4 minute read
Spotlight on Local Art
art Local artists on display at ArtXtra! Lane Cove Art Society members will be showcasing the best of local art this month with its ArtXtra! exhibition.
There was no show in 2020, but artists were working away in their studios and homes, and now have a wealth of art to choose from, in a variety of styles from traditional to contemporary and in all mediums. ArtXtra! will be held at the spacious Gallery Lane Cove, 164 Longueville Rd, with the opening night on Friday April 9 at 6pm. Ian Longbottom, Patron of the Art Society, will officially open the exhibition and the evening is a great opportunity to meet and talk to the artists. Admission by gold coin. The exhibition is then open free from Saturday April 10 to Saturday April 24. The winners of the best works will be announced on the opening night. The main prizes will be awarded to the two most outstanding works in the exhibition – these are the Lloyd Rees Prize ($1,500) and the Guy Warren Prize ($1,200). In addition there will be the Joyce Mills Bequest prize for oils or acrylics and prizes for watercolours, mixed media, pastels & drawings & prints, and the Art Scene prize for small works, sponsored by The Art Scene, Ryde.
Everyone is welcome to come and enjoy the art spectacle, with all works being for sale.
For more information contact LCAS Acting President Lyn Teal 0432 105 600 or Diana Hallowes 0458 198 700 or Julie Percy 9817 2287.
Dana Dion - the winner of the 2019 Lloyd Rees Award with her painting “Nature in flux”.
Kat Seward
Can you describe to us the type of artist you are, and the medium you work in?
I am a photographic artist. The word ‘photograph’ means ‘draw with light’ in Ancient Greek. This is how I see my work – to be able to capture light and reproduce it as an image. Recently I have been experimenting with slow exposures – the effect is somewhere between a photograph and a painting.
What motivates you to ‘create’?
I am always trying to capture the light, the moment, or a unique perspective that may inspire others to treasure and appreciate what surrounds us. My creative process invites me into nature, where I can lose my sense of self. It is a meditative experience.
Where did you learn your craft, or is it something you were blessed with?
My dad loved photography and I first caught the bug from him when I was six years old. As a girl, I loved photographing the wild places on the Victorian coast. I studied a Bachelor of Arts in photography at RMIT, and in my final year I received a scholarship to study at Brooks Institute in California.
Do you find Lane Cove and surrounds a supportive place for artists and creators?
The new Lane Cove Artist’s Collective, started by local curators Ann Proudfoot and Sky Hugman, has been an immense support to me personally. The beautiful natural environment of the Lower North Shore is a constant inspiration to create work.
Do you believe there should be more support for the arts, and if so, how would that manifest?
I think more opportunities for exhibitions would be great, whether in galleries, empty shopfronts or public spaces. Lane Cove could even host our own ‘Sculpture in the Trees’ exhibition! There is so much talent in the area, it would be wonderful to showcase it.
How would we go about seeing your works?
My work was recently on display in the first Artist Collective exhibition, Rewilding at Gallery Lane Cove, but people can also find me on my website www.katseward.com.au
Which artists/creators inspire you?
My brother Andrew Seward, is a Melbourne based artist, and he is a big inspiration to me. Visiting him is a joy - his home studio is filled with art and it bursts with creativity. And I also adore the work of Sydney photographer Tamara Dean.
Hunters Hill Community Art Gallery
OPEN TO ALL
Over many years Hunters Hill Council and Hunters Hill Historical Society have acquired a fine art collection. Paintings have been donated, purchased by Council or have been obtained at the annual Hunters Hill Art Show.
To give the public access to the wonderful collection, the museum has been refitted to include a gallery wall, complete with lighting, and enough space for more than 30 paintings. The collection is at least double that and the works will be rotated.
Among the collection, which contains many depictions of Hunters Hill and the surrounds, are four special pieces – located on the current wall under numbers 11 to 14.
THEY INCLUDE:
• ‘Fig Tree House’ by George
Collingridge (the man who wrote the historical text ‘The Discovery of
Australia’ and founded the Royal Art
Society of NSW); • ‘Fig Tree Church’ by Nora Heysen, who was the first woman to win the Archibald Prize; • ‘Fishing on the River’ by Charles Piguenit (one of Australia’s most wellknown artists) and • ‘Pleasure Grounds’ which is by an unknown artist, but depicts a time when the grounds of Hunters Hill High School were used for weekend fun for city dwellers.
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