A LITTLE BRAVE
Featuring 33 talented, local and regional artists presenting smaller, affordable artworks. The exhibition will showcase a diverse variety of original and inspiring pieces that will be suitable for people to purchase as gifts. Only a selection of each artists work will be on display and will be regularly updated as the exhibition progresses. The remainder of each artists works will be stored at the gallery in the stockroom and be available to look at throughout the course of the exhibition if there is an interest in a particular artist.
We will have paintings, photographs, textile art, works on paper, prints, ceramics, woodwork, jewellery, tea towels, cards, fashion, homewares and Be Brave Artspace tote bags and gift vouchers.
Opening night was held on Saturday 30th November where Artists and supporters gathered to celebrate this wonderful new exhibition and the Gallery’s 2nd Birthday.
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2nd Birthday Celebratory Cake(chocolate mud cheesecake)- made by the amazing Tammy Carter
The exhibition will close for Christmas and then run through until Sunday 19th January. Art lovers will receive a free tote bag to carry away their chosen piece and a gift voucher for 10% off any purchase made during A LITTLE BRAVE (valid until 19.01.20).
Be Brave Artspace
5-7 Careel Head Road
North Avalon
Website: www.bebraveartspace.com.au
Facebook: www.facebook.com/BeBraveArtspace
A community based art gallery, studio and workshop venue.
Be Brave Artspace was an idea that grew out of a love of all things creative. On street level: a light, spacious Gallery delivering dynamic exhibitions of local and Sydney based artists. Downstairs a workshop and studio for creators to be bold and fearless.
A space where artists can exhibit, create, connect and be inspired.
Opening hours: Mon-Wed Closed | Thurs/Fri 11.00-3.00 | Sat/Sun 10.00-4.00
Ally Bryan
Coloured Space Design: http://colouredspace.com/home
Location: Sydney's Northern Beaches - NSW.
Design Style: Organic, abstract, sometimes whimsical, textured.
Ally Bryan is a mixed media artist and surface pattern designer based in Sydney where her daily ritual of diving into the mild waters of the Tasman Sea reminds her that the world is a rolling slideshow of light and colour.
Her earliest memories of childhood spent in the Caribbean are of combing the beach for flotsam and jetsam and digging her toes deep in the sand – a sensation she still finds invigorating today.
Ally gained a BA honours at Nottingham Trent University in computer graphic design and went on to build a globe-trotting career in fx design and production, working with BBC TV in the UK, Orbit in Italy, CNN in the US, and Animal Logic in Australia.
For Ally, the consequence of leading a life full of adventure and joy means she wants to do it all over again, seeking always to encounter inspiring people and develop her creativity.
In 2012 Ally set up Coloured Space Design and channelled her energies into designing art for print and fabrics. Her work has been adapted for wall hangings, puzzles, rugs, fabrics, bedding and plush toys. It is no surprise that much of Ally’s inspiration comes from marine life and imagery, and the beautiful shapes already created by nature. She delights in vivid colours but also likes to explore the hidden shades of black and white.
Her more recent works have led her back to basics, using the paint brush, acrylics and inks to design exciting artwork for surface pattern and illustration. Ally can design across a broad spectrum and welcomes briefs for textiles, homewares, stationary and kids.
Look-Paint-Print-Wear
Grab yourself, family and friends a unique gift for Christmas! check out the designs below to choose from! Available in beautiful silk scarves (50mm x 175cm) or a fab cashmere + wool Pashmina's (100cm x 180cm):
Wendy Cummins
Barrenjoey Collective: https://www.barrenjoeycollective.com.au/
Bayview
Wendy Cummins is the heart and soul of Barrenjoey Collective. Equal parts interior designer, decorator and maker, Wendy brings a fresh approach and a wealth of experience to all her projects. With her love of colour, materials and texture and a keen eye for unique pieces, Wendy will work with you to interpret your brief and create a one-of-a-kind home where you’ll love spending time.
As well as designing beautiful and original interiors, Wendy and her craftsman husband Dave create bespoke furniture and homewares, including lighting and artworks.
Linda Dry Parker
Website: www.lindadryparker.net
Linda Dry Parker was born in Essex, England. Her education includes a BA Honours Degree from Newcastle University, England and a Masters Degree from Brighton University, England. Linda regards herself primarily as an abstract colourist with a passion for the human figure. Her recent solo exhibitions include in 2004 the Global Gallery, Sydney, and in 2005 the Gallery Perutz, London, UK and the Soda Gallery, Sydney.
