibres collected on bushwalks. Issue 38 - September 2020

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David Frazer (VIC)

Working on a huge scale, David Frazer’s etchings build up organically.

The tangled wood (composition 1), 2018

The artist begins with one plate and works outwards, the composition

Etching on paper

developing with each new panel. “The process and the image are

Edition of 40

disorderly, like the bush itself, strangely beautiful and yet also tense

H80 x W120 cm.

and uncomfortable,” he explains. Issue 38 - September 2020

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Annika Romeyn (ACT) Chasm 4, 2017 Monotype on paper Unique state print H228 x W168 cm.

To make this print, Romeyn developed a subtractive drawing process, in which a richly-coated field of indigo ink was wiped and eroded by hand, slowly revealing the image. This slow and tender process is an analogy for the artist’s experience of walking below the eroded walls

of Golden Gully in Hill End, New South Wales. “Golden Gully is a surreal environment," she says, “bearing the scars of colonial mining. It’s raw and damaged, yet intriguing and somehow transcendent.”

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Monika Lukowska (WA)

Monika Lukowska’s themes of memory, place and belonging are pursued in two parts. The artist undertakes a period of research through walking and physically studying

Memory of Place 1, 2019

natural urban environments, sketching and photographing what she sees. In the studio,

Digital print on paper

these fragmentary experiences form into delicate, linear prints. In this work, the artist

Edition of 2

reflects on a visit to Lake Walyungup, “a shallow, ephemeral salt-lake near Rockingham

Printed by Rappid

which is a seemingly forgotten, empty space but which has a deep history embedded in

H123 x W220 cm.

thrombolite remains and Noongar community culture.” Issue 38 - September 2020

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Eva Fernandez (WA) Raven Family, 2018 Giclee print on 308gsm Hahnemuhle photo rag paper Edition of 8 Printed by Fitzgerald Photo Imaging H80 x W70 cm.

With her dark, subtly tonal prints, Eva Fernandez repositions

the

emblematic

flora

and

fauna

representative of WA to explore the brutal history and processes of colonisation. The colloquially naked ‘black crow’ is associated with foreboding and death. To the Nyoongar people of south western Australia,

the Australian Raven was Waardar, the Watcher, an unpredictable trickster. Whadjuk Nyoongar people were socially divided into two family groups – waardarng-maat (the crows) and marrnetj-maat (white cockatoos).

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AHC McDonald (WA) The Selfie, 2019 Rubber stamp relief print, ink roller, stencil and archive inks on BFK Arches watercolour paper Unique state H120 x W80 cm.

AHC Mcdonald describes the iconic landscape of Western Australia with a poetic, nostalgic and often self -deprecating sensibility. In this work, he considers the way that natural beauty and tragic death sit side-byside in our perception of The Gap geological formation in Albany. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Every day, Australians venture foolishly to this stunning but unforgiving place, ignoring danger signs and risking death for entertainment. Perhaps defiance of nature is part of who we are.â&#x20AC;?

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Carolyn Craig (NSW)

Carolyn Craig’s work employs new media techniques to challenge and reveal the political

Words that define: The Voice project part 2, 2019

and social power that language has over bodies and individuals. In this work, the artist has

3D polymer print

used a modelling software and a 3D printer to “neuter the power of a swear word to enact

Edition of 4

power over the body”. Studio recordings of words commonly used to degrade feminised

Printed by the arist and Marina Azziz

subjects were translated into spectrograms (sound wave imagery) and then printed as

H13 x W80 x B3 cm.

objects, silencing its hostility. Issue 38 - September 2020

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Lucille Martin (WA) Knowledge Extinction: For all the knowledge in the world won’t save us, 2019. “iPhonegraphy” on archival paper

Edition of 2 H60 x W200 cm.

