Immersed in Castlemaine

 There is a wonderful small space art gallery in Castlemaine that is well worth a look. Showcasing local and abroad artists with beautifully curated exhibitions. Coming this month is a group show 'Immersed' featuring three exceptionally talented women, Jane Rusden, Bridget Farmer & Sheridan Jones.

Sheridan Jones © 2024

I am a particular fan of Sheridan's works and I look forward to seeing this new body of her work. The way Seridan cuts and manipulates paper into forms and shapes is delightful. I'd encourage you all to spend a day in our golden Autumn weather up in Castlemaine and view this special show at the Artpuff Gallery,
9 Walker Street.

 You can see more samples of Sheridan's work at TacitArt: HERE

Swamp Wallaby

 Second term has wound up, and everyone is off on holiday for a few weeks. Thought I would show you the completed demonstration piece I created in class to explain techniques and process.

Our theme in second term was 'cute and furry' - with an emphasis towards Australian animals. In the second half we concentrated on using colour pencils (hue) supported by graphite pencil (tone). Additionally artists were requested to incorporate a background in some way. Either a background that had some detail and recession, or a coloured 'suggestion'. I chose to use the suggestion style of background.

The reference photo I used was one of my own, a shot taken of a swamp wallaby some years back when I was out hiking. The base outline was created freehand direct to the paper (no tracing). The work is on an A3 size sheet of Fabriano Artistico Hotpress 300gsm. Background was created using Graphitint pencil washes (Ivy & Indigo hues). The wallby also used both Graphitint in indigo and Derwent 4b watersoluble graphite washes to create a base under tone. Following this undertone wash, fur drawing completed using Staedtler Mars Karat colour pencils in the dry state, with supporting tone and line work in Staedtler Mars graphite pencils - F, HB, 2B and 2B.

He came out okay I think - it isn't anything deep and meaningful, just a cute portrait of a wallaby, but a satisfying result all the same.

Swamp Wallaby by Linda Weil © 2024

Blairgowrie Yacht Squadron Art Show

It is delivery day today! I will be travelling down the penninsula to Blairgowrie - showing 3 works. One of the pieces I am showing is 'Sprocketree'. 

'Sprocketree' plus detail above by Linda Weil ©2024

I will also be delivering two new works for Sheridan Jones - these are currently in the boot of my car and I am going to have a sneak peak when I deliver.
Sheridan does wonderful works incormporating cut paper and paper sculpture.

Lisa O'Keefe will also be showing some new works. So this is an art show that you should not miss!

Please come and visit this wonderful show over the Easter weekend. A perfect excuse to come down to the Blairgowrie/Sorrento area. I will be atending the opening night on Friday, 29 March, (which is alot of fun!), and if you wish to join me check this link for tickets: BYS

See you there!

Grand re-opening at Tacit!

 After several weeks in hiatus, Tacit Art's new gallery opens this week! Three fabulous artists are launching the new space. Do come along to opening night to help celebrate a new era for Tacit Art.

Launch of new premises and opening night invitation Wednesday 20 March 6.30-8pm

Exhibition dates Wed 20 Mar - Sun 14 April 2024

Tacit Art - new premises 314 Johnston St, Abbotsford, Vic 3067 Ground and first floor

Linda Pickering

Re-Imagined

Inspired by a series of personal snapshots of the buildings of central Melbourne, Linda Pickering has interpreted the proximity of these towering structures to each other and the reflective surfaces in her continued exploration of reductive abstraction. In looking to create a level of calm, remove the noise and the unnecessary, Pickering has extended her habitual limited palette. The result is the buildings, whilst remaining, have taken on new identities, becoming different versions of themselves as the geometric shape and colour shift and alter their priority on the canvas and their relationship to each other.