Linda has shown in galleries around the world including Australia, USA and the UK. She has works in private collections in Australia, USA and the UK. including the Holmes a Court Collection, Australian Art Resources, Walt Disney, Hong Kong and the Shangri-la Hotel, Bangkok, Thailand.
About my work
Colour is fundamental to our world, and is my inspiration. It is through colour, that I interpret how my chosen subject influences my creative process, and through colour I am able to initiate my own responses.
My pictures whether in oil or water colour, are born from close observation of life around me, and I translate these images into my own language.
I visualise my work in layers of colour, long before a form appears. By layering, scraping and working with wet paint, I build the image between the planes and the surface texture.
It’s the physicality which creates an ambiguous vision, that rests within the surface of the painting, yet also appears to float freely on the surface.
Man on a wall - (Beach series)
Catherine Ell
Catherine Ell (Lyons)
Eight Elements: picpanzee.com/eight_elements
Sculptor - from Christchurch living in Sydney (Cottage Point). DM for pop ups and sales. Email: catherine@eightelements.com.au
I was born in Christchurch, New Zealand and am now living and working in Sydney. I have loved clay for the last 18 years, ever since I experienced an exhibition in the national park in Sydney almost 20 years ago. My preferred method is the ancient technique of hand-building, primarily using raku clay, coiling to a bisque fire.
I generally do not glaze, (unless its tableware). This process is more sustainable, as only one firing occurs. Once the piece has been fired, the clay then becomes my canvas. The fun begins all over again with colour, inks, vegan waxes, and acrylic paints. Layer upon layer then burnishing over many days, usually with a rose quartz. Burnishing gives the clay a wonderful tactile lustre. Predominately though, are peoples stories. A sense of wonderment envelopes the space when I am sculpting. Time stands still almost. It is quite powerful when the story and the hands work in unison.
Lucky enough to be born in New Zealand - Christchurch, I draw deeply from the land and from a family of “makers”. The South Island is renowned for its natural beauty and I gravitate towards places that remind me of that. The inspiration comes in quiet moments in stunning landscapes, family stories and whispers from the past.
Figurative, feminine and sensual are words often used to describe my work. Each piece being a vessel for stories, thoughts, memories, and a little touch of magic.
Jennifer Betty Everett
Ceramicist
At: https://www.jenbetty.com/
Jennifer continues her desire for art that comes down off the gallery walls and into our hands. Art we use in our daily rituals from pouring tea to self-car.e Polished bare porcelain we feel coupled with the subtle use of colour and texture help create an awakening for our senses and open pathways for reflection. Intriguing details and structural form hold your attention.
Jennifer Everett is a transplanted Canadian living in Sydney Australia as a full-time artist, mother and partner. Her curious and experimental approach to practice has created a diverse body of work comprising sculptural pieces and functional ware.
As an emerging ceramic artist she’s been exhibited in many group shows: Saint Cloche, Craft NSW, Clay Gulgong, Northern Beaches Ceramics, Pittwater Artist Trail as well as a solo show at Eramboo Artist Environment in 2018.
Her work can be seen in print at The Journal of Australian Ceramics, Ceramics Art & Perception, Belle, Country Living and Inside Out as well as various cookbooks. The completion of a home studio last year is not helping manage her growing obsession with clay.
Large Planter
Christina Frank
Visual Artist: Painter - Ceramics - Drawing
At: christinafrankartist.weebly.com
Christina Frank’s drawing based practice finds expression in various media, extending to sculptural installation. She concerns herself with beauty and the natural world, invariably touching on connections to each other and place. Searching for metaphors she explores underlying rhythms and patterns of landscape, its psychological and spiritual underpinnings and power to shape identity.
From a background in architecture, Christina has exhibited in group and solo shows at Eramboo artist environment, Northern Beaches Creative Space, Manly Art Gallery, and most recently Be Brave Artspace, Avalon. Christina has been selected for many art events including Eden Unearthed, North Sydney Art prize, Fisher’s Ghost Art Prize, ‘Four Elements’ series with Northern Beaches Council, ‘On Islands’, ‘Art in Odd Places’ and ‘Avalon Carnival’ public art projects, Lake Light Sculpture, and other sculpture walks locally and regionally.