Lucille Martin uses her close-to-hand iPhone to document items in her immediate daily vicinity. Part memory-aide and part note-taking practice, her successions of imagery present not just aesthetic objects, but record a distinct time and place. This work is a snapshot or portrait of contemporary Western knowledge, as represented by a collection of printed books, magazines and the artist’s own written notes. This treasury of text and image is both a personal reflection of the artists’ thoughts and interest, and representative of the greater, global wealth of word and image in cultural play in 2019.. Issue 38 - September 2020

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Judith Martinez (NSW)

Working with both antique and contemporary photographic processes, Judith

Rorschach and the sea, 2019

Martinez brings moments from distant periods of time together into a single

UV ink on dibond brushed aluminium Edition of 3 Printed by Definitive Group H50 x W100 cm.

landscape. In this photo-montage, the artist has displaced a ghostly, anonymous figure from a found photograph and brought her into a scene

patched together from digital photographs and the symmetry and pattern of a Rorschach psychiatric testing print. â&#x20AC;&#x153;These altered realities are a way to explore memory, nostalgia, migration and reinvention,â&#x20AC;? says Martinez. Issue 38 - September 2020

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Deanna Hitti (VIC) Assimitlated Museum (installation),

2017 Cyanotype on paper Unique state print H200 x W300 cm.

Deanna Hittiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s art practice unravels the nuanced relationships between East and West. In this work, the artist represents the role that museums play in constructing a history or a perception of cultural difference. 19th Century European paintings

have here been scanned directly from art history books, creating a new reading in which the Orientalist themes are isolated and their assumptions, genericism and fantasies are revealed.

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Garth Henderson (VIC) colour_series/banksia_ericifolia/2019, 2019 Giclee print on 210gsm archival matt paper Edition of 5 H170 x 100 cm.

Garth Hendersonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s digitally-constructed images explore the space between the real and the virtual. His botanical imagery is subtly hyperreal, taking familiar flora and regularising its normally-organic structures. Each plant species is digitally sculpted by the hand and eye of the artist, to form intricately detailed studies. The iconography and geometric forms of the banksia

form a central part of Hendersonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s work.

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Evan Pank (NSW) Keeping the Bastards Honest 2, 2018 Screen print and marine flare smoke on

paper Edition of 8 H90 x W192 cm.

Evan Pankâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s work utilises contemporary materials like spray paint and screen printing in an experimental way to examine his own cultural background and identity in a growing, interconnected world. In this work, the artistâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s turbulent print showing a throng of rioters and police is marked by the intense orange pigment from a marine smoke flare, capturing the chaos and the passion of civil demonstration. Issue 38 - September 2020

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Gina Fenton (NSW) Interplay Series, 2018 Screen print on 300gsm BFK Rives paper Edition of 3 H194 x W296 cm.

By constructing relationships and interplay between 2D and 3D structures, Gina Fenton experiments with how we use the concept of sequence to make sense of images, diagrams and ideas. In this work, a series of architectural forms appear to construct and deconstruct themselves simultaneously.

“Immaterial space is made physically present,” says the artist. “The past, present and future are composed together in a visual spectacle,” asking, is this a moment of building or falling apart? Issue 38 - September 2020

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Donny Woolagoodja (WA) Wandjinas and Owl, 2019 Woodblock print on paper Edition of 30 Printed by Sean Richard Smith H76 x W148 cm.

Donny Woolagoodja’s pattern-heavy woodcut prints

give portraits of important spirits from Dreamtime stories. On the left we see Wanalirri and Dumbi the Owl with the marggudeeguddaee (Ta-Ta Lizard). Together they caused a flood to punish some children for teasing the spirits. Only one boy and one girl survived. Late, Namarali and Jarlarloyn (right) fell in love and ran away together, even though they were not of the right skin match. “The Wandjinas followed them to a beach called Langgi,” says Woolagoodja. “There they surrounded them and speared them.”

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Brian Robinson works across painting, print, sculpture and design to

Brian Robinson (QLD)

make works that honour and celebrate his Torres Strait Islander heritage. Growing up on Thursday Island, the artist is intimately acquainted with

Bedhan Lag: Land of the Kaiwalagal, 2019

the fishing, diving and hunting practices of that land, and these traditions

On-block linocut, ink on paper

flow seamlessly through his prints alongside more contemporary

Edition of 10

everyday

Printed by Theo Tremblay

Hollywood

H100 x W185 cm.

boundaries between personal and shared histories, and real fantastic

realities like video games, received national histories and

movies. In this print, the artist experiments with the

landscapes. Issue 38 - September 2020

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Andrew Sunley Smith (WA) House Drag; Migratory Projects, 2019 Earth, bitumen, plywood, acrylic, pine and steel Unique state print H80 x W163 x B5 cm.

