Encounters 2023 Art Catalogue

Page 1

Encounters AUG 25 - 24 SEPTEMBER, 2023

The Churn Room opened in early 2022 with floods, heat and the ongoing impacts of a global pandemic. In spite of the challenges, in October 2022 we opened The Back Room Project Space.

Inspired by conversations with local creatives and artisans, ideas that had quietly been simmering away in the back of my mind were brought to fruition when the local mower business of 25 years vacated their site. I jumped at the chance to turn the big shed built against the old Dayboro Butter Factory into a space which welcomes artists, makers and community.

My vision is to provide a space within which artists may express the story of their work, strengthening collaborations with both creative industry and community. With a love of history, old architecture, found objects and vintage style, I have endeavoured to create a place of anticipation, excitement and enjoyment for all who visit.

The Encounters Exhibition celebrates those serendipitous moments, chance encounters and unexpected possibilities that alter pathways and change stories. I am thrilled to be bringing such a wonderful event to the The Back Room.

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Bronwyn

exhibitingartists

Amanda Gardner

Christina Walker

David Symons

Donna Saunders

Eric Morgan

Eryn Purcell

Helen Evans

Jill Lincoln

John Massy

Karen Massy

Kate Rears

Maureen Brennan

Melanie Outridge

Michelle Newby

Michelle O'Hara

Molly Galpin

Natarscha Schneider

Rochelle Melville

Sally Barling

Samantha Docherty

Susan Wellingham

Trudy Brooks

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Amanda is a contemporary artist, specialising in the art of cut and paste. She repurposes pages from vintage books, contemporary magazines and all sorts of found materials, responding to the tales they tell, their age, their smell and fragility. Her process draws upon the inherent serendipity of collage, often resulting in quiet and delicate compositions which carry the essence of old stories and the scent of past memories.

These gentle florals are original prints on handmade papers made from vintage books, and all sorts of found materials.

A R T I S T B I O G R A P H Y A M A N D A G A R D N E R
Florals #1, 2021 Florals #2, 2021 Florals #3, 2021

Florals #1, 2021

ink on hosho paper adhered with rice paste on hand made paper, 2021, 35cm x 35cm, framed

Florals #2, 2021

ink on hosho paper adhered with rice paste on hand made paper, 2021, 35cm x 35cm, framed

Florals #3, 2021

ink on hosho paper adhered with rice paste on hand made paper, 2021, 35cm x 35cm, framed

$255
$255
$255

Christina Walker is a mixed media artist, expressing her experiences of living in different countries, overcoming adversity, prejudice, and uncertainty in her art. Her abstracted portraits and figurative pieces contemplate relationships and the question of, is interpersonal communication possible at all. Using acrylics with collage and other media these abstracted figurative paintings depict the same characters but tell a different story due to the choice of colour, composition, and words. “I am a storyteller at heart. And I love to watch people. I am interested in their relationships and how they communicate. What are they talking about? Who is asking and who is answering? Are they friends or foe? Happy or unhappy? And any thoughts and feelings and ponderings that arise in the process, I ban on the canvas, paper, or board. Art, for me, is very personal.”

Book of Friendship: Page 56, 2023

your tongue?, 2023

A R T I S T B I O G R A P H Y C H R I S T I N A W A L K E R
Spilling beans or cat got

Book of Friendship: Page 56, 2023

mixed media on paper, 30 x 42cm, framed

$450

Spilling beans or cat got your tongue?, 2023

mixed media, 46 x 60cm

$380

ARTIST BIOGRAPHY DAVID SYMONS

David strives to capture and construct images where the strange connections between elements within the frame give rise to new or unforeseen narratives. He aims to provoke an emotional and personal response from the viewer. The idea that the photograph traverses the line between the real and imagined, the outer and inner worlds, is the great appeal of the medium for him.

A finalist in The Olive Cotton Award and the IRIS Award for portraiture, David’s work has been exhibited throughout Australia. His photography is held by The Art Gallery of Western Australia, The National Library of Australia, and the State Library of Queensland.