A qualified architect, Christina studied at the University of Sydney. From this background she brings a strong identification with environment, site and context, and a practiced design process approach to projects and creativity. A childhood spent in Sydney bush suburbs established a deep bond with this landscape.
Christina worked as an architect for over 14 years. She initiated and ran an after-school art program for 4 years, in which she was concerned to share skills and encourage creativity in children. She was an artist in residence at Eramboo artist environment, exhibiting in group shows there. She was selected for Fisher’s Ghost Art Prize, Sculpture in the Glen, Sculpture at Stony Range, Sculpture in the Garden, Lake Light Sculpture Jindabyne, as well as ‘On Islands’, ‘Art in Odd Places’ and Avalon Carnival public art projects. She has exhibited at Manly Art Gallery, and has work in cafes and boardrooms.
Artist Statement
I have always felt compelled to create. My first sculptures were made of clay dug from a creek bank. I grew up in the Sydney bush and feel very connected to this landscape I studied architecture at the University of Sydney, incorporating numerous Tin Sheds art courses. I examined beauty and its model in the natural world, in a thesis on the Taj Mahal and the lslamic principles it embodies.
In practicing architecture I was concerned with conscious design responsive to the environment, and joyful to the spirit I have designed homes, places of work, and worked on large public buildings.
I have spent much time and energy raising 3 boys. I have run an after school art program in which I sought to share skills and encourage creativity in children. Drawing together my experiences I am now an exhibiting artist, experimenting across media drawing, painting, sculpture, ceramics and photography. I continue to concern myself with beauty, inner spirit and the natural world. My work invariably touches on connections family and relationships, connections to each other and to place I explore the underlying rhythm, and patterns of landscape, and its power in shaping identity.
Eva Frengstad
Painter - Mixed Media
At: evafrengstad.squarespace.com
born in Norway. Eva has lived, worked, and studied in Norway, Poland, USA and Australia. Eva studied at the academy of art college in San Francisco majoring in printmaking and fine arts. Eva has had nine solo exhibitions and taken part in many group exhibitions in Norway, USA, Poland and Australia. Eva is currently working on a body of work to be exhibited in 2019.
Artist Statement
Eva works in an intuitive way inspired by raw emotions and music. her paintings are carefully composed and yet the process of layering her work is an intense relationship with each painting where she is not certain of how the painting will finish.
SOMEWHERE TO THINK
mixed media on canvas 110cm x 100cm
Painter
Since completing my studies at NAS I have explored the Australian landscape as a recurring theme in my painting and this is influenced by the connection I feel to my surrounding environment and recent travels.
Absorbing the peace and stillness of nature is a reminder that you are such a small part of the big picture on a somewhat uncharted journey, both exciting but equally unnerving. With wandering thoughts to match my steps I find parallels between my journey as an artist and reflect on the connection I feel to the landscape and the various challenges faced along the way. In an attempt to record the visual and sensory experience I have referenced past representations of the landscape while attempting to forge an individual path of my ongoing journey.
Reflections of light and colour are connected to an emotional experience and memory and I use the pathway or track as a metaphor for both a physical and emotional journey.
Sopra e Sotto #1 - Narrabeen Lake
(oil on Belgian linen) 43cm x 32cm
Jacki Fewtrell Gobert
At: www.instagram.com/jackifewtrellgobert
Artist, living on the Hawkesbury River at Brooklyn
Jacki has been a fulltime artist since 2009. Prior to this, she worked as an art teacher for almost 30 years. She has held solo exhibitions since 1982 and has ben a finalist in numerous art prizes such as the Mosman Art Prize, Hornsby Art Prize, Northern Beaches Art Prize ( formerly Warringah Art Prize), Outback Art Prize, Tumut Art Prize, Sydney Morning Herald Art Prize, Adelaide Perry Drawing Prize, North Sydney Art Prize, Kirribilli Art Prize and the Hunters Hill Art Prize.
She has also won various art prizes since 1982 and her recent Body of Work is based on her local environment at Brooklyn on the Hawkesbury River as well as travels to Tasmania, South Australia and time spent in Paris. Jacki’s work is literal but she loves to exaggerate line and use of colour. She often depicts the ‘mundane’ and tries to make the viewer see what is often taken for granted.
Jacki won First Prize for the SALA 2018 in South Australia for Hollick Estate Winery in Coonawarra with a drawing entitled ‘Cab Sav & corkscrew’. She has also contributed works for the Hornsby RSL WW1 and WW2 commemoration exhibitions in 2017 & 2018.