To make this print, Smith uses raw topography to etch into the printing surfaces, which are dragged directly over the road and landscape, pulled on cords from the back of a car. With this work, the artist conveys his ideas

about the violent turbulence of displacement and movement on the emotions and experiences of people and communities.

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Angela Ferolla (WA) 1000 to 1, 2019 Shapewell fabric and screenprinting ink Unique state print H300 x W110 cm.

Angela Ferolla’s textured textile-based prints provide a voice

for native species that can’t represent themselves. This work responds to the fact that there are just 1000 numbats left in existence. Ferolla has printed one numbat for each creature left in the wild, until they became densely layered and began to be absorbed and obliterated into the darkness of the printing ink. 1000 individuals will reduce to one, warns Ferolla, if we continue to gamble with out environment.

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S A C H I K

O K O T A

STOLE THE SHOW https://timelesstextiles.com.au/

K A

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STOLE: THE SHOW 16 SEPTEMBER - 1 NOVEMBER TIMELESS TEXTILE GALLERY Curated by Anne Kempton and Rod Pattenden A stunning and diverse collection of works by twenty three contemporary artists using the format of a Stole, a mantle worn around the neck that is found in many spiritual traditions. Artists and craftspeople will explore through a variety visual means the hopes and aspirations we carry on our shoulders as vulnerable and compassionate human beings. Curator Rod Pattenden says: â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;People carry things upon their shoulders, their past, current responsibilities, as well as future hopes and aspirations. As frail humans we carry our lives on our shoulders, as well as the hopes and concerns we carry for others and our common future as the human community. These artist have taken up the challenge of visualising these burdens.â&#x20AC;&#x2122; This is an exciting opportunity to show off a range of work by practitioners working in diverse media, willing to explore an intimate subject matter that also investigates the nature of community, spirituality, politics, the environment and our common good.

Artists include: Alexandra Banks, John Barnes, Margot Broug, Jan Clark, Catherine Croll, James Drinkwater, Penny Dunstan, Andrew Finnie, Peter Gardiner, Petra Hilsen, Sandra James, Sachiko Kotaka, Anne Kempton, Glenn Loughrey, Chris Mansell, Rod Pattenden, Giselle Penn, Wilma Simmons, Kris Smith, Braddon Snape, Richard Tipping, Robyn and Eric Werkhoven, and Graham Wilson.

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Lost Time

Drafting paper, wool, soldering wire. 110 x 60 x 15 cm.

ARTIST STATEMENT

conjunction with the sculpture’s wear ability, present the viewer with a

A N

In the work Lost Time, the materials of translucent paper and wool, in

visual metaphor of an embodied theological response to dementia. The translucent paper folded into origami water balloons functions symbolically. Namely, the process of making origami balloons requires the creator to spend time preparing the paper square, pre-folding the creases, tucking the corners into the little pockets, and blowing into the deflated balloon to expand it to its final shape. This method of manipulating paper

brings to mind the process of making memories. The very considered and

meaningful for our own identity creation. Additionally, the choice of

that memories are created through communal transmission. The translu-

ritualistic way we construct and breathe life into what we understand as translucent paper, not opaque or transparent paper, adds to the notion cent paper

points to the communicative action required for others to

remember us. Likewise, the use of wool an organic material to stitch all of the memory balloons together, replicates the role of our neurobiology in

the form of brain synapses, and the physical processes of embodied remembering. The fragility of the sculpture indicates the vulnerability of our memories, and the act of wearing another’s memories implies the and

privilege it is to journey with someone who is navigating the emerging

and none of us will avoid being touched by the changing nature of our

challenge our own perceptions of how God, community and self relates to

“differently-abled” person. The human experience is an evolving reality, own physical and cognitive abilities. The purpose of Lost Time is to memory.

