Slp arts zine march 2015 by Robyn Werkhoven

studio la primitive

arts zine issue 9 march 2015

STUDIO LA PRIMITIVE ERIC & ROBYN WERKHOVEN - CONTEMPORARY ARTISTS

NEW WEBSITE: www.studiolaprimitive.net/

ARTS ZINE also available at new website.

www.studiolaprimitive.net/ ARTS ZINE NOW AVAILABLE AT STUDIO LA PRIMITIVE NEW WEBSITE.

ANDREW SHILLAM

slp

studio la primitive EDITOR

Robyn Stanton Werkhoven CONTRIBUTORS

Andrew Shillam

Carlin McLellan

Rindi Salomon

Brad Evans

Bernadette Smith

Max Howe

Lorraine Fildes

Eric Werkhoven

Project 504 -

Robyn Werkhoven

Kathrin Longhurst

Front Cover: Horse - Andrew Shillam, photo by Simon Hughes Above: House Among the Trees - Andrew Shillam Please do not copy articles in this magazine without written permission of the Editor. Copyright ÂŠ 2014 Studio La Primitive, All rights reserved. Issue 9

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INDEX

RINDI SALOMON

Index………………………………………………… 5 Editorial………………………..Robyn Werkhoven 6 Studio La Primitive Antics……E&R Werkhoven

Featured Artist……………… Andrew Shillam

8 - 21

Poetry ………………………… Brad Evans

22 - 25

Featured Artist ……………… Rindi Salomon

26 - 39

Short Story…………………… Max Howe

40 - 45

Kettles’s Yard …………….

Lorraine Fildes

46 - 59

Poetry …………………………Carlin McLellan

60 - 61

PROJECT 504 ……………….Kathrin Longhurst 62 - 65 Poetry ………………………….Eric Werkhoven

66 - 67

Art News………………………… ………………

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EDITORIAL Greetings to all our ARTS ZINE readers for 2015. Our first issue for 2015 features interviews with nationally recognised artists Andrew Shillam and Rindi Salomon . Lorraine Fildes travel writer and photographer visits Kettle’s Yard, which houses a wonderful collection of Henri Gaudier - Brzeska sculptures. We look at books published in recent years by artist / photographer Bernadette Smith. Artist Kathrin Longhurst’s Project 504, arts initiative kicked off with a grand opening on the 20th February, read all about this dynamic studio / gallery complex in St Leonards, Sydney. Don’t miss reading our new essays, poetry and art news. Two new writers join our Zine, Brad Evans and Max Howe. Howe gives us a highly emotive short story. The ARTS ZINE features professional Hunter Valley, national and international visual artists poets and writers, glimpses into their world of art and their creative processes. Submissions welcomed, we would love to have your words and art works in future editions in 2015.

Email: werkhovenr@bigpond.com Best wishes to all our contributors and readers for 2015! Regards - your editor Robyn Werkhoven Issue 9

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www.studiolaprimitive.net/ Issue 9

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ANDREW SHILLAM

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ANDREW SHILLAM - INTERVIEW BACKGROUND: “I was born in Brisbane in 1974 and brought up in the Clarence Valley on the north coast of NSW where my parents built a mud brick house on a hundred acres of bushland. I moved to Newcastle to study at the university when I was eighteen and I majored in ceramics. In 1996 I completed the Graduate Diploma in Art and had my first solo exhibition at Back to back Galleries in Cooks Hill. In 1997 I met Rindi Salomon and we started exhibiting together, travelling together and working together. We got married in 2001 after a year of travelling and working through out the U.K.” Other interests? “I love poetry: Yeats, Dylan Thomas, A.E. Housman, and Thomas Hardy are probably my favourite poets. I also love jazz music, chess, and modern literature. I am interested in travelling. I write poetry and short stories.” When did your artistic passion begin? “My great Uncle and Aunt were sculptors – Leonard and Kathleen Shillam. They used to visit my parents farm and I

remember following my aunty Kath around drawing the animals when I was about ten. That was an early influence but a real passion for art didn’t begin till I was in high school and university. I remember liking Charles Blackman’s painting in high school and Rodin was an early influence on my ceramic sculpture, now I prefer more abstract work but at the time I thought they were great.” Opposite page: The Bull - wood sculpture - Andrew Shillam Issue 9