Untitled,

2021 Banana Flowers, 2022 Maraboon, 2016

Untitled, 2021

An ode to early 19th century spirit photography. Beyond the physicality of a house, the rooms and passageways are vessels of memories and spectral presences.

Banana Flowers, 2022

There is a secret life to plants. Beneath their outward aesthetic, beyond their enigmatic sensuality and seductiveness, the camera becomes a voyeur, capturing their intimate interaction.

Maraboon, 2016

My love of certain other visual mediums is often channelled into my photographs. My admiration for Australian landscape painting is subtly imprinted onto Maraboon.

$350

Photograph - Inkjet print on archival quality paper, framed Photograph - Inkjet print on archival quality paper, unframed Photograph - Inkjet print on archival quality paper, unframed
$350 $320

Donna is a ceramic artist, always learning and exploring new techniques. She is drawn to the natural world and is continually inpsired by the ancient lands of Australia. The large, handbuilt pieces featured in this collection were inspired by time spent travelling over the Simpson desert on foot and by plane. Donna has sought to convey the vastness and age of the desert lands along with the colours of textures of red sand, gibber plain and waterways.

A R T I S T B I O G R A P H Y D O N N A S A U N D E R S
Munga-Thirri (Simpson Desert) #1, 2023 Munga-Thirri (Simpson Desert), 2023 Munga-Thirri (Simpson Desert) #2, 2023)

Munga-Thirri (Simpson Deseert) #1, 2023

Hand built Earthenware vessel. Multiple glazes sprayed in various thicknesses along with poured ash glaze, 60cm

Munga-Thirri (Simpson Desert) #2, 2023

Hand built Earthenware vessel. Multiple glazes sprayed in various thicknesses along with poured ash glaze, 55cm

Munga-Thirri (Simpson Desert), 2023

Hand built Earthenware vessel. Multiple glazes sprayed in various thicknesses along with poured ash glaze, 40cm

$350 $350 $250

Eric Morgan was taught painting in oils by a Russian lady 50 years ago. Still learning, he paints figuratively, narratively, hinting at hidden stories, and mostly for fun. Recently, Eric has been using painting as an adjunct to his fiction writing, illustrating scenes from the still fluid text, the process untangling and elucidating the story. He also sculpts figurines in wood and modelling clay. A model maker f money, he regrets not pursuing doll making instead. Influences derive from y eclectic sources, loving Nabokov, Nerdrum, Baudelaire and Chagall, nally from cycling Turkey and across Canada as well as twice backpacking ength of the Andes and trek

Kelp Games

Birds Eyes

A R T I S T B I O G R A P H Y

Red Pool

acrylic on canvas, 40 x 40cm

Two girls twist up from a red pool, a birth like encounter, tranquil, each reaching gently toward the other, not quite touching.

$200

Kelp Games

oil on canvas, 40 x 120cm

Mermaids playing entwined, cords of kelp binding tails. Twisting torsos in mirrored design, their game of simple joy prevails.

$1500

Birds Eyes

oil on canvas, 45 x 60cm

From a series of paintings of people holding bird like creatures, this pair lock beaks affectionately, one eye positioned to replace the human's.

$300

Eryn is an avid artist, who draws inspiration from her picturesque bushscape Dayboro home, where she runs a wooden toy carving business. Still early in her creative journey, her penchant for rescued materials echoes her eco-conscious spirit and lends each creation a unique narrative. Eryn finds pleasure in the serendipitous nature of wood, celebrating its innate elegance.

A R T I S T B I O G R A P H Y E R Y N P U R C E L L
Sway, 2023

Sway, 2023

Hand carved Black Heart Sassafras timber, 40cm x 53cm, framed

This work represents a moment of quiet reflection, captured using the depth and unique character of wood. Graceful leaves are hand shaped from Black Heart Sassafras and sealed with a wax oil for beauty and longevity.

