Recent Exhibitions
Norm Neilson
When I Was There
West Gallery 19 February–9 March
Photography and the desire for adventure has taken Norm and Jean Neilson to many exciting destinations such as the Alaskan Inside Passage with its glacier terminal faces calving and producing the most extraordinary sculptured icebergs with variations in colour from pure white to deep blue.
Other destinations include Western Canada, Italy, France, Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea, Nepal and Switzerland as well as many isolated areas of Australia and recently inland Australia.
Norm has only just moved from traditional film to digital and while it has been something of a ‘wrench’ technically the same principles of considered composition, attention to light and detail and producing a high quality original image remain from his ‘film’ days.
Norm has had a number of solo exhibitions as well as participating in group shows and his work has been seen across Gippsland. Norm was also the honorary photographer and designer of the extremely popular Metung Blood Hounds black and white nude calendar “The Nautical Ladies of the Lakes” that was most successful in raising funds for the Bairnsdale Regional Health’s Oncology Unit and Australian Breast Cancer Research.
When I Was There is a potpourri of images taken ‘when Norm was there’ and the exhibition will transport visitors to destinations across the world.
Opens at 6pm on Thursday, 18 February.
Nielson
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Jan Learmonth & Mary Sullivan
Tracing
East Gallery 19 February – 9 March
Tracing is by well-established artists Janet Learmonth and Mary Sullivan and both mother and daughter have extensive exhibition experience.
Janet Learmonth’s monochromatic photograms are beautifully composed and deceptively simple textural silhouettes of feathers, grasses and found objects and it is through the details of these items that she traces the natural landscape.
Mary Sullivan became interested in the evidence of previous occupation of her Brooklyn, New York, neighbourhood. While the streets were tight with the everyday happenings of a city, the evidence of previous occupations could be observed on every cornerand she began to photograph the abandoned places and their historical markers.
This concept of ‘trace marks’ expanded to the country side and in Mary’s latest travels to Colombia abandoned piles of fishermen’s nets, floats and ropes became the focus of her images. Mary also includes in the show a number of drawings that trace and detail the lines found in the tangle of a fisherman’s detritus.
Tracing opens at 6pm on Thursday, 18 February
Jan Learmonth and Mary Sullivan
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All That Jazz
Cynthia Boyle
29 January – 16 February East Gallery
Cynthia migrated to Australia after growing up and completing her design education and working in Detroit, Michigan, USA. She worked as a freelance designer, illustrator and artist in the Newcastle region of NSW before taking up a position as lecturer at the University of Newcastle.
Her major responsibilities at the University of Newcastle included the drawing program for the Bachelor of Visual Communication Design degree as well as contributing to the Natural History Illustration, Design and Technology Education, Industrial Design and Open Foundation degree programs. She was also a member of the Curriculum, Teaching and Learning Committee of the Faculty of Science and IT.
Drawings of people and animals have always been the strongest subject interest for her artwork. Retirement from the University three years ago allowed her to concentrate more fully on her painting life. A fortunate decision to relocate from MSW to Marlo in Victoria resulted in meeting Ngaere Donald, a kindred artistic spirit. This, combined with membership of the Wilderness Coast Artists, rekindled enthusiasm for painting and drawing.
Artist's Statement
This exhibition emerged from more than 20 sketchbooks full of drawings of jazz musicians produced at live venues, festivals and concerts in Newcastle and around Australia. The sketchbooks provide a wealth of material for paintings and drawings in watercolour, pastel, acrylic and coloured pencil.
The focus is on the movement of the musicians and interaction with their instruments as they play. The artwork invites the viewer to participate in the musical moment through composition, line, shape, colour and movement. Musicians and listeners appear in the sketches joined by a common bond of music.
Cyntha Boyle - All That Jazz
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An Affair with Raymond
Ngaere Donald
29 January – 16 February West Gallery
Ngaere Donald is a local artist from Orbost who is well known for her paintings and drawings, especially the drawings of horses, their strength and movement conveyed through economical but energetic lines.
Over the years Ngaere has been fascinated with the landscape surrounding Mt Raymond at Orbost. Constantly changing atmospheric conditions influence the mood of this expansive landscape ranging from the soft misty light of winter through to the harsh and brittle sunlight of high summer. And as a major agricultural region the flats below Mt Raymond also respond to the cycles of planting, growing and harvesting.