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R I C

H A

The Eternal Question – dream on dreamer. Sculpture. Embroidered felt stole, embroidered cotton T-shirt, plastic mannequin with stainless steel base, woolen pants, leather shoes, cotton eye mask, felt hat. The pants and shoes were bought in London and worn by the artist during his time living in England in 1985 and 1986. Dimensions: H 215 W 60 D 30 cm .

Statement

The dreamer imagines love and fame in the expanding depths of space time.

A spiral spins clockwise, growing out like a galaxy, and ends in a floating full stop making a spiral question mark and thus The Eternal Question. Between the

T I

recurrences of The Eternal

Question are three words which embody life’s

essentials: IT for matter, IS for being, IF for mind. The iterations of IS and IT and IF make an interweaving chant: “IS IT IF IT IS? IT IS, IF IT IS. IS IF IT? ”.

The Eternal Question icon was invented as the central feature of the artist’s large

permanently in a pubic square in Adelaide, and listed as a ‘Pataphysical site, six

I N

granite

sculpture The Eternal Question (1982) in seven parts.

blocks circle the central core. See more at:

Installed

http://www.richardtipping.com/

artworks/public-art/eternal-question.html

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Mantle of Light Composition/Technique: Digital design from elements of an original painting done on timber. Digital print on polyester stole. Stole: Width: 17cm Length: 238cm Installation dimensions (hanging stole): Width: 50 cm Height: 122cm Artist Statement: The imagery for this â&#x20AC;&#x153;Mantle of Lightâ&#x20AC;? stole stems from a desire to notice, acknowledge, embrace and celebrate light. Wearing the mantle involves a conscious choice to overlay a prosaic, functional and protective garment with a playful incandescence. The original inspiration for the painted elements included in the design was a simple platter of

KRIS SMITH

nourishing

food

served

outdoors

and

illuminated by raked afternoon light. - Kris Smith, August 2020

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A N D R

The Hamsa Stole Size: 15 x 254cm. (unfolded) Material: Polyester Technique: Printed Digital Painting Edition of 15 Artist Statement:

The Evil Eye, well known through history, is a magical and malicious

accident or sickness. The Evil Eye is found in many cultures. It is

glare that causes harm. The harm may come in the form of misfortune, mentioned in ancient Greek and Roman texts as well as the Bible. Traditionally amulets were worn as protection. This Hamsa Stole is one

I N

such object. As an amulet, the Stoleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s imagery blends many protective elements. Background clouds of blue symbolise both Heaven, Godliness and the Hamsa. Overlayed elements reference various religions and cultures. Amongst others we find: Christianity in a jewelled cross and peacock feathers - both symbols of resurrection; Buddhism in the Mudra hand gestures; The Hamsa, a specific amulet against the Evil eye, invokes

Judaism, Islam and Ancient Mesoptamia; The Ancient Egyptian Eye of

The fading outlines of crows scattered throughout represent the

Horus brings luck, good health and a safe journey.

banished Evil Eye. - Andrew Finnie 2020. Issue 38 - September 2020

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Awash

Painted fabric - Rod Pattenden Construction and quilting - Sandra James

D Painted and quilted fabric, H120 x W35 cm.

P A

Artist Statement This stole design celebrates the refreshing capacity and power of water. An essential

element for human nourishment and life, water

clarity to the present moment of existence.

al that push against hard structures of injustice,

N D

washes away the dust and brings renewal and Water also celebrates those streams of renewand oppression. Water always pushes towards the freedom of play and the experience of delight. - Rod Pattenden ÂŠ 2020.

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E &

FUN & FOLLY

STUDIO LA PRIMITIVE Fabric paints on cotton blend fabric, H86 x W50cm.

Displayed on black cotton blend Kimono.

Artist’s Statement

The grand master’s mantle.

Rounding up the beasts.

H O V

A one legged bird heralds the coming of the hunters. The ritual of people throwing the dice. All in the game and name of wooing and scoring. To come up with a feast and a story. How clear it all seems in a blue, blue sky. - E&R Werkhoven © 2020.