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The Horse - wood sculpture - Andrew Shillam ÂŠ2015 Issue 9

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Describe your work? “My interest in sculpture started with ceramics and moved to carving stone and wood. Recently I have been making wood constructions. Alongside this I’ve exhibited linocut prints, drawings, ceramic reliefs and gouache paintings. The style is abstract based and usually figurative – stylized figures of people and animals with a sort of expressive geometry influenced by the modernists and ancient art and tribal art. A couple of years ago I wanted a break from carving. After I saw an exhibition of gouache paintings I thought that would be one form of painting I could try. I limited the designs to simple shapes and only three or four colours and no tones and did a series of small paintings which have a modernist abstract style.” What inspires you? “A lot of early Greek art – Minoan and Cycladic as well as the early Modernists inspire me - sculptors such as Henri Gaudier -Brzeska, Lipchitz, Brancusi, Moore and Hepworth are a great source of inspiration. Any artwork with strong geometry and formal inventiveness impresses me. I am also inspired by what I read; the work of Joseph Campbell on Mythology, Jung, poetry, short stories and modern literature all feed into my art as well as my experience of life. I believe Art affects you directly, on a level that is beyond words, so it is difficult to talk about – you have to experience it but I know the experience begins with the eyes and then stimulates the emotions or spirit. To do this the artist requires a command of visual form. Through out the history of art most work has been stylized according to abstract designs, most figurative work is distorted to engage our imaginations, limbs lengthened or shortened according to an over all visual composition that arrests our minds and allows us to experience something beyond thought. Clive Bell calls this significant form. I see my work as part of this tradition.” Issue 9

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Hunter wooden sculpture - Andrew Shillam ÂŠ 2015 Issue 9

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Name your greatest achievement, exhibitions? “Having a photo of one of my sculptures made into a billboard on the Pacific Highway promoting the Grafton Regional Gallery is a highlight but the thing I’m most proud of is having an exhibition at Von Bertouch Gallery. Not because it was any great success but because I loved the place – her gallery was so original and full of character. Some artists didn’t like showing there because there was so much to compete with – the colour of the old bricks, the plants and the furniture – but it all helped created a great atmosphere. Ann Von Bertouch was quite old when I had a show there. I remember on the opening night of my exhibition approaching her and saying hello. She looked at me with a frown and said, “who are you again, sweets?” When I said I was one of the exhibiting artists she didn’t miss a beat “Of course you are, I’m so sorry, sweets…” Every time we went to see how the show was going she gave us eggs – half a dozen or a dozen – she must have had a huge store of them because she was giving them out to a lot of people. She also had food out that she offered to people looking at the artwork which was great if you were a student or on the dole – getting some brie or even a glass of champagne. I remember thinking when I first saw her gallery how much I’d like to exhibit there. I didn’t show there until 2002 not long before she died and the gallery closed down. Showing at John Miller Gallery was a great experience. He supported artists because they made good work not just because they sold well. I had several exhibitions there and I’ll always be grateful of the opportunity he gave me to exhibit in such a beautiful space.”

