Art @ Your Library

art @ your library

regional librarian, Kathryn Breward, and artist Kade Valja in front of Kade’s Skaterack Art at Graftion Library

art @ your library Public libraries are well recognised as vital public or ‘third’ places in our community. Clarence Regional Library strives to provide community with libraries that provide a sense of place and belonging.

As part of Clarence Valley Council’s objective to ‘Support arts, learning, cultural services, community events & festivals’, Clarence Regional Library works with local creatives and community to create places that celebrate local stories, culture and life long learning.

Art @ your library showcases some of the public art and design that you can discover and enjoy at your local libraries.

“Libraries are like great big rooms full of doors - doors into other worlds.”

- Emily Rodda

acknowledgement of country We acknowledge the Bundjalung, Gumbaynggirr and Yaegl peoples, the traditional custodians of the lands which lie within the Clarence Valley Council and Bellingen Shire Council boundaries and pay tribute and respect to the Elders past, present and emerging.

‘Islands of Breimba’

Danielle Gorogo 2020 this digital image is part of the Clarence Illustrated Collection. The original was created with acrylic paint on 100% cotton rag paper.

Danielle Gorogo lives in the Northern Rivers Region

of New South Wales, close to the country of Ancestors on her mother’s side, the Djanbun (Platypus) clan of the Washpool Forest and Washpool River area.

Danielle has a multi-faceted cultural heritage that is reflected in her art. These many facets, First Nation Australian, Papua New Guinean, Maori and Micronesian cultures play a large part in the development of her style which blends these varied influences from each of these cultures into a harmonious whole. Family and societal change have always had a great impact on Danielle’s life which she visually transfers through her artwork.

Danielle has been painting and developing her art practice for 30 years and exhibiting for the last 20 years. Her works have been purchased by people locally, nationally and internationally.

‘Islands of Breimba’ won the Clarence Regional Library’s Aboriginal

Collection art and design competition, and is now featured in all print and digital branding for the Aboriginal Collection.

Danielle Gorogo on ‘The Islands of Breimba’ said, “This painting is about the Mighty Clarence River to which is the path the spirit Ancestors took from the mountains down to the ocean and the islands that were created during that journey.

The Clarence River, the largest river on the eastern seaboard starts from the Queensland border, flowing south and north-east until it reaches the Pacific Ocean at Yamba/Iluka. The river system includes a number of river islands. The Breimba river flows through the lands of the three nations; Bundjalung to the northwest, Gumbaynggirr to the southeast and Yaegl towards the mouth of the river”

Grafton Library

‘Our Life, Our River, Our Story...’

Frances Belle Parker 2014 digital print on 3M Fasara glass film in the Grafton Library entrance stairwell

‘Our Life, Our River, Our Story…’ is derived from the natural awe inspiring beauty of the Mighty Clarence River.

“The design I have created is a representation of the Clarence Valley Local Government area, and highlights the powerful and encompassing Clarence River as well as the beauty of the Jacaranda season for which Grafton is renowned for.

It features the Clarence River spreading from the reaches of Baryulgil towards the west, Grafton located at the heart of the valley, to the river mouth at Yamba and Iluka.

Radiating from the lineal aerial view of the river are numerous oval shapes that are indicative of the falling jacaranda flowers. The shades of colour create a depth around the outline of the rivers body and eventually fade into softer calming greys and purples.”

- Frances Belle Parker

Frances Belle Parker is a proud Yaegl woman, mother and artist, from

Maclean, New South Wales. She is deeply inspired by her Mother’s land (Yaegl land) and the Island in the Clarence River that her Mother grew up on, Ulgundahi Island.

Frances has been a practising artist for the last 20 years coming to prominence after winning the Blake Prize in 2000 making her the youngest ever winner and the first Indigenous recipient in the prize’s history. Since then she has exhibited nationally and internationally, undertaken art residencies in China and Andorra and worked on several Public Art Projects. Most recently Frances designed and screened her digital work ‘Angwirri’ on the sails of the Sydney Opera House on 26 January 2021.

Frances completed a BFA through UNSW, and a BVA (Honours) and a Masters of Indigenous Studies (Wellbeing) both through Southern Cross University.

‘If you have a garden and a library you have everything you need’

Robert Moore 2014 set one of ten prints on the glass walls, doors and windows of the interior of Grafton Library.

“I have used the Roman philosopher Cicero’s quote as the title for the library work, ‘If you have a garden and a library you have everything you need’. This quote is very relevant to the new Grafton library. This series of digital prints on glass look at the landscape, seascape, flowers and foliage of the Clarence Valley.

