Art From the Natural

natural ART FROM THE

A fascinating artistic movement putting natural and found objects in a starring role is gaining traction in BunGeo. Gail Williams meets some of the artists creating beauty from discarded items.

You don’t have to wander too far out yonder to discover that artists see the world in vastly different ways to the rest of us.

Turner found beauty in thunder storms, Van Gogh saw bliss in his own wornout shoes and Damien Hirst spotted something sublime in dead cows. But those living in the south west of WA need look no further than their doorsteps to witness local artists turning sow’s ears into silk purses in the name of art.

And these innovative, environmentally-aware artisans and craftsmen are thinking a lot more left field than paintbrushes and easels for their masterpieces.

Who would have thought that flotsam and jetsam could come together to form a large scale artwork, now on display at the Dolphin Discovery Centre? Or that cracked and chipped old teacups could find their way into mosaics?

What about animal hair, wool and fluff taking on a new life as exquisite fabric?

It’s happening throughout the Bunbury Geographe as a legion of creative types find treasures in the most unlikely landscapes and transform them into stunning artworks which are on show in the plethora of small galleries dotted through the rolling hills.

Cindy Armanasco and

Tarlz Leaf – two selfconfessed hobbits who call their business Clay Dragons – found magic in mud.

They just have to take a walk around their seven hectare property in Mullalyup to source bounteous glacial clay which – after a throw on the pottery wheel and a stint in their purpose-built kiln – transforms into whimsical castles, smoking dragons, wizards, mythical creatures and even dinnerware. Old keys, feathers, bones and discarded glass beads all find new homes in the elegant pieces which take pride of place on coffee tables and hall stands of luxurious homes.

Just a half hour’s drive away in Boyup Brook is Jacquie Brookman, who spends her days and nights fashioning bits of rusty old tin, found on her farm, into wrens, possums and willy wagtails or delicate, lacy doll’s dresses. Set in a frame against a backdrop of pristine white linen, which has a rich and interesting story to tell of its own, these intriguing works are admired by enthralled visitors to the Little Art Gallery in Boyup Brook’s Visitor Centre.

Storm-damaged trees and fallen branches are the inspiration for John Ablett, a former carpenter and joiner who lovingly turns bush detritus into smooth furniture and sleek artworks proudly displayed in his Australind gallery and museum.

Stop by his Featured Wood Gallery and he might even share a yarn with you about the Bunbury Jetty, the local Noongar people or the American Civil War.

These artisans, as they toil away in their meditative crafts, all have one thing in common – a love of history and the environment and a desire to give new life to something old.

Says Cindy Armanasco: “It was a stroke of luck, 40 years ago, finding the glacial clay we work with. I had just graduated from art school and bought the derelict property down here. I was walking around the paddocks and got clay stuck

Jacquie Brookman

on my gumboots, decided to have it tested and found it was glacial clay. I hadn’t done pottery at art school so had to teach myself how to do it. I got a wheel and built a kiln and now Tarlz and I discovered a passion for theses whimsical creatures which we work on together, turning mud into something beautiful and useful. We also do sculptures in riverstone.”

Jacquie Broockman often thinks about the previous life of her unusual materials while she is working away in her studio.

“I do love recycling and upcycling,” she says. “I find beauty in anything – old bits of corrugated iron, barbed wire fences, guttering, they all have a story to tell. The same with the linen and tablecloths.”

And there are dozens of other artists who have their own stories to tell about their joy in giving an elegant new life to inanimate objects which have been lying, overlooked and neglected, in deep dark corners of our State.

WOOD WORKED John Ablett's Featured Wood Gallery is a treasure trove of carved figures and objects.

John Ablett images needed

ABOVE BRAG shop; RIGHT, Eight: The Shift. OPPOSITE, Clay Dragons,AKA Cindy Armanasco and Tariz Leaf.

BRAG EVENTS

/ NOVEMBER Get ahead with your Christmas shopping

Head to BRAG and the Christmas Shop, where you’ll have the chance to buy unique, handmade gifts by local artists and craftspeople. BRAG, Bunbury, November 14 to January 10.

Photography in the spotlight

Eight: The Shift is an exhibition of photography by Christopher Young. Uncovering end-of-life cultural experiences, the work explores how people respond to environments, institutions and experiences they encounter during such times. Eight: The Shift, BRAG, Bunbury, November 21 to February 21.

/ DECEMBER Emerging talent on show

The Edith Cowen University Graduate Exhibition gives art lovers the chance to snap up works by future artistic stars. BRAG, Bunbury, December 12 to February 7.

Hidden histories revealed

Drew Pettifer’s A Sorrowful Act is an exhibition which unearth’s hidden queer histories. A Sorrowful Act, BRAG, Bunbury, December 12 to February 14.

/ JANUARY Inspired by our Sister City

Helena Sahm’s exhibition, The Architecture of Happiness, led her to the Yangtze Delta region and the Zhejiang province in China, where Bunbury’s sister city of Jiaxing belongs. The resulting work is the core of this exhibition. The Architecture of Happiness, BRAG, Bunbury, January 1 to April 18.

/ FEBRUARY Lost toys and discarded things

Megan Shaw’s exhibition, Reassumed Ends, explores the allure and value of discarded objectsm, creating a discussion about the hierarchy of material. Reassumed Ends, BRAG, Bunbury, February 13 to March 28.

/ MARCH Exploring gender identity

The Bunbury Biennale is a major contemporary art exhibition, which this year is entitled HE I SHE I THEY. It aims to explore notions of inclusion and diversity as 37 WA artists engage with the theme through various media. HE I SHE I THEY, BRAG, Bunbury, March 6 to June 6.

For more information, visit brag.org.au

The Capel Makers Trail

Friday May 21 to Sunday May 23, 2021

The Capel Makers Trail is a local makers and artisans Trail that will run for 3 days from Friday May 21 to Sunday May 23, 2021, from 9am to 5pm each day. Showcasing the very best that is handmade from within the Shire of Capel, the Trail brings artists and makers together in the heart of each town in their community centres, and branches out to include maker businesses and visits with makers in their home studios. Meet the maker, learn their story, be inspired by “Makers Making”. Along the Trail there are many opportunities to buy art and artisanal products.

Proudly supported by Community Bank Capel

www.capelmakerstrail.com.au www.facebook.com/capelmakerstrail capelmakerstrail@hotmail.com | FOUND | spring • summer 2020/21 Enquiries Ph 0407 991 211 23