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NEWS Issue 38 - September 2020

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NEWS Issue 38 - September 2020

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E X

2 0 2 0

H I

B I T I

Aug 21 – Sept 6 Collective Sharon Taylor, Sandra Burgess, Jill Campbell, Stephanie Berick, Clare Felton, Judy Hill & Jackie Maundrell Hall. 11 - 27 September Recent Work Sue Stewart & Robyn Werkhoven

Oct 23-Nov 8

Colour My World

30 local artists bring colour and happiness to the gallery – ceramics, drawings, glass, print, photography and mixed media

C A

4 - 20 December

Xmas Takeaway

Newcastle Studio Potters Inc

Nicki Bates, Jen Lanz, Leigh Hellier

Brigette Beyer & Rachael Callen

Oct 2 – 18

Where is my mind? Clay and paintings

57 Bull Street Cooks Hill NSW

Hours: Fri Sat Sun 11am - 5pm

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S U E

R O B Y N

S T

W E

K H

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11 - 27 SEPTEMBER 2020 RECENT WORK BACK TO BACK GALLERY 57 Bull Street Cooks Hill NSW Hours: Fri Sat Sun 11am - 5pm

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RECENT WORK - SUE STEWART CERAMICS 11 –27 SEPTEMBER Subliminal explorations:

I have no fixed idea of the end design when I start painting on the porcelain thrown forms with underglazes and slips; it all starts with the first mark of the brush and with music playing I work intuitively. Described by Art Reviewer John Barnes as ‘ceramic forms that have become the canvases for joyous adventures in line and colour’.

Time & Tide:

Figures:

Water and rock erosion are a reoccurring

The figures are a response to the

theme that I have represented in various

Covid 19 Pandemic and being

forms over many years. Living on the coast

isolated. Going a bit stir crazy and

it is difficult not to be inspired by the

wanting to leave it all behind.

amazing patterns in the rocks from water erosion. Clay is the perfect medium to emulate the textures and stratums created by nature.

BACK TO BACK GALLERY 57 Bull Street Cooks Hill, NSW. Hours: Fri Sat Sun 11am - 5pm www.newcastlepotters.org.au Issue 38 - September 2020

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RECENT WORK â&#x20AC;&#x201C; ROBYN WERKHOVEN drawings & paintings 11-27 SEPTEMBER MAD MOMENTS Drawings Mixed Media: water colour / aqua pencils / pen / on wood. â&#x20AC;&#x153;My Mad Moment drawings are an inundation of thoughts that pass through me and around me - created with haste, capturing the fast moving visions. Sometimes sharp and penetrating missiles of tragic dramas, sometimes fleeting feelings of whimsical and fantastic performances, man and beasts entwined in a perpetual cycle, all concerning and inspired by our daily absurd existence, and beyond. The Refuge Series are instigated by the terrible events humanity is enduring. The Paintings, Acrylic on canvas, are based on drawings from my visual diary, a return to vivid colour and stylised design.

BACK TO BACK GALLERY 57 Bull Street Cooks Hill, NSW. Hours: Fri Sat Sun 11am - 5pm www.newcastlepotters.org.au Issue 38 - September 2020

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Where is My Mind? Oct 2 – 18 Clay and paintings

“Where is my mind?” is a collaborative exhibition with 5 local Newcastle Makers and creators, Jen Lanz,

Leigh Hellier, Nicki Bates, Rachel Cullen and Brigette Beyer.

This exhibition explores the individual work of each artist which conveys their thoughts, ideas, and imagination, exploring the wonders of their minds.

LEIGH HELLIER BACK TO BACK GALLERY 57 Bull Street Cooks Hill, NSW. Hours: Fri Sat Sun 11am - 5pm www.newcastlepotters.org.au Issue 38 - September 2020

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NICKI BATES

RACHEL CULLEN

JEN LANZ

BACK TO BACK GALLERY 57 Bull Street Cooks Hill, NSW. Hours: Fri Sat Sun 11am - 5pm www.newcastlepotters.org.au Issue 38 - September 2020

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STUDIO LA PRIMITIVE - FASHION FANTASTIC

Artists Eric & Robyn Werkhovenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s journey into the world of fashion featured in ART QUILL blog spot.

https://artquill.blogspot.com/2020/08/studio-la-primitive-fashion-fantastic.html Issue 38 - September 2020

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Art Quill Studio Marie-Therese Wisniowski,

http://artquill.blogspot.com/ Veiled Curtains - Aung San Suu Kyi. H 76 x W 56 cm. The artistʼs signature ʻMultiplexʼ technique. Photo Courtesy: The artist.