In An Affair with Raymond Ngaere’s acute observation gives the visitor a snapshot of the many ‘faces’ of Raymond.
Artist's Statement
Mt Raymond is a small mountain east of Orbost. It stands like a sentinel, watching over the wetlands of the Brodribb River and the Snowy River delta. Further east it can be seen from Cape Conran and Beware Reef in Bass Straight.
For many years I have observed the ever changing moods and seasons of the landscape encompassing the wetlands of the lower Snowy.
At the dawning of the day I am challenged and absorbed by the light and atmosphere and subtle nuances of colour, of the everyday rural environment.
I work from nature, painting on site directly from nature. When painting, if often start with a simplified abstract impression, which at times, I would like to leave as is. My aim is to capture the essence of the scene with loose impressionistic brush strokes.
I am always looking forward to the next painting, striving to do something better.
Ngaere Donald - An Affair with Raymond
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Summer Showcase
5–19 January
The EGAG’s New Year opens with Summer Showcase, a group exhibition that highlights the quality and diversity of the art work created in East Gippsland.
Many local artists and galleries are represented in this exhibition and visitors to the region are encouraged to pick up a brochure and visit some of them as part of their holiday activities.
- Individual artists represented include (as well as others):
- Jerry Williams - prints
- Norm Neilson – photographs
- Beryl King, Bev Wilkin & Iris Bain – ceramics
- Anthony Power – sculpture
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Young emerging artists:
- Lachlan Millard – cartoon art
- Nick Millard – digital images
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Galleries represented include:
- Great Alpine Gallery, Swifts Creek with works by Deirdre Jack, Penny Carruthers and Carole Pepper
- Yelen’s Gallery, Nowa Nowa with paintings by Gary Yelen
- Cheryl Burgess Studio – porcelain
Summer Showcase closes on the 19 January.
Summer Showcase 2010
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East Gippsland TAFE Diploma of Art Exhibition
13 November – 1 December 2009
Opening 6.30pm Friday, 13 November
Each year the annual exhibition by the TAFE art department is eagerly anticipated by both students and visitors to the EGAG.
This year the works by 2nd year Diploma Visual Art students, Evan Bryant and Kate Joyce will be featured in the East Gallery. Bryant’s figurative work is complimented by 2 landscapes and contrasted with the bold, solid abstract forms of the sculptural works of Joyce.
The works in the West Gallery are by the students completing their first year. These works display the broad range of strengths and styles explored by first year students and their progress as they begin to develop their individuality.
16 October–3 November 2009
Nagle College Year 12 Studio Art Students
The confidence demonstrated by these students is amazing. The work is sophisticated and their ability to manipulate a range of media to express their personal insight or make social comment is very impressive. Very often thought provoking and always worth a visit.
24 October 2009
Get Into Art Day
Melbourne Cup Weekend 30 October–2 November 2009
Seldom Seen
A project involving 6 galleries, each with a mentor and 6 artists creating art works, events and installations that will provide visitors to the region with a weekend of exciting, fascinating and amazing art in places ‘seldom seen’.
Buchan Art and Craft Gallery, Orbost Exhibition Centre, Wilderness Coast Artists, Marlo, NuARt, Metung, East Gippsland Aboriginal Arts Corporation, Lakes Entrance and East Gippsland Art Gallery, Bairnsdale will all be involved.
The East Gippsland Art Gallery will be under the mentorship of Jenny Toye, artist and Head of TAFE art department. A great group of artists will bring an enormous range of skills and experience to their piece (or pieces) and at this point they are Sue Patton, Heather Oke, Philip Capadonna, Tony Power and Michelle Armstrong.
Visit the seldom seen website for updates on the progress of this project.
25 September – 13 October 2009
Fabulous Felt Group
Colourful Obsessions–Contained
A group exhibition of creative handfelted works all referring to the theme ‘contained’.
The Fabulous Felt group is a group of local felters who have developed their craft to an extremely high standard and are quite innovative in their application of the technique.
Members often travel overseas to observe and learn traditional felting methods and its continued use in a contemporary context. They also regularly attend forums and workshops to keep up to date with techniques and fibres. Some members are involved in the production of t heir own fibres and experiment with natural dyes.
This exhibition highlights the versatility of felt from the robust to the cobweb delicacy of shawls and other garments. -->
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