The huge room dividing glass panels and windows provide a platform to create a translucent artwork/print that evokes the feeling of being in a garden or landscape. The medium and the library environment dictated the artwork’s use of a number of graphic techniques.

The artwork started from simple pencil drawings which were then scanned and worked into prints on the computer. The artwork was printed and installed by Grafton signwriter Kye Masters.

The artworks are all one piece. They are glimpses of gardens and landscapes from the environment we live and work in.

The Clarence Valley is our garden.”

- Robert Moore

Robert Moore is a well known Australian artist whose work

is held in most major public collections including the Australian National Gallery, National Gallery of Victoria and Queensland Art Gallery. He has exhibited extensively nationwide including participation in Mambo group exhibitions. He is represented in many collections such as the Australian National Gallery, National Gallery of Victoria, Holmes à Court Collection, Queensland Art Gallery and Grafton Regional Gallery.

The various commissions he has carried out since graduating from the Queensland College of Art include GTS, a major work featuring a life sized inflatable Monaro in 1998 and the special re-release of the Holden Sandman Panel Van in 2000.

The Clarence Valley was a fresh territory for the artist when he moved from Brisbane to Coaldale in 2002. The area appealed to Robert due to its broad unbroken lines bound only by the sea and the mountains.

‘Skaterack Art’

Kade Valja 2020 design and paint in-situ 8 x wooden skateboard deck mounted on plywood on Grafton Library’s right external wall near the skateracks

“My new painting for the Clarence Regional Library is a energetic expression of the freedom you feel when rolling on a skateboard and is constructed using actual skateboard decks! It also serves as a sign that point’s to the library’s new lockable skateboard and scooter racks.”

- Kade Valja

Kade Valja is a multi disciplinary artist primarily exploring

interests in organic form, energetic forces, technology, consciousness and perception using a wide range of everexpanding media.

‘Almost Full’

Henk Kaptein 2014 miniature landscape painting located in Grafton Library workroom

Henk Kaptein was a local artist and library assistant specialising in miniature paintings of landscapes from our region. Henk was a member of Australian Society of Miniature Art in NSW.

‘Park Bench’

Keith Cameron 2014 Jarrah and stainless steel bench located in front of Grafton library

Keith Cameron works from his studio located on a property south of

Tabulam. His property is also a sculpture park at which he welcomes visitors to tour his workshop and exhibition of sculptures set out in the landscape or created from the landscape.

He has exhibited his work throughout Australia and presents arts based festivals at his property. In 2001 Keith won the Thursday Plantation Sculpture Show with his Famous Dancing Chair. Like most of his work The Park Bench is interactive, people are invited to sit on it and enjoy.

The Park Bench was commissioned from the Tabulam sculptor, Keith Cameron, in 2013 as part of the Art in the Library project of the Clarence Valley Council.

Using his signature metal techniques Keith has fashioned a bench that reflects the Clarence Valley. The valley’s timber and metal fabrication industries and its water are referenced in a confident style that embraces the new and reflects the old.

Keith commented, “My work is determined by the materials I use which are mostly metal. The Park Bench continues my series of chairs and was created in response to submitting a proposal for a sculpture for the new library in Grafton. I wanted the sculpture to be functional, to be interactive, so I designed a park bench. The dimples in the polished and brushed stainless steel plate were created by shooting shotgun pellets at a distance that prevented penetration of the metal. The lead pellets give the smooth dimple that is very difficult to obtain with other methods of metal fabrication. I aimed to create the effect of drops of water hitting a pond. The solid stainless bars were formed in the workshop. Being stainless steel this was a difficult process due to its tensile strength. The twisted bars like the dimples reflect the light.”

‘Matilda’

Cass Samms 2014 cast aluminium. Installed at the front of Grafton Library.

Cass Samms was born and educated in Melbourne. She studied at RMIT and completed a Bachelor of Arts in Fine Art, majoring in Sculpture, in 1992.

About twenty years ago she relocated to the Clarence Valley. Since 1989 she has exhibited in many group exhibitions, and had a solo exhibition in 2009.

Prior to this Clarence Valley Library sculpture project, she had previously undertaken two public sculpture commissions.

“Many people have a connection with dogs, whether it be a family pet, a farm working dog, or even just observing dogs, dingoes and wolves in the wild. Dogs have been part of human life for thousands of years.

The subject of this sculpture, a kelpie, is most definitely an Australian character, one that many of us know and love.”

- Cass Samms on ‘Matilda’

Display Cabinets

Neil Scobie 2014 seven wood and glass display units.

Located in Clarence Regional Libraries.