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Countryscape - media: gouache - Andrew Shillam Issue 9

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What are you working on at present? “Last year I began a series of constructed sculptures of animals and figures, stylized into simple geometric designs. After years of carving from a single block of material I have started carving and cutting several parts and joining the pieces together and I have found the experience liberating. Direct carving is a discipline and I love it but it also demanding and frustrating, especially when you get to the end and find you are not happy with the result. My best pieces of carving directly from a single block have been in sandstone, the process is much easier than carving wood because you are not restricted by the grain. So starting to assemble work has been a much more satisfying experience for me, firstly because the idea is not restricted by the size of the piece of wood and secondly if it doesn’t work you have the option of changing the part you are not happy with while keeping the bits you like. Direct carving does teach you a lot about design and I think that has influenced the assembled work I have been doing. I haven’t disguised the joints but have tried to use them as part of the design itself by defining the component parts of the sculpture. The influence of early Greek work comes through in these pieces a bit too, also from my Aunt and Uncle who were well known for their animal sculptures.” Your future aspirations with your art? “I would like to make a truly timeless sculpture, something with a perfect combination of opposing and harmonising forms that would stand the test of time like the Cycladic figure sculptures. I would love one day to be able to live solely from doing my artwork and not have to work part time. However I am resigned to the probability that this may never happen and am happy doing my artwork for myself.”

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Three Figures Media: gouache Andrew Shillam ÂŠ 2015 Issue 9

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Suburban Blues media: gouache Andrew Shillam ÂŠ 2015 Issue 9

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Mother and Child Ceramic wall sculpture Andrew Shillam ÂŠ 2015 Issue 9

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Bird and Cat - ceramic wall sculpture - Andrew Shillam ÂŠ 2015 Issue 9

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Two Fish - ceramic wall sculpture - Andrew Shillam ÂŠ 2015 Issue 9

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Forthcoming exhibitions: Andrew Shillam and Rindi Salomon â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 25th March to the 10th May at the Grafton Regional Art Gallery. Art Systems Wickham Gallery, Newcastle - 22 May to 31st May. 40 Annie Street Wickham NSW. Web site: http://shillamsalomonart.com.au/

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BRAD EVANS - Poet’s Background Notes

B R A D

P O E T R Y

“Born in Sydney, ’71 . Was once a casual, relieving teacher, now a community library assistant. My scribblings (poems, short stories, etc.) have been published in magazines and anthologies in various countries. A full-length book of my poems, and them and the jackals and the night, was privately published in 2001. The odd copy may still be found in 2nd hand bookshops, but I am presently wrestling with an

acrobat nicknamed “Adobe” to get it into a down-readable / loadable .pdf

Was once the founder and editor of the print and online journal, Red

Some back issues and an audio CD of the journal’s launch in

Lamp, which published realist, socialist and humanitarian poetry.

Newcastle, featuring working-class poetry from the inaugural issue,

amounts of dust.)”

are still available. (In fact I have them in a box collecting wonderful - Brad Evans 2015

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Autumn Evening at 'The Anchor', Ely listening to the squabbles of flying foxes high above I lift my ale at 'The Anchor', As we sit outside and pass some time,

while watching your slow, western descent into the hot, restless night.

Ride the cool, evening air waiting for our train.

- Brad Evans ÂŠ 2015

My nose sniffs beyond the fruity fumes and nudges Venus, reflecting in the black water Venus - slow, shimmering, fat, white dot! I've seen you in many places... But the fondest of them all was back at Nelson Bay, myself in dreamy youth, the eucalyptus blossoms of a late January summer falling all around me, Issue 9

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after the summer downpour

flattened, soggy, orange shopping bag seen down below.

clouds empty as they slowly pass.

puddles, loyal to mercury, shimmer as they catch the final drops: rippling out those perfect circles. -Brad Evans ÂŠ 2015

the rain eases to a sprinkle. Issue 9

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my wife's sandwich she's gorgeous, my considerate wife, making me a sandwich for work. And when I eat it, I taste the nuptial journey of bread first followed by a slice of pepper-coated pastrami an unevenly cut cheese I find tucked behind the frisee this then follows with a burst of mayo or tomato: flavours unmarred & unpredictable as marriage. - Brad Evans ÂŠ 2015 Issue 9

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RINDI SALOMON

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RINDI SALOMON - INTERVIEW BACKGROUND: “I was born in 1978 in Darlinghurst in Sydney; I attended a Steiner school till the age of ten. I moved to Newcastle in 1997 and studied first year Visual Art at Tafe. I travelled through the U.K. in 2000. After my return to Australia I married Andrew Shillam. At present we live in Grafton NSW. After the birth of my first child I worked in lino cut prints moving to oil painting when the children were older. Australian artists’ influences include Dorrit Black, Paddy Bedford and Roland Wakelin.”

