Super Bloom opens at regional gallery

hand haberdashery and am a frequent visitor to The Sewing Basket at Kincumber.”

For Gillian, the period of COVID lockdowns was an artistic boon.

“It was a depressing time, but art is something that really helped me through that,” she said.

“I found that the time where we all had to stay at home and think about our lives during the pandemic was actually a very fruitful time for me.

“The normal everyday routine was changed and I started being more playful, with some of the pressure off.

“I experimented a lot more and took up painting more seriously.

“I found it very freeing.”

The result is Super Bloom –an exciting mix of sculptures, installations and paintings.

The name comes from a rare phenomenon where wildflowers in the desert bloom all at once after a long period of drought.

It is also the name of one of the featured pieces, which includes all manner of materials including some which were given to Gillian after one of her friends passed away from COVID.

“He was a bower bird and a fashion designer and had collected all sorts of things like the plastic rings you find around jars,” she said.

“I have included some of those in my sculpture as a nod to him.”

Also included in the exhibition is Mind Garden, an installation of more than 80 hanging sculptures which work together as a whole.

“It is a glimpse into my mind and some of my thoughts and feelings,” Gillian said.

“I have exhibited it previously but each time it changes and grows with new sculptures.

“I plan to keep adding to it through my lifetime, evolving it constantly.”

Super Bloom, in the gallery foyer space, will open at 6pm on Friday, June 2, and remain on show until July 18.

Long weekend fun at Pearl Beach

Pearl Beach has some special events lined up for the June long weekend.

Nestled between Brisbane Water National Park and Broken Bay, the village offers a variety of recreational activities from enjoying the beach to bushwalking and experiencing the natural bushland of Crommelin Native Arboretum. The beachside town holds regular community activities.

There will be a Garage Sale Market on Saturday, June 10, from 9am-2pm in the Pearl Beach Memorial Hall.

More than 20 stalls will be selling a variety of pre-loved vintage clothes, bric-a-brac, jewellery, collectables, furniture, homewares and toys.

There will also be a sausage sizzle, and raffle.

On Sunday, June 11, from 8.30am-10am the Monthly

Community Breakfast and local Growers Market will be held. Enjoy a sausage sizzle and buy from a variety of homegrown vegetables, fruit and pastries at the Memorial Hall. For more information on what’s happening at Pearl Beach check out pearlbeachprogress.org.au.

To celebrate Bastille Day, Avoca Beach Theatre will turn on An Evening in Paris featuring the romance of France with songs from Edith Piaf, Charles Trenet, Aznavour and many more.

A French/Australian chanteuse accordionist based in Sydney will be performing a repertoire from her sold-out London West End show.

Since the release of her debut album La Musique, Emma Hamilton has toured the world, not only opening for guitar legend Tommy Emmanuel, but enticing audiences with her own blend of French and jazz-

Romance of France comes to Avoca Beach

inspired music. Her raspy enveloping voice transports the audience to another era while her vocals dance and plays with her undeniably catchy, fresh songs, right through to French classics which she sings with luscious authenticity and passion.

Hamilton is accompanied by her brother Thomas, whose musical sophistication is showcased through outstanding musicianship on a number of musical instruments, namely piano.

Her original music is laced with retro undertones, world music and pop as it draws inspiration from anything from Piaf to Dr. John.

The brother and sister mingle their honeyed vocal tones with harmonies that leaves you guessing which is which.

This show, bubbling with fun will elevate your senses, taking you to another time and place and leave you humming the songs for the rest of the week.

Bastille Day with Emma Hamilton will be on Friday, July 14, from 7.30-9.30pm at Avoca Beach Theatre.

The Coral Snakes drift into Gosford

Dave Graney has reunited with the original members of The Coral Snakes for a 30th anniversary tour of their 1993 hit record Night of The Wolverine and will appear at Drifter’s Wharf, Gosford, on Saturday, August 26.

Joining Graney an the 30th anniversary tour are Clare Moore on drums, Rod Hayward on guitar and Robin Casinader on violin and keyboards.

The four recorded Night Of

The Wolverine in 1993 and will be joined on the tour by Stu Thomas on the bass.

Dave Graney and The Coral Snakes made their own way through the 90s, producing four albums with wit, flash and weirdness.

They had ambition, power and style and were standouts of festivals happening at the time.

They were regular performers on national TV, sold enough for a Soft n Sexy Gold Disc and were nominated for and won a couple of ARIA awards.

Coinciding with the tour, Graney is releasing a book of his complete lyrics covering his career and projects.

The tour will also see the first ever release of Wolverine on vinyl – the album was only released previously on CD.

The August 26 show will start at 8pm.

Book on the Drifter’s Wharf website.

Philippa Kaye is one of three local authors who will launch their new books at Kincumber Library on June 1 as part of the Words on the Waves Writers Festival.

In 1984, hairstyles were big, skirts were short, and every girl – and some boys – was watching Michael Hutchence swing his gorgeous hips.

Kaye’s debut novel, Girl Detectives Just Wanna Have Fun, takes the reader back to the 80s when there was no COVID, no social media and the environment was nowhere near in crisis.

Life was all about reading Cleo magazine and having fun.

Girl Detectives Just Wanna Have Fun is a cosy mystery with romance and follows protagonist, Birdie Mealing, whose uncle goes missing.

Detective Herb Lawson would