$695

A recurring theme in Helen’s practice has been the collection, arranging and recording of simple natural objects. The very act of looking down and discovering overlooked treasures is a meditation in her practice. Helen has revisited this idea many times, celebrating the modest and forgotten. Helen is a full-time artist and tutor, working and teaching from her purpose-built studio set on 9 rural acres in Cedar Creek.

A R T I S T B I O G R A P H Y H E L E N E V A N S
Sticks and stones VI, 2022

Sticks and stones VI, 2022

acrylic on Canvas, 62 x 52cm, framed

Sticks and Stones VI is part of a series developed from drawings made from life in her garden, of the leaf litter under the eucalyptus tree.

$600

Jill is a graphic and caricature artist. This imbues a sense of colour, fun and warm heart to her latest process of acrylic on canvas painting. The 'Encounters' Exhibition and Fathers Day inspired Jill to reflect on good memories of 'dad and grandad moments'.

A R T I S T B I O G R A P H Y J I L L L I N C O L N
Father 2, 2023 Father 1, 2023

Fathers 1, 2023

acrylic on canvas, 25 x 20cm, framed

That first touch of a new born's hand. A journey beginning.

Fathers 2, 2023

acrylic on canvas, 25 x 30cm, framed

$215

Tiny hand around your finger. Time flies fast. Savour the moment.

$215

After a career in secondary art teaching, John headed up the Education and Audience Development sections of the Queensland Art Gallery for a couple of decades. He has exhibited nationally and internationally and written for publications locally and further afield. Papers were presented at several conferences including those for the Asia Pacific Confederation of Arts Educators. Judging art competitions occupied his attention for over 25 years. Now retired, John has the time and opportunities to indulge in a variety of pursuits with principal focus on collage and pottery.

A R T I S T B I O G R A P H Y J O H N M A S S Y
Poetry of Pebbles Wabi Sabi Tradition
Worth Saving?

Poetry of Pebbles, 2023

saggar fired ceramic, 425.5 x 16 x 5cm, including base

Driving south from Port Douglas, I encountered Pebble Beach. I was seduced by the sensuous form and texture of the pebbles literally covering the beach. The signage was respected so I did not take even one - but determined to make my own. These hollow hand built clay pebbles have been waxed after saggar firing in a combination of spinning gum leaves, dried curry spices and green tea leaves.

Wabi Sabi Tradition, 2023

My first encounter with Bronwyn and The Churn Room triggered associations with wabi sabi, the Japanese aesthetic delighting in the slightly imperfect, aged and weathered (me to a T!). I’m an inveterate bowerbird, so pieces collected over time have been carefully orchestrated into a collage composition that evokes the exotic and the revered.

Worth Saving, 2023

saggar fired ceramic, 15 x 11.5 x 4.5cm

Devastated at this dish breaking after drying, I resolved to take it to completion. It was bisque fired prior to a saggar firing in a conglomeration of combustibles. The broken pieces were then carefully combined using the kintsugi technique encountered during travel in Japan where highly-revered broken ceramic pieces are lovingly restored with gold lacquer….though I had to settle for epoxy adhesive and gold powder.

38.5 x 31 x 2 cm, framed
$300
$80 $100

Karen’s formal training some years ago provided her with a solid foundation in hand building and wheel-throwing and the formulation of glazes as well as familiarity with a variety of firing procedures.

On her re-encounter with clay after an extended break, Karen has discovered her delight in the hand-building process. Her principal interest is in the process of making. The final form is essentially an expression of the dialogue between the material and the maker, often realized only when the piece satisfies the artist. A pyromaniac in the making, Karen delights in the process of wood firing, sometimes augmented by the addition of salt into the kiln at high temperature.

A R T I S T B I O G R A P H Y K A R E N M A S S Y All that Glistens Isn't, 2023

All that Glistens Isn't, 2023

wood fired hand built ceramic, slip decoration with applied copper foil, 25 x 11cm dia.