Cameron Gordon
Manly
Artist and Creative Project Manager.
The love of making things is the best way to describe my passion for creating art.
My subject matter has been deeply influenced by the wealth of new materials, colours, applications and effects that the commercial world demands, Coupled with my love of old cars and anything with industrial beauty.
My latest body of work celebrates the feelings and emotions that these objects can give to both their owners and passers by, reflecting the fun, colourful, commercial and raw urban scape that is our world.
Exhibitions
Diversarty - Cromer Gallery One88 - Katoomba Warringah Art Prize Hub Gallery - Newtown Waverley Art Prize - Bondi TAP Gallery - Darlinghurst Ziggy’s Gallery – Chippendale TAP Gallery - Darlinghurst Mary Reiby Galleries - Enmore Paddington Art Market - Paddington Kirribilli Neighbourhood Centre - Kirribilli Warringah Art Prize Leonardos House of Eternal Art Long Gallery - Wollongong University
Education
University of Wollongong - Bachelor of Creative Arts
Cameron's studio is in Manly Beach. - Accepts commissions
"Rear - Mach 1 Mustang"
Karen Hicks
Painter
At: www.karenhickartist.com
I started painting about 12 years ago during my time living in New Zealand. I attended private art classes where I learnt to use mixed media, acrylics and oils. Upon my return to Sydney, I furthered my art tuition by attending private art classes for many years.
My inspiration comes from my surroundings often during my walks on the beaches, Pittwater and the bush. I love using tone, texture and shapes to create nuances in my work. I like to leave the interpretation up to the viewer hoping I take them on a journey to a place where they have been before. My work is often described as ethereal with real passion.
PITTWATER
Acrylic on Canvas
Painter - Stencilling
Julie works in her home studio where she regularly holds open studios.
After 20 years in television production in both Australia and Europe it took a move to the beach to commit to painting full-time in 2008.
Julie developed her original approach to using stencils in painting and formed the concept for ‘pod & pod’, the moniker under which she produces a wide variety of work on canvas based on Australian botanicals and coastal scenes, all of which are made in a limited series - numbered as they would be in an edition of prints.
“I have always been drawn to organic line, shape and colour - and a love of both painting and printmaking has led me to pursue this technique which for me combines the best of both worlds.”
The process starts with drawing followed by layers of tweaking to arrive at the final design. In a way making a stencil is similar to cutting a lino or wood block - there is a play between negative and positive spaces in the making of it. The joins between the lines become a trademark of this technique and make it distinctive.
“There is something about having an intermediate layer between the canvas and the brush and paint that I love. Watching that stencil peel back is always a revelation.”
Bilgola
acrylic on canvas
30.5 x 30.5cm
David Heimann
Curator - Company Director / Brand Owner at Orson & Blake
At: www.orsonandblake.com.au
Born from a love of textiles and the tactile joy of fabric ...Orson & Blake creates easy fluid wearable clothing that uplifts the spirit in vibrant energetic tones of precious colour.
Small batch groups of garments are designed in Australia and carefully made offshore by mostly women in small communities who take pride in their craftsmanship and are rewarded respectfully.
Colours inspired by natures Gemstones in the softest peachskin Cupro, pure cotton and viscose rayon blends inspire good vibrations and upbeat times to be had in these pieces.
@janistography
Janis is a thalassophile and a selenophile. Each morning Janis uses the healing powers of the ocean and the sun to build resilience and gain strength to combat bipolar disorder. Janis takes pleasure in capturing the beauty of the sunrise each morning as Janis heads down to the beach for a morning swim and then sharing these “images of resilience’ with others.
Jewellry
Kajinki was born out of a love of nature and travel throughout Asia. I began designing jewellery in early 2000 working closely with my silversmith in Bali, I was able to bring to life pieces that are both bold and unique incorporating semi-precious stones and in some cases materials found within nature. Many Kajinki pieces have been sold in high end boutiques across Australia and the South Pacific.
Painter
Based on the northern beaches in Sydney, Lou Knowles is a painter that loves colour and texture. She mainly works in oils however collage and photography are also part of her process. She started using oils in the late 90’s and it’s been a major part of her practise ever since.
She is heavily influenced by what surrounds her, the spaces, objects and people that fill them.
The design of the 50’s, 60’s and 70’s is apparent in the shapes and elements of her work. Spatial awareness and predominantly the negative space are fascinating to Lou.