See work in the exhibition here

Susan Stevenson

Ghosts in the Concrete

Travelling in Europe last year, I was struck by the soft beauty in the weathered plaster of ancient buildings. The depth of colour and texture in the peeling paint and uneven plasterwork reminded me of aerial photographs of central Australia with cracks from shifting brickwork, blocked windows and forgotten doorways echoing the straight lines and random right angles of European settler land distribution. In the Australian context, however, these lines are no longer just poignant reminders of small lives passing across thresholds and generations. Boundary fences and minor roads have become earthworks visible from the air, supplanting natural landforms as defining features of the continent. The paintings in Ghosts in the Concrete embrace the often competing strands in our relationship to landscape and history in this country.

See work in the exhibition here

Susan Wald

The Gathering

Susan Wald's luminous canvases, with their distinctive foreground assemblies, invite storying. In each scene, the assemblies become animated; the players take on disposition and purpose. They herd together, their eyes on the interloper; they gain safety in numbers. Sometimes, humanoid, they converse - convivial guests around a dining table. Other times, they form a conga line, dancing along an infinity loop across canvases. The images lure us to find a narrative, despite their subject matter. For the models of these players are bleached skulls of animals, vestiges salvaged from beaches, roadsides and deserts – goats, a sheep, kangaroos and wallaroos, a fox, a dog. For one, there's a weathered fragment of spine; for the rest, no clues, no shards of former lives. The little heads suggest powerlessness, counter to their likely past lives. The goats' horns suggest authority. This is haunting. Globally, we are witnesses to the menace of such hubris and horn-locks.

See work in the exhibition here

TACIT ART 314 Johnston St Abbotsford VIC 3067 Australia

Classes and upcoming shows to watch for

 Oh my giddy Aunt! It is already March - where did February go? I have been remiss in updates last month, no excuse, just my brain being on vacation.

But classes during the past month have gone very well. Our theme is 'Furry Critters', and the aim was to draw a small Australian animal first in graphite and a second with water soluble graphite. The first animal was a sugar glider I supplied and all students did the same image. My work was a series of small demonstrations of how to create fur techniques, so I don't really have any completed work to show you, just this page of tests and fur demos - its a phone shot so top is a bit flashed out:

Fur demos, etc.

 

Reference image, goal was to create a realistic image that elimnated the 'flash' effect of the photo. 

Classes did great works from this reference and we moved on next to using water soluble graphite in our next drawing as tonal base. Image was each artists personal choice. Some did wombats, or koalas or quoka, and even some spinnifex hopping mice. 

I did a small bandicoot from an image I had taken at the Healsville Sanctuary. The process was to draw directly onto your 300gsm hot press paper with the water soluble pencil (I used 4B Derwent Sketch and Wash pencil), then move the graphite with water to create soft background effect and fur undertones. Once this preliminary tonal work was done, overdrawing in standard graphite to create fur and background.

This is my work, nearly finished. There are several things I still need to work on (such as reducing the sharp transition from light to dark arund the head area) but you can see the effect and resulting technique of combining the wash graphite and the dry graphite.

 

WIP 'Bandicoot' by Linda Weil© 2024

Next week we start an animal drawing in colour pencils! fun!

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Here are a few upcoming shows you might like to visit:

Bright Autumn Art show

Now in its 57th year, the Bright Autumn Art Show is one of Australia’s oldest and longest-running art shows. This year’s show has over 650 paintings and drawings on exhibit, from some of Australia’s best known artists. The opening night is on Friday, 29th March from 7pm. Entry is $20, which includes a glass of wine and finger food.

The show will then be open daily from 10am – 4pm until 11th May. The show will close at 12pm on 12th May. Entry $5. 28 Mountbatten Avenue, Bright, Victoria

Bendigo Easter Art Show

Preview: Thursday 28 March 7.00pm – 10.00pm
Exhibition: Friday 29 March to Monday 1 April
Fri to Sun: 9am to 5pm. Mon: 9.00am to 2.30pm

Bendigo Town Hall, Hargreaves St, Bendigo VIC 3550

Blairgowrie Yacht Squadron Easter Art Show

The Blairgowrie Yacht Squadron Easter Art Show is back, celebrating its fourteenth year in 2024. A highlight in the local community’s calendar, the BYS Easter Art Show runs over the Easter long weekend and is proudly supported by Belle Property, Blairgowrie. The show raises funds for the BYS rescue boat fleet which is used to support junior, community and disabled sailing programs and has gone from strength to strength since it began in 2010.