When did your artistic passion begin? “When I was six years old I was taken to Sydney with my parents to see Monet’s water garden series. The beauty of those works made a powerful impression, I remember looking into one painting of a bride over a pool and thinking it was the most beautiful thing I had seen. I still have the water colour that I made, trying to copy that artwork. Attending a Steiner school meant that my early artistic experiences were rich and my artworks were encouraged and valued. Painting and drawing was a daily activity and it was seen as having more importance than other subjects such as Maths and English, at least in the early years. When I moved out of this environment, to a catholic school it was a shock to find that the artistic emphasis that I had taken for the norm was not universal, but though it was a shock to find that art was no longer something we could do everyday, in fact we had to wait till Thursday afternoon and then only if we had time, art was the one thing that was still familiar. In high school I saw some large works by Robert Dickerson. The intensity of expression in the woman’s eyes fascinated me. I think it may have been then that the idea of being an artist first occurred to me.” Issue 9

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Evening Street Rindi Salomon - ÂŠ 2015 Issue 9

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Rindi describes her work: “Painting landscapes and cityscapes in a geometric and stylised way is my main interest. My work is sometimes nearly abstract but always originates in ideas from the world around me. I am constantly collecting in my sketch book and photographing images that have a basic geometric structure that appeals to me and fits with all the other structures I already have in my head. It’s a process of assembling all these different structures to form a new scene that has a satisfying harmony. Often when drawing I feel that I need a triangle in this corner and as houses have triangular roofs I put a house in the corner. I think that it is easier to make a good design when the subject matter suits the composition rather than the composition being secondary to the subject matter. After all any THING can be made to look fascinating, a suburban house, a doorway and the space between two trees. It is the way that the shapes interact that matters.”

What inspires you? “At the moment Grafton is my biggest inspiration, with its many art deco era buildings, its lush subtropical vegetation, its beautiful big river and the quiet emptiness of its streets on a Sunday, which must be like what they were in the 1950’s. All of this feeds into my art and is wonderful subject matter. We are all so familiar with busy wintry European modern landscapes but it is hard to find beautifully composed modern tropical paintings. Tarsila Do Amaral, the Brazilian modernist painter was a wonderful exception. I would love to paint the world I know in the way she did with the same freshness and energy. Our trees, buildings, mountains and streets have a unique quality that is fascinating to use as subject matter because it hasn’t been done too many times. The Norfolk Island pine, the many palms we have and cottages from the turn of last century are particular subjects that seem to have so many ways in which they can be stylised.” Issue 9

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Your future aspirations with your art? “I would just like to keep painting. I would like to stay interested in what I am doing, for it to always feel new, which it has so far. The idea of making a living from art and being able to give up the day job seems so wildly fabulous that I try to give as much thought to it as winning the lottery. Anyway, the benefits of being a part time artist are considerable. When you work to fund your art you are free of the pressures that can surround the artist working for a specific market. I find that the commercial influence can be draining and distracting. I like the luxury of being able to paint what interests me, and to show those works without the main preoccupation being on sales. It is necessary to be able to find a part time job that leaves enough energy for you to be able to make artwork, a job that doesn’t leave you emotionally and spiritually drained and I think that can be hard to find. Luckily, for the moment, I have found that.” Other interests? “Living in Grafton can be difficult at times. Watching the television a month ago I saw an inner-city street on the news, it was all concrete and there were rubbish bags dumped on the footpath, I could almost smell the smog, I breathed deeply with longing thinking of the art galleries the jazz clubs the Latin music played in small pubs that I miss out on. Though there are some things in Grafton that make up for what I am missing, like the ability to work part time and to be still able to own a home with a studio for each of us, but it is studying Spanish with a great teacher that is for me Grafton’s best opportunity. Learning a second language is as creative and as interesting as art is. It helps you to think differently and introduces you to things that you may never have known about otherwise. My plan is to keep learning Spanish and to go to Spain when I can, to see the art of Picasso, Miro, Dali and the Muslim architecture of Andalusia.” Issue 9