It is within these parameters that her work evolves.
Previous Exhibitions.
Red Door Gallery, Summer Hill
2006 Solo Show
Institute of Architects, Potts Point
2008 Solo Show
Painter
Originally trained as a graphic and book designer, Ingrid is now fulfilling her passion for painting through her ‘little’ landscapes on salvaged wood and timber.
Spending time at her much-loved Little Black Shack, an original waterfront fisherman’s shack in Mackerel Beach, she is constantly inspired to capture the beauty of the surrounding Pittwater and Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park.
Completely immersed in nature as she paints - on a rock beside the sea, under a tree, on the beach or at her seaside shack window - with brush in hand and the environment in her heart, Ingrid mixes colours on a palette with sea and rain water and creates her ‘little scapes’ on salvaged timber, often carried to her on the sea by the wind and tides.
Caring about sustainability and the environment, Ingrid hopes her ‘little scapes’ inspire others to see the beauty in her area and want to protect it as much as she does.
Anna McClure
Painter
Member of the Art & Soul Collective
Art & Soul Collective Incorporated was established by a group of artists from Sydney’s Northern Beaches. A&SC was incorporated as a not-for-profit organisation in July 2012 under the Associations Incorporation Act 2009. A&SC is managed by an elected Committee (see below); its operations are governed by a Constitution. Our objective is to connect members in their artistic endeavours and encourage creative arts in the community.
Sculptor - Printmaker - Painter
Wendy McCready has been sculpting in clay for 25 years. Her sculptures are smaller figurative pieces suitable for display on a table.
Ceramic Sculpture, printmaking, painting still life and seascapes, enjoying horticulture, bushwalks, beaches - based in Manly, Sydney.
Niki McDonald
Tapestry
At: https://tapestrygirl.com/
Urban faces, spaces and attitudes made permanent in wool. The sass of urban life balanced with the pace of needlepoint tapestry.
I’m inspired by the ephemeral and drawn to the mechanical nature of my textile arts practice. Within the repetition and toiling is a space that allows me to connect with my intuition and inspires me beyond the daily grind.
I’m saying that the colours and shapes from our streets empower our urban woman and give them sass and individuality. The repetition of the tapestry stitches echoes the pixels in digital work and is in line with the photographic term DPI (dots per inch)
Ironically street art is fast, contemporary and masculine. Tapestry is slow, traditional and feminine.
I wanted to break the rules of tradition using a traditional medium, it’s been about maximising and urbanising the needlepoint tapestry medium. I spray painted my 5ct canvases and used luxurious yarns for a double half cross stitch which revealed the background allowing depth and layering. I’m drawn to size and wanted bigger so I moved to 3ct canvas and stitched with 20ply wool. I was satisfied with the size, it had impact and maximised the medium. I wanted more detail and to extend the background so I painted and stitched pegboards.
I’m enjoying using the tools and techniques of domesticity for urban sass and sustained self-expression.
Education
Bachelor of Creative Arts – Textiles Major – Wollongong University, Diploma of Education – Southern Cross University
Prizes
2014 – The Waverley Art Prize – First Place – Mixed Media – Waverley – NSW
2013 – The International Women’s Day Art Prize, “First Place”, TAP Gallery, Darlinghurst
2012 – Waverley Art Prize – “Mixed Media, Highly Commended” – Bondi
2011 – Warringah Art Prize – “Artfocus Gallery and Studio Honourable Mention” – Dee Why
2011 – Waverley Art Prize – “Mayor’s Prize, Highly Commended” – Bondi
2009 – Waverly Art Prize – “First Place- Mixed Media” – Bondi
Laurie McKern
Painter - Print Maker - Encaustics
At: lauriemckern.com.au
A love of people, pattern, fashion and harmonious colour are at the core of my works and the inspiration for creating romantic, modern-vintage paintings.
Known primarily as a figurative artist I also enjoy sketching during my travels and painting the occasional landscape and still life.
I enjoy experimenting with different painting mediums as well as print making and encaustics.
My works are pure escapism; fun, young and flirty and my hope is they will bring you joy.
Nina Paine
Painter
At: www.ninapaine.com
Nina Paine is an emerging watercolour artist. Having worked for several years as a graphic designer back in the late 1980s, early ’90s, it was many years later, in 2011, when she took up painting under the guidance of northern beaches artist Vicki Ratcliff. Working from her home studio, Nina enjoys painting a variety of subjects, from the ‘correctness’ of architectural elements such as doors, to the gentle naturalness of creatures like the birds she has painted for ‘A Little Brave’.