‘Áll that glistens isn’t..’ is a wood-fired, hand built lidded form given surface interest with incised and applied textures, brushed slips, and the toasty clay body resulting from the wood firing. Fine combed textured surfaces are subtly touched with copper foil. Reserved yet eloquent, the piece is as much a reflection of the maker as it is of the making.

$180

Kate is a poet and artist who draws on mindfulness training to create mindful offerings and commentary on her own monkey mind. She is committed to reusing books, paper and other materials as often as possible—to honour sustainability in practice, and as reflection on impermanence and imperfection. Often perplexed, she uses repetitive practices to better understand human behaviour, explore themes of estrangement and build more intimate connection with the natural world.

A R T I S T B I O G R A P H Y K A T E R E A R S
Banksia Eyes, 2023 Australian Bush, 2023 Post Encounter Thoughts, 2023

Banksia Eyes, 2023

hand cut paper, 48 x 19cm on dowel hanger

Coloured pencil eyes peer from behind stitched parchment paper and offer the opportunity to pass a hand over the work to create mindful sound. Nature is watching!

Australian Bush, 2023

$120

book collage and found poetry, 36 x 43cm $150

Book, felt and found poetry, placed in a frame, unable to be browsed and creating playful irreverence: this book can only be judged by its cover.

Post Encounter Thoughts, 2023

gouache and coloured pencil, dictionary cut-outs, 43 x 60cm, framed $180

Gouache and coloured pencil portraits and dictionary cut-outs align to mimic a family tree of an over-thinker – thoughts are inter-linked; we are not our thoughts.

Maureen is a Brisbane-based artist who specialises in coil basketry and handcrafted textural ceramics. Chance encounters foraging her plant materials has inspired her passion to tell stories of the natural world through her unique artworks. Her work explores the combination of the different elements of fibre and clay, and the use of ecodying. Maureen uses these materials in a slow contemplative way where emotional stories are woven into these bespoke pieces.

A R T I S T B I O G R A P H Y M A U R E E N B R E N N A N
Rustic Palm, 2023 Bright New Beginnings, 2023 New Life, 2023

Rustic Palm 2023

Clay, raffia and palm branches, 17 x 35cm dia.

Foraged plant material is used as the core for it’s beautiful contoured shape. It is hand stitched with hand-dyed raffia over a rustic textual clay base.

$250

Bright New Beginnings 2023

Palm branches, raffia and gum nut, 30 x 28cm dia. $210

Beautiful warm reddish-brown palm branches are woven together with natural hand dyed raffia. The centre features a vibrant teal colour symbolising a bright new beginning.

New Life, 2023

clay, raffia and palm branch, 29 x 16cm dia. $250

Transforming the discarded organic material Maureen has created a form that is one of serenity and tranquillity, inviting the viewer to pursue connections with the natural surroundings.

Melanie, a long-term Closeburn resident, recently exhibited for the first time as part of the Art Trails hosted by Creative Samford. Her interest in art emerged early in her life and lessons with Helen Evans over recent years have fostered a desire to keep learning and experimenting with art techniques and mediums, as shown in the two quite different art works in this exhibition.

A R T I S T B I O G R A P H Y M E L A N I E O U T R I D G E
What's Ahead, 2023 Encounters in the Garden Ashgrove, Montville & Closeburn, 2023

Encounters in the Garden - Ashgrove, Montville & Closeburn

acrylic on canvas, 50.5 x 60cm

These magnolia blooms and stark stems are inspired by gardens from my past.

$250

What's Ahead, 2023

collage with hand printed papers on rice paper on canvas substrate, 62 x 62cm $350

Printed fragments of rice paper are collaged in this work on canvas. Colour and texture combine to question direction, “what’s ahead”.

Michelle is an impressionist artist, working predominantly in watercolour and ink. Her art practice is loose in nature by the use of uninhibited pen work and sgraffito over a watercolour base resulting in her artworks taking on a feeling of movement and energy. Due to the vibrancy of her pieces, they often evoke past joyful recollections for the viewer.