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Town Hall Rindi Salomon ÂŠ 2015

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Name your greatest achievement, exhibitions? “Having my small painting turned into a billboard and placed on the highway was an amazing experience. To see it on so large a scale was amazing but also to see it in the middle of the landscape it was depicting was fascinating because on one level it was almost abstract it had been simplified so much, but on another level I felt satisfied that it had captured the same mood. I had drawn the original sketch on the same stretch of the river not knowing what it might become. It has been good to show in Sydney and Melbourne but the exhibitions I have been most proud of have been in Newcastle. When you show in Newcastle you feel that people are paying attention, sometimes noticing things that you didn’t yourself. I have shown some of my best work in the shows I had at John Miller and John Paynter knowing that people would be paying attention.”

What are you working on at present? “I am working on two paintings right now; one of an island a little down the river with plants that are a banana-palm hybrid with what may be a storm developing in the sky behind. The other work is a collection of five houses on a street with a hill and palms that I think of as Grafton, but would perhaps be hard for others to recognise.” – Rindi Salomon © 2015

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Three Women - Rindi Salomon ÂŠ 2015

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River Bank - Rindi Salomon ÂŠ 2015 Issue 9

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Woman in Green Rindi Salomon ÂŠ 2015 Issue 9

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With the Hills Behind - Rindi Salomon ÂŠ 2015 Issue 9

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River Bank with White Houses - Rind Salomon ÂŠ 2015 Issue 9

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Red Afternoon Rindi Salomon ÂŠ 2015 Issue 9

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Forthcoming Exhibitions: Rindi Salomon and Andrew Shillam – 25th March to the 10th May at the Grafton Regional Gallery Art Systems Wickham in Newcastle from 22 May to 31st May. 40 Annie Street Wickham NSW. Web site: http://www.shillamsalomonart.com.au/

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Tent Fighter short story by Max

Howe

We stood outside watching a teenage Aboriginal in a silky Emerald green gown dance on the platform in front of the tent. Every muscle tightened under his skin. A faded canvas drape behind him suggested a world champion inside would take anyone on. Local farm workers, excited at the prospect of a fight handed ruffled notes to the old spruiker before filing between the parted canvas separating two poorly painted boxers, scratched and wrinkled from age and damaged by weather. Without money, we slipped down the side of the tent poking our heads under the canvas. Half in and half out, we could easily reverse our intent of free admission as silly curiosity. If discovered. Like two quick lizards we slipped in. The older blokes ushered us to a spot at the front. The yellowed grass we sat on was hard, shattered by patches of dry dusty ground. The old spruiker appeared in a white collared shirt with a small set of boxing gloves printed on the front. His dirty toes gripped cheap thongs as he turned to the four Aboriginal boys dressed in sandshoes and boxing gloves. They shimmered in perspiration. Referee was stamped in black letters across his back as he turned toward us, flicking his finger making us move back. A farmer, maybe thirty two or three, was cheered into the ring. His mates laughed and yelled making the tent smell of beer and sweat. Issue 9