Nina’s work has no political or dark undertones, rather is to be enjoyed simply for any connection the viewer may feel, be it a shared experience or an inexplicable personal response. As Matisse said, ‘What I dream of is an art of balance, of purity and serenity devoid of troubling or depressing subject matter – a soothing, calming influence on the mind, rather like a good armchair which provides relaxation from physical fatigue.’
Artist Statement
For most of my adult life I’ve worked in publishing, and for much of that time it’s been a matter of working with words. But I was also a graphic designer back in the late 1980s, early ’90s. I wasn’t a bad designer, but I never considered I had any ability at all when it came to illustrating or painting.
The catalyst for my desire to change that came a couple of decades later, in the form of a photograph in a weekend newspaper. The image was mostly green and evocatively misty; there was a rustic old homestead in the left foreground, with a man on horseback riding alongside an old wooden fence that extended from the house.
Looking at that photo I could see a really beautiful painting – a watercolour – one I thought I’d like to paint myself. Therein lay my problem. I couldn’t paint!
Next step: the decision to take some lessons! Towards the end of 2011, I joined a small and eclectic group of warm and equally motivated people who have, in the years since, given me as much joy as I’ve found in painting itself. And yes, I did eventually paint that wonderful landscape when I felt I could do it at least a little justice (because despite displaying no talent when I began, I sensed I would make progress if I persevered, and I wanted to persevere).
While still attending classes (with Vicki Ratcliff, in Mona Vale), I found I was wanting/needing to break away from the subject of the week and venture out on my own path. Initially this led me to the bulging photo albums on my sagging bookshelves – lovingly created on my return from adventures near and far over the past thirty-plus years. What I found on that path as I relived past times, brush in hand, was a very personal and inexplicable love for painting, a love that has only strengthened in the years since.
I still make my way to Vicki’s studio for class each week, because those friendships, which are a big part of what I love about painting, are always there.
Many artists will tell you that one of the hardest parts of the ‘job’ is writing their artist’s statement, and despite all the years I’ve worked with words, I’m no different. They’re a peculiar thing, those statements. I’m sure Van Gogh never had to write one!
For me, it seems a near impossible thing to articulate a meaning or message for my work, because I’m not sure there is one. It certainly has no political or dark undertones. Matisse is quoted as saying, ‘What I dream of is an art of balance, of purity and serenity devoid of troubling or depressing subject matter – a soothing, calming influence on the mind, rather like a good armchair which provides relaxation from physical fatigue.’
You may feel a connection with what I’ve painted - a shared experience or perhaps an inexplicable personal response. You may like it, or you may not; you may see some skill in it, or you may wonder what makes me think I have any talent at all. But it doesn’t matter, because what I most love about painting is the joy it brings me. It takes me away. It’s that simple.
Painter
Ronald Paredes (mundosanto), is a Latin- American artist, graphic designer, and podcaster from Caracas, Venezuela. Born and raised in a family of painters and designers, he has always been in contact with the graphic arts and visual communication. Influenced by both parents, he found himself balancing his professional life between his three passions: painting, graphic design, and psychology.
With over 20 of experience in the creative industry, he balances personal projects as a visual artist with work in the advertising industry. Parallel to his work as a graphic designer and his artistic activities he started conducting studies and research on the subject of creativity and its connections with psychology, neuroscience, creative inhibitions as ways to rediscover our natural creative capacities.
Jane Park
Painter - Abstract Landscapes
At: www.janeparkart.com
I live in a big city, but I grew up in a small town with close proximity to the country. In these abstracted landscape works I’m exploring my surroundings with that memory and space I miss and yearn for. I seek out places with that feel, do quick pastel sketches both colour and black and white and return to my studio where I try to convey that sense of distance and feel. My initial sketches are captured quickly in order to capture the mood and energy of the scene.
With my bigger acrylic works, I work quickly using large brushes, sponges and then scratch with a palette knife. I want the viewer to be drawn into the space as their eyes travel over the form and brush strokes.