A R T I S T B I O G R A P H Y M I C H E L L E N E W B Y
Little Encounter, 2023

Little Encounter, 2023

Watercolour, ink and pencil, 40 x 40cm, framed

This energetic fairy wren is depicted in the essence of nature using a canvas that has been specifically primed to retain the delicate movement of watercolour and completed with carefully balanced vigorous pen, pencil and sgraffito marks.

$200

Michelle is a multid Australian landsca lifelong passion fo with seed pods, le observations of he These lino printed by her community, within small mome

Landmarks 1, 2022

A R T I S T B I O G R A P H Y M I C H E L L E O ' H A R A

Landmarks 1, 2022

hand coloured lino print, 42 x 42cm, framed

Landmarks 2, 2022

$220

hand coloured lino print, 42 x 42cm, framed $220

Molly is a multi disciplinary artist with many years experience working in leadlight, mosaic and copper foil lamps. More recently her passion is for recycling used and discarded objects into whimsical art that brings joy and fantasy.

Timber and glass picture frames are recycled and painted from the underside making the surface durable and shiny. Fairy houses and horse drawn wagons using repurposed papers are processed by momigami technique, paper mâche wire cardboard armature. The glass vessel is painted in reverse to form unique decorative décor.

A R T I S T B I O G R A P H Y M O L L Y G A L P I N
Gypsy Wagon, 2023 Red Door Fairy House, 2022 Dancing With Fireflies, 2023

Red Door Fairy House, 2022

mixed media and paper mache, wire and glass, 35 x 60cm

Mood lighting, fairies are home

Gypsy Wagon, 2023

Mixed media and wire paper mache, 60 x 20 x 35cm

Minimal possessions

Dancing with Fire Flies, 2023

$795

$360

Reverse acrylic on glass cylinder vase, 18 x 30cm $490

Whimsical vase

Natarscha is a self taught, Australian artist based in Brisbane, who loves working with all different forms of art media, although creates mostly through acrylic painting. Natarscha draws inspiration from the moment and fluidity of the female form and moments of touch and intimacy. Natarscha's modern mimalist art style, captures the curvaceous feminine, encouraging selfempowerment and body positivity.

A R T I S T B I O G R A P H Y N A T A R S C H A S C H N E I D E R

Sensual, 2023

acrylic on canvas, 50 x 40cm

Sensual captures the moment of self-confidence and empowerment. Flirting with a taboo subject of nudity and sexual pleasure

$500

Believe in Tomorrow, 2023

ist embracing environmentally sustainable practices. Her the stories within us and spill them out in poetic collage, nts and nature as a kaleidoscope palette. These original n repurposed vintage books and fabrics, and naturally olour paper.

Stronger, Braver, Wiser, 2023

Believe in Tomorrow, 2023

natural handmade rose petal ink, watercolour paper, handstitching, marigold seeds, lace, found word, 14 x 19cm, framed

“Believe” This original work is bathed in sunshiney rose petal ink with hand stitched details. Each thread gently holds a marigold seed that collectively contains a thousand serendipitous tomorrows.

Stronger, Braver, Wiser, 2023

$110

mixed media collage, 21x 25cm, framed $149

“Stronger, Braver, Wiser" This original artwork juxtaposes hand stitched marigold seeds and a pressed eucalyptus leaf with gum leaf eco prints and a found skelatonised leaf. The objects nestle on repurposed vintage papers and fabrics.

Sally is a contemporary artist originally from UK now based in the beautiful river city of Brisbane. Sally balances sculptural architectural and organic forms to create mixed media compositions with script and symbolism that hark back to another era.