The viewing of works are as follows;
From 6.30pm Friday 29 March Opening Night Function bookings here
10am–5pm Saturday 30 March – Sunday 31 March Tickets at the door, $5
10am–2pm Mon 1 April Tickets at the door, $5

Hope you have the chance to view one of these great Autum shows!

Muster complete

'Muster'

 And here she is completed!

'Muster' by Linda Weil © 2024

Mornington Muster 3

 Here she is - little kelpie completed. Not to move on with grounding her so she isn't floating, and creating background effects. First drawing following is the halfway progress, and the second is 90% finished dog. I will tweak her a bit more once the grounding and background is complete.

Mornington Muster 2

 Had a great day on Wednesday at Mornington art show. Lots of nice people to take to while I demonstrated drawing techniques for 'Muster'. I worked the full day, from 10am until 4.30 so made good progress, but far from completed! Below are some step by step photos showing the process of the drawing:

1. Application of Dry Graphitint

2. Graphitint washed, and colour pencil overdrawing begun starting with the eye. I have used the Staedtler Mars Karat color pencils and Staedtler graphite pencils for this.

3. Close up of the eye

4. Dry color and graphite pencil progress

5. Close up of progress

6. Stage at the end of the day

More progress to follow as I continue to work on this drawing at my home studio.

But I did need to mention this nice surprise I found at Mornington!

A Highly Commended for my graphite drawing, 'The Grandmother Tree'.

Mornington Muster

As told in my previous post, I will be doing a demonstration drawing at the Mornington Art Show on Wednesday January 24, 10am to 12pm, 1pm to 4pm. The convenors requested 'something animal'. I needed to put on my thinking cap because a lot of my recent works have been more 'mechanical' than 'animal'. In fact, I have started working towards my next solo which will be titled 'On Country' which will hopefully have a lot of fun farm machinery.

Keeping to this theme and inspired by season two of Muster Dogs on the ABC, I dug out some old photos of a friends Kelpie and sketched up an idea.

So, this is Tansy, she was only a young dog at that time- she is around 8 or 9 now. I also sourced some shots of mobs of sheep being mustered to add into the background. The sheep are slightly cog shaped which was fun to think about, and I couldn't resist adding a bit of bio-mechanical additions to help Tansy muster those difficult ewes.

'Muster' ©Linda Weil 2024
Planning drawing, final state ready to transfer to 300gsm Lana Hot Press

I quite like using a toned background in my works, usually a tea stain. As this takes some time to dry properly, I have washed in the stain ahead of the demonstration, so the work is prepared for the next steps. I like how the tea color lends itself to the dusty dirt country road.

'Muster' ©Linda Weil 2024, Tea-stained background

So that is the start of this drawing (385 x 285cm). I will work further on this on Wednesday - do come along and see how it progresses!

Demonstration at Mornington Art Show 2024,
Wednesday, Jan 24. 10am - 12pm, 1pm - 4pm

Mornington Art Show
Jan 19 - 26, 2024
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Demonstration at Mornington!

Demonstration at Mornington Art Show 2024,
Jan 24. 10am - 12pm, 1pm - 4pm

Join me at the Mornington art show and watch me create a drawing! Something furry! (or maybe feathery?)

Mornington Art Show
Jan 19 - 26, 2024
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Upcoming VAS Summer exhition
26 Jan - 5 Feb
This is the first VAS members exhibition for 2024.
Join us for the Barbecue and Opening event on Sunday, 28 Jan 12pm to 3pm!
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