Petra Pinn
Painter - Printmaker
At: www.petrapinn.net
Petra enjoys the bustle and commotion backstage, the riot of costumes... the reflection in mirrors. She indulges in her obsession to capture the human form in action. Her works transport the viewer into another world, sensuous, colourful parts of life. Petra's artworks are influenced by travelling and working in France and Italy, as well as impressionist artists like Toulouse Lautrec. Her passion for pattern and colours, as well as her love for everything vintage is recognisable in her artworks.
"Design is all about making things look beautiful, balanced in colour and form and I guess this does influence my art. For me art is all about feeling and enjoying what you paint, no matter if expressive or simply beautiful. I am impulsive and curious, I like to explore different subject matters, different techniques. I aim to capture the energy of people, who express themselves in life, I love the energy of circus life & old cinema".
Another series of artworks show an admiration and love for Australian nature. You can relate to her bold, contemporary, fresh nature paintings.
Petra is an accomplished and passionate printmaker, she works with various etching techniques, intaglio, aluminium etching, monoprint and collagraphs, incorporating papers (chine collee) into her works.
Petra is co founder of Gallery Cats Studios Sydney, a gallery and studio in Brookvale. She also co founded 'Art For Goats' (an Art Society, supporting Oxfam since 2006), as well as supporting 'The Hamlin Fistula Foundation' with recent art exhibitions. Her works are in private and corporate collections all around Europe, Australia and Asia.
Born and educated in Cologne, Germany, Petra originally trained in printed textile design. She lived and worked as a designer and artist in Germany, France and Italy before moving to Australia in 1996.
Yellow Mellow
Mara Poeta
Piuma Artist - Mixed Media
At: www.instagram.com/piuma_artist
My name is Mara Poeta known as Piuma Artist. I was born in Rome, Italy, and I relocated to Mona Vale two years ago.
I am a self-taught mixed media artist but I have been drawing since I was a child. I was surrounded in my homeland by arts and I love painters like Klimt, Gaudi', Rotella, Tamburro, Roy Lichtenstein and Andy Warhol, who all influenced my style.
I'm passionate about Pop art, contemporary art and street art, I use different materials and techniques using acrylics, markers, pencils and collages (paper and fabric). I do art for design too because I like that people can also touch and wear my art.
The Peacock Woman (t-shirt) - inspired by the colours and the beauty of the peacock that opens the wheel to show her beauty so how we women show our elegance I imagined a skirt of peacock feathers
Vicki Ratcliff
Painter - Miniatures - Also Large scale works
At: vickiratcliff.com.au
Vicki Ratcliff has lived in Mona Vale for 12 years but grew up on Sydney shores in Clovelly. Her love of the beach, rock pools and local waterways is a current theme in her paintings.
She believes that a dip in the sea puts life in perspective, humbles us with its vastness and beauty and connects us with each other.
Starting her artistic career as a watercolourist Vicki now also works in oils. Her oils maintain that subtle blending of colour so influenced by her watercolour background.
As an exhibiting and award winning member of the Australian Society of Miniature Art, working in miniature has become a more recent passion. Vicki believes that a miniature work can convey all the beauty and power of a larger work of art but have the added appeal of being a particularly personal and intimate object. Plus, she says, she just loves working on such an intricate scale. Using watercolour on synthetic, non- absorbent paper has added some new and exciting dimensions to her work.
Vicki is an active member of the Pittwater Artists Trail and opens her home studio to the public twice a year.
Early Dip
Oil on Canvas | Mona Vale Pool | 64 x 95 cm
Amy Raymond
Painter
At: www.amyraymondart.com
Amy Raymond is an artist who rediscovered her love of painting and visual art after taking a break from her former career to start a family. Crossing between abstract work in acrylic and loose ink illustrations she is beginning to merge her two styles and explore new ways to create interesting landscapes through colour and texture. Her love of the beach and ocean has drawn her toward coastal landscapes and the iridescent and ever changing blues of the water.
Using illustration techniques to recreate where light and dark are applied, the aim is to achieve a dreamlike quality that is extremely free in its application. By working almost back to front, Amy's illustrations are created through a number of ink layers that often take on a form of their own. Driven by the process of experimenting with ink and the colour formations and textures that can be created. Every drawing has its own unique flow of ink combinations and their resulting synergy.
Artist Statement
I live in Kirribilli, just north of the Sydney Harbour Bridge, Australia, with my two children and my husband Josh (who is also an artist!).