A R T I S T B I O G R A P H Y S A L L Y B A R L I N G
Archways In The Square, 2023

Archways In The Square, 2023

mixed media on canvas, 105 x 105cm $1900

This work has been inspired by a fleeting moment in Milan. We arrived at the train station one stop too soon. So we decided to walk the rest of the way taking our holiday feeling with us. The morning was especially beautiful and the streets were filled with golden light and anticipation. We wandered along quite a way. There across the road I spotted a tiny art gallery nestled in by trees. It was closed, but the front window was holding a wonderful painting - I was to be hooked! A patchwork of geometric and organic shape woven together with textural layers and symbols. My paintings have been a little influenced ever since!

May You Have Plenty, 2023

Samantha is a Macrame artist. Looking for fresh direction after a long career in music, it was the chance purchase of a Macrame instruction book that showed Samantha a new way to express her creative spirit.

Using the knots and forms of Macrame, Samantha is delighted to present a trio of large wall hangings inspired by the motifs and symbolism of Chinese New Year. These are deeply personal works, drawing on Samantha’s upbringing in Hong Kong and her profound connection to Chinese culture.

Golden Prosperity, 2023

Elegant Bloom, 2023

A R T I S T B I O G R A P H Y S A M A N T H A D O C H E R T Y

May You Have Plenty, 2023

cotton cord, wooden beads, metal ring, wooden dowel, 60 x 107cm

For the Chinese, fish represent ‘plenty’; of enjoying an abundance of life’s good things. In this piece, lively goldfish swim whilst spring flowers grow.

$589

Golden Prosperity, 2023

cotton cord, metallic string, wooden dowel, 60 x 105cm

Every Chinese New Year Samantha’s grandmother would have a potted orange tree, symbolising prosperity. Here the oranges are recreated using golden berry knots.

Elegant Bloom, 2023

Cotton cord, felt, wooden dowel, 60 x 108cm

Chinese New Year is also known as the Spring Festival. In this piece, a giant cherry blossom is shown at the peak of its beauty.

$589

$589

I'm Watching You, 2023

Susan lives on a property near Esk with her husband and two dogs. There is a constant source of inspiration in the beautiful Somerset Valley. Painting from her studio, surrounded by the hills, Susan attempts to capture a little bit of magic found in the fauna or flora around. Susan paints using watercolours, in a loose, whimsical style, creating evocative pieces in response to the natural world.

Gossip Bath, 2023

Horatio, 2023

A R T I S T B I O G R A P H Y S U S A N W E L L I N G H A M

I'm Watching You, 2023

watercolour on Arches 300gsm paper, 53cm x 40cm, framed

Gossip Bath, 2023

watercolour on Arches cold pressed 300gsm paper, 40cm x 53cm, framed

Horatio, 2023

watercolour on Saunders Waterford 300gsm paper, 53cm x 40cm, framed

$485
$485 $485

Trudy’s art evokes emotions that resonate deeply within us. Nature's serene beauty and tranquillity inspire her to capture its essence using delicate watercolours to summon a sense of calm and serenity. However, her purpose extends beyond aesthetics. She also seeks to ignite an awareness of the impending perils of climate change. With contrasting lines, tones, colours and textures, she portrays the chaos, anger, and desperation of this coming crisis. Her chosen media becomes a conduit, allowing her to shift seamlessly between the soothing whispers of nature and the urgent cries for action, urging us to protect the fragile balance of our world.

A R T I S T B I O G R A P H Y T R U D Y B R O O K S
Follow the Road, 2023 Possible Future Encounters, 2023

Follow the Road, 2023

watercolour, 44 X 58cm, framed

The roads we follow determine the encounters we will experience. This work encourages us to take the road less travelled. We never know what is over the hill or what amazing encounters await us. Let life be an adventure.

Possible Future Encounters, 2023

mixed media, 102 X 52cm

This work is one of my series of works on climate change. It encourages us to imagine the catastrophic encounters we might experience in the future if don’t take action now.

$1200 $420

A special thank you to all the artists who have contributed their creativity to this project, and to those who appreciate their art and have visited the exhibition .

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