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ART STUDIO SUPPLIES ONLINE D

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Draw Back - DEBRA LIEL-BROWN Art Studio Supplies Online Walking into my studio always perks me up and makes my heart zing. Hours pass that seem like minutes, I forget about food and water, and I don’t notice when my leg has fallen asleep. Paint is such wonderful, slippery diabolical stuff that can provide a lifetime of entertainment. I go into the studio and come out with epidermis chromata – covered in paint. I love painting but I’ve downgraded my artwork to part-time status and I’m excited to head off in a new

direction - I’ve started a business selling art supplies. One of the things I’m looking forward to in this new business, is more involvement with my kindred spirits in the arts community. My many years of painting full time, alone in my studio were wonderful but often lonely. I also hope to give one or two fellow artists a job in this business. I started the business for rural artists, like myself. I was frustrated travelling long distances and paying high prices to buy art supplies. In regional areas, artists and art students can no longer get basic materials that were readily available 10 years ago, such as larger sizes of painting and drawing surfaces - sizes large enough for impact in big galleries.

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I tried to buy art supplies online, but I always gave up in exasperation. I find it irritating being sent off to one or more pages when I click on something to buy it. I find the visual designs and distracting ads painful, and it takes so much time to scour a site to find decent quality brands when they are mixed in amongst primary school products.

My focus, in the design of this shop, has been to make the customers experience as pleasant as possible, within the rigid and shallow capabilities that online shops offer. The unique thing about my shop is you can view entire colour charts and buy – on one page. Being able to see the entire colour chart allows artists to compare nuances in colours. Also, I only sell exhibition quality products – no kids stuff, and I’ve saved the best for last – my prices are significantly cheaper. It’s taken me 2 years to get this simple but revolutionary function to work, with the help of a master code writing team. - Debra Liel-Brown © 2020.

You can view more of my paintings on www.debraliel-brown-artist.com/ or go to the shop - Art

Studio Supplies Online www.artstudiosuppliesonline.com

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N The Picnic, Acrylics on paper, H103 x W85 cm. Debra Liel-Brown.

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Gallery Gift Shop at Home An online store featuring a variety of wearable artworks - bracelets, scarves and earrings as well as homewares.

https://timelesstextiles.com.au/product-category/gallery-gift-shop/

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E X H I

27 JULY - 13 SEPTEMBER MESSENGER FROM THE GARDEN Sharon Peoples

16 SEPTEMBER - 1 NOVEMBER STOLE: THE SHOW Rod Pattenden

B I T

I O N

2 NOVEMBER - 13 DECEMBER TIMELESS JUDI NIKOLESKI

3 APRIL - 15 MAY 2021 PUSHING THE ENVELOPE Wilma Simmons

C A L E N D A R

STOLE - The Show ,Sandra James (detail).

GALLERY - EXHIBITION OPEN 90 Hunter St, Newcastle East . NSW.

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ART SYSTEMS WICKHAM E D D I E M I L A N

40 ANNIE ST. WICKHAM, NEWCASTLE NSW.

Phone: 0431 853 600

www.art-systems-wickham.com/

Director: Colin Lawson Issue 38 - September 2020

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ART SYSTEMS WICKHAM CALENDAR 2020 Gallery Exhibitions 3 –19 JULY

UTTER SILENCE - GARY JONES

2 - 11 OCTOBER - JAMES MILSOM

24 JULY - 2 AUGUST SERIAL DIVERSITY - DEB ANSELL

16 - 25 OCTOBER - GRANT VERCOE

7 - 16 AUGUST - PETER RONNE & ANDREW SUTHERLAND

30 OCT OBER – 8 NOVEMBER - REBECCA RATH

21 - 30 AUGUST

13 - 29 NOVEMBER - KERRIE COLES

- EDDIE MILAN

4 - 13 SEPTEMBER - THE CIRCLE GROUP

4 - 20 DECEMBER - XMAS SHOW

18 - 27 SEPTEMBER - DAN NELSON & CHRIS BYRNES

40 ANNIE ST. WICKHAM, NEWCASTLE NSW.

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https://nanshejewellerystudio.com/ RE-OPEN - Shop 1-3 The City Arcade, 120 Hunter Street, Newcastle, NSW 2300 Issue 38 - September 2020