From an early age I have always been drawn to all things creative. Luckily, I had supportive parents who nurtured my creative side where possible and sent me off to art classes which I loved, exploring different mediums and finding my own way forward. It was here that I first discovered 'my style' which consists of a dynamic abstraction of shape and colour. I have always had difficulty explaining the evolution of my work until I realised, quite simply, that it is intuitive, spontaneous and the rewarding result of working through the process of a painting until I am happy with the final outcome.
After deciding that graphic design would be a good fit for me I completed a two year Advanced Diploma of Graphic Design before setting out into the world of advertising. Over ten years I worked my way up to becoming a Senior Art Director before having a big break from the ad world and joining the mum force. Still freelancing where possible I found minimal time for myself until my babies grew a little and I then began painting with my 4 year old, realising that 'it's been a while between paintings!'
That is when I threw myself back into the world of art and creating things that truly make me happy, my way. Now I am painting every chance I get and enjoying the process, picking up where I left off and loving every minute of it!
Lisa Shepherd
Cyanotype prints - Textile art
At: www.facebook.com/lisasfloralartist
Lisa Shepherd is a visual artist who has been specialising in the alternative photographic method of cyanotype printing for over 4 years. She makes floral inspired cyanotype prints and textile art. She creates pieces that reflect the beauty existing in our natural environment and the appreciation she has for nature.
Born in England, Lisa has called Sydney home now for the past 15 years. Her education commenced in Wales where she completed studies in Interior and Three Dimensional Design; this is where her passion for textiles and her keen eye for colour developed. In Sydney she carried on her studies in Textile Design, Printing and Surface Design.
Lisa is continuously experimenting with the process and her distinctive style expresses the atmosphere of Australian flora perfectly. She likes to capture this beauty in a simple, delicate way. Lisa is constantly inspired by nature and feels the artistic exchange between our surroundings and personally opens up a plethora of opportunities for creating beautiful art. Intrigued by the potential of metallic mediums, they play an integral part of her design aesthetic and often her work is embellished with gold leaf and gold silk embroidery.
Lisa has taken part in the Arcadian Artist Trail for the past 4 years, regularly exhibits at local art exhibitions including Lane Cove and Drummoyne and is a contributing artist in an upcoming group exhibition ‘Living Textures’ at Brush Farm, Eastwood in April 2020.
Lisa strongly believes that botanical art helps create a peaceful environment and nourishes the soul.
Humble
Erin Snelgrove
Painter
At: www.instagram.com/erinliliana
My background is as a commercial textile designer with old school training - all hand produced work on paper. I left the design industry and now happily paint ‘on the side’. I had a very successful solo show in 2017 at M2 gallery in Surry Hills and regularly take on commissioned work, most recently a large work on paper.
Tracy Stirzaker
Visual Artist
At: www.tracystirzaker.com
Tracy Stirzaker sees herself as an observer and critic of contemporary Australian society and is inspired by her lived experience. Stirzaker uses the repetition of motifs in her artwork to explore the emotional body and self-esteem within the everyday constraints of social politics, cultural values and beliefs.
The flattened prescription medicine box is representative of the society box we try to fit into and also comments on the increasing use of prescription medicine to medicate people, so they can fit into society. The words I AM ENOUGH are at the core of self-worth, Stirzaker acknowledges the yearning for something and recognises that the acceptance of self, starts with I AM ENOUGH. The canary motif is drawn from the concept of the miner’s canary and the idea of listening to your inner canary – follow what makes your heart sing.
In a world of self-doubt and low self-esteem and inspired by the work of English speaker and therapist Marisa Peer who’s practice revolves around self-esteem, American researcher and story teller Brene Brown, English writer Johann Hari book Lost Connections and Australia’s Sarah Wilson’s journey with anxiety in ‘First We Make the Beast Beautiful, Stirzaker leans into her inner canary to seek and affirm her place in the world through her art. Stirzaker’s artwork is very thought provoking, personal and honest. Employing painting and textiles techniques including text, hand stitch, applique and embroidery her artworks analyze and critique her life and thus reflects today’s Australian society.
Tracey Trinder
Ceramics
At: www.instagram.com/traceytrinderceramics
First discovering ceramics in her twenties, Tracey quickly realised it was a new love that could easily put at risk her fledgling writing career. Many years later, the writing career well and truly established, she returned to ceramics to discover the love had not diminished and it is now a surprisingly good mix with writing - one allowing space and ideas to develop organically for the other without the pressure cooker feeling of staring at a blank screen or lump of clay. Yes, it seems in this case a threesome is working out wonderfully!