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Both arms were thick above the elbows with hair smothering his chest up to a roughly shaven line beneath his chin then right up past his ears into a military style short back and sides. The referee waited for the crowd to hiss and whistle some more . The farmer stood resolute, arms crossed, his centre of gravity marking a boundary in front of him. The air bristled and pure raging wild tough stinking animal energy flashed throughout my being. At once the crowd became a whirling black and blue storm crashing in from the South China Sea destroying everything in its path. Raw manhood; unleashed. A fine young Aboriginal boy pranced into the ring. A wisp of a thing with scratched red gloves as big as his head were strapped firmly around his wrists. He quickly hopped from foot to foot punching an imaginary invader. He did not see his opponentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s cold eye who stood still, arms folded sometimes letting one arm drop to clench his fist, loosen it and clench again. Gloves were pulled recklessly over his thick fingers, scared and torn from work. The Aboriginal boy darted cricket like about his small grassed area. I saw his frozen eye then, as the light hit his face. I looked into the deep dark spaces of an animal trapped in the headlights of a truck. He looked everywhere, a quick escape, screaming in fear but determined that it would soon end. Concussed. Unconscious. Free. The crowd became a pack of saliva dribbling dogs having caught their prey they were now ready to tear it to pieces. The boyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s bare feet twisted into the dirt as I began to perspire. Complete ice shot out to every part of my body.

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A clear sprinkling sound of a spoon tapped against porcelain started round one. There was no noise as the young boxer nimbly avoided the farmer's clumsy dead weight punches until one connected, snapping the Aboriginal’s jaw and sending him sailing into the ground. Unconscious in front of me his eyes were blank. His cheek, pushed by the weight of his head against the dirty grass that punched little strips marked into his skin as the farmer relished the adoration of his mates. And I waited. Instantly the boy shot to his feet to send a volley of acute punches to the face of the surprised farmer. He was unconcerned at the attempt. Hits around the eyes landed on the past scars of previous pub brawls and bullying school scraps ending in the lacerated face of some smaller opponent way down in the back of the school yard. He even laughed. The crowd, knowing who was the better fighter, became angered at the obvious intellect and tenacity of the younger man. They began to bellow “kill the boong,” “knock his black head off,” “kill the coon" as one of the farmer's gloves flew off out into the crowd. The Aboriginal boy waved intervention from the referee before another thick grinding bare knuckled punch slammed hard into the side of his face. He fought back straight away with well-directed punches that only dazed the farmer boy who threw more lazy alcohol affected punches still missing the boy who then shot another lot of clean hits deliberately missing the square jaw to tear the laces past his ear with the speed of a Catlin gun. The little bell rang. The farmer stood waiting, eyes filled with fury as his red ear dribbled blood. The second round came with the clink of breaking glass.

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The boy quickly jumped from his corner seat right into a punch that rained in from above to strike him across the forehead then onto the top of his nose. A puppet, strings disconnected, he collapsed front of me. Small puffs of dirt blew away from his nose at each breath. His eyes stared nowhere. A fine line of red outlined where his teeth had been loosened from his gums. The crowd cheered and clapped the victor who strode about waving both hands in the air. The boy was lifted by the back of his shorts , steadied, his teeth pushed into place then he was made to shake the farmerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s hand while holding his jaw in place with his other hand. He wandered out into the crowd to find the way to casualty. As we left I heard another young replacement heralded into the ring, his credentials recalled tent fights from Innisfail, along the Atherton tablelands and up a far as Cooktown. No where really, just making enough to keep a little troop of punch drunk native kids alive and on the move between festivals and shows above the tropic of Capricorn in the late 1950â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s.