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Barbara Nanshe Studio Online Shop Handmade. Ethical. Bespoke. Unusual. Original. Individual

https://nanshejewellerystudio.com/ RE-OPEN - Shop 1-3 The City Arcade, 120 Hunter Street, Newcastle, NSW 2300 Issue 38 - September 2020

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GALLERY ON DOWLING Helene Leane Jeanne Harrison 120 Dowling St. Dungog NSW. www.heleneleane.com

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S U S A N H O

DUNGOG BY DESIGN GALLERY 224 Dowling St Dungog, NSW.

D G

RE-OPENED TO PUBLIC

N S

https://www.facebook.com/ DungogbyDesign Issue 38 - September 2020

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STUDIO LA PRIMITIVE ARTS ZINE Arts Zine was established in 2013 by artists Eric and Robyn Werkhoven. Now with a fast growing audience, nationally and internationally. Their mailing list includes many galleries, art collectors and art lovers. The Zine is free, with no advertising from sponsors. It is just something they wanted to do for the Arts, which has been their lifelong passion. Featuring artistâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s interviews, exhibitions, art news, poetry and essays.

In 2017 it was selected by the NSW State

studio la primitive Eric & Robyn Werkhoven

www.studiolaprimitive.net

Library to be preserved as a digital publication of lasting cultural value for long-term access by the Australian community. Click on cover image to view previous issue.

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Click on cover to view the issue.

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Click on cover to view the issue.

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Click on cover to view the issue.

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Click on cover to view the issue.

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THE Snake Charmer, Acrylic on canvas, H60 x W45 cm.

P R I M I T I V E

www.studiolaprimitive.net

S T U D I O

L A

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POETRY & SCULPTURE The publication includes a collection of poems written

over

recent

years,

penetrating

and

profound observations on life. And a selection of Ericâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s dynamic and prolific sculptures.

Enquiries contact: E: werkhovenr@bigpond.com

Page 206: Left - Front cover, The Fall, Autoclaved aerated cement / cement / lacquer, H32 x W46 x B38cm. Eric Werkhoven 2013. Page 206: Right - CHINA, Autoclaved aeratedcement / adhesive cement / lacquer, H93 x W44 x B27cm.

Eric Werkhoven 2012.

Right: Eric Werkhoven in Outdoor Studio, Photograph by Robyn Werkhoven.

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Rhino Images - Art and the Rhinoceros Lorraine Fildes and Robert Fildes. Art and the Rhinoceros - There are over three hundred Rhino images in this book. Whether in the ancient past or in the present the rhinos are always represented as huge, powerful and solitary animals. The book includes paintings, drawings, woodcuts, etchings, rock carvings and sculptures of the rhino all depicting the power of the animal. These images of the rhino range from early civilisations such as in China, Roman Empire, Indus civilisation in Pakistan/ India area and from Southern Africa down to current day images of paintings and sculptures produced by modern day artists. The text indicates where you may find these wonderful images as well as the websites of the artists concerned, the caves where the rhino images have been found and the places where posters use the rhino image. There are very few of these magnificent wild animals left in the world, so unless they are protected and managed, artistic images will soon be the only viewing option.

Rhino Images â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Art and the Rhinoceros, First Edition, 2017, is available for download at The Rhino Resource Centre web site. Direct Link :

http://www.rhinoresourcecenter.com/index.php?s=1&act=refs&CODE=ref_detail&id=1518479271

Page 208 : White Rhino crash at Whipsnade Zoo, England. Image: Robert Fildes ÂŠ 2019. Issue 38 - September 2020

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F Surface Tension, Ink on paper, H38 x W36 cm. Alessia Sakoff.