Neil Scobie began his woodwork career by training as an Industrial Arts

Teacher in the early 1970s then teaching in NSW high schools for twenty years. In 1993 he plunged into full time woodworking. The focus of his work is shared between creative woodturning, carving and designing and making custom made furniture for private clients and select galleries.

Neil really enjoys the relationships that are built when designing special pieces for clients and then creating a unique piece of furniture or turned and carved art piece. He hopes that the pieces that he designs and makes will be treasured for years to come and will become tomorrows antiques.

Teaching others to make furniture and turn and carve wood is an important part of Neil’s practice as is demonstrating his woodworking skills for clubs and wood conferences. Neil and his artist wife Liz, live and work at their studios, Bucca Creek Wood & Textiles, at Lower Bucca, south of Grafton.

Using kilned dried Blackbutt and Silky Oak Neil Scobie has created a suite of seven display cabinets that work with the same wood that features in the new Grafton library.

The combination of the light coloured timber and the LED lights of the cabinets serve to highlight the ever changing displays. The design of the cabinets reflects the straight lines of the building they were made for.

Maclean Library

Wooden Quote

Donated by Peter Watt.

2015 “I have always imagined that paradise will be a kind of library.” - Jorge Luis Bourges

‘Make your mark’

Unknown 2015 canvas was made from an actual slip during the Maclean Library refurbishements

Yamba Library

‘Old School of Arts Hall’

Keith Howland 1982 acrylic on canvas board at Yamba Library

Old School of Arts Hall is the site where Yamba library now stands at 45 Wooli St Yamba. The small building at the back of the hall was the library and the ‘outhouse’ towards the back of the block was the only toilet on site.

Yamba public school was across the road at this time, where the bowling club now stands, and students would walk across to the hall for dance practice and concerts. The police station was and still is next door.

Keith Howland was born in Gladesville, Sydney and graduated from the

National Art School at the East Sydney Technical College in Darlinghurst in 1945. He began his career as a successful commercial artist working for the advertising agency USP Benson as well as freelancing.

When he moved to Yamba in 1972, he looked beyond the commercial world and indulged in his enjoyment of painting. During this time, he created many realistic seascapes & townscapes that have been collected by individuals and held in collections at Tweed Gallery, Grafton Gallery and Clarence Valley council. Whilst at Yamba he still worked commercially creating murals at Grafton Airport, Yamba Bowling Club & Sydney Fish Markets. He also made use of the locals around him as models for his illustrations on Arnott’s biscuit tins, the 1988 Bicentennial Diary and The Yamba Yesterday book.

Clarence Illustrated Collection

this Clarence Regional Library collection features illustrations by illustrators, artists and authors that have visited our libraries. The collection and public display of these works reflect the creative ways our libraries connect with community and provide engagement with visual literacy experiences and opportunities. current illustrations in collection include the works of Leigh Hobbs, Sarah Davis, Jazz Grady, and David Legge

‘Old Tom’

Leigh Hobbs brush and pen with indian ink an acrylic pain on 300gsm Arches watercolour paper.

‘Spike the AllyCat meets Bounce the Chihuahua Puppy!’

Sarah Davis 2012 illustration of the story by the kids of Bellingen

‘Spongebob Surf and Pop’ Jazz Grady 2020 coloured markers on paper

Pirate Sketch

David Legge 2020 pencil on drawing paper

Grafton zine anthology. 2

Jesse Mackintosh and Lismore teenagers 2009 created in DIY zine-making workshop ran by the Clarence Valley Council and Grafton Regional Art Gallery. Part of a series of 3.

Digital Exhibitions Collection

Clarence Regional Library holds and exhibits a series of digital photography collections under its ‘Local Faces Local Voices’ program.

These exhibitions include: ‘Embracing Life’ with Photographer Simon Hughes and senior library members from the Clarence Valley, ‘Jacaranda Festival Historical Photographs’, ‘We’re in this Together’ and ‘Nymboida Fires 2019 Photography’ with Photographer Minya Rose, and ‘My Cycling Life’ the Jack Griffin cycling memorabilia collection with Cast Net Productions.

‘Refresh’ by Minya Rose

Gail Fitzgerald

Simon Hughes 2020 photograph from the ‘Embracing Life’ exhibition

Red Veil

Adam Hourigan 2020 performers Theresa Edwina Brook and Jade Dewi Tyas Tunggal. Part of the ‘Stories of the Clarence’ exhibition

Hell on Earth

Hayley and Grant 2019 tree on Boundary Greek Road.

Part of the ‘Nymboida Fires’ exhibition

keep updated by visiting our website crl.nsw.gov.au or searching ‘Clarence Regional Library’ on social media

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