- Max Howe ÂŠ 2015

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Christian Cross Oil on canvas Max Howe ÂŠ 2015 Issue 9

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MAX HOWE-Background Notes: Max Howe, artist, writer, and political activist. Howe’s art work is in many government institutions and private collections. He established Loumax Gallery which is between Katoomba and Leura (now Nolan on Lovel Gallery). Worked in art education. “I have completed various degrees and qualifications in Visual Arts. Entered mixed exhibitions and had four solo shows of painting. Selected as a finalist in the 2014 Mosman Art Award . I have worked in many different industries from coal mining, labourer at Port Kembla steel works and as a bosun on a sea going dredging ship, and on smaller tugs along the east coast of NSW. My deep commitment to social justice began when I left school in year nine and worked for a short period with the Port Kembla Painters and Dockers. Since, I have been involved in many union subcommittees as well as completing artwork for a range of activities initiated by different left wing groups. I would vote for a viable communist party and am at present reading Russel Brand's book "Revolution". I love my many children and their mothers.” - Max Howe © 2015

Available artwork by Max Howe visit web site:

www.georgcello.com/loumax.htm Issue 9

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KETTLE’S YARD Lorraine Fildes

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KETTLE’S YARD - Lorraine Fildes Kettle's Yard is a most unusual name for a building housing a unique collection of sculptures and paintings. Kettle’s Yard was originally the Cambridge home of Jim Ede and his wife Helen between 1958 and 1973. Moving to Cambridge in 1956, they converted four small cottages into one large house to display the Ede's collection of early 20th-century art. Jim had been a curator at the Tate Gallery in London in the 1920s and 1930s. During these years he gathered a remarkable collection of paintings and sculptures. Jim was particularly impressed with the sculptor Henri Gaudier- Brzeska’s work and had purchased work direct from him as well as buying much of Henri’s work from Sophie Brzeska's estate. Jim sold a Brancusi sculpture that he owned to purchase the Brzeska works. Kettle’s Yard is a shrine to the artist Gaudier-Brzeska. You will find more of his sculptures and drawings here than in any other museum. At Kettle's Yard Jim Ede carefully positioned these artworks alongside his other household objects, furniture, ceramics, paintings etc. to show the works to their best advantage. Jim maintained an 'open house' each afternoon, giving any visitors a personal tour of his collection. In 1966 he gave the house and its contents to the University of Cambridge. Opposite page : Red Stone Dancer - Henri Gaudier - Brzeska

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Living room view, Kettleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Yard. Issue 9

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Today each afternoon (apart from Mondays) visitors can ring the bell and ask to look around. It feels like dropping in to visit a friend as the guides are hospitable, encouraging you to sit on the many chairs and sofas that are scattered throughout the house and study the artworks at ease. The staff are clearly very proud of the house and protective over its contents. You cannot carry your coat or bag around and need to leave it with staff - all bags or large items are left in a cupboard and one signs the visitor’s book. Wandering around one doesn’t feel under pressure and the guides are ready and willing to offer up information about the artists and their work. What an experience! I just loved the way the art collection was presented and the access you were given to these wonderful works on display. It is really good to see how sculptures and paintings should be presented and furthermore you can study them in a relaxed manner. The house is built over three levels. There are lounge rooms, dining rooms, kitchens, bathrooms and bedrooms, all of which display artworks. Even the attic has a large collection of drawings! - Lorraine Fildes © 2015

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Bird Swallowing a Fish - Henri Gaudier-Brzeska Issue 9

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Garden Ornament - Henri Gaudier - Brzeska Issue 9

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Caritas Henri Gaudier - Brzeska

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Dog sculpture - Henri Gaudier - Brzeska Issue 9

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Maternity - Henri Gaudier - Brzeska Issue 9

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Dancer Henri Gaudier - Brzeska

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Garden Ornament II Henri Gaudier - Brzeska

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Sculptural Object Henri Gaudier - Brzeska

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Door Knocker Henri Gaudier - Brzeska

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Golden Fish - Henri Gaudier - Brzeska

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Send me a Postcard Carlin McLellan

Our furtive eye contact is probably just love for each other hyperextended out towards the entire universe

What is it that you want

& all the creatures at the bottom of the ocean

to say but can't say? I offer you a Marlboro Light

I wonder when

which you tacitly decline

we will see each other again Maybe you'll have a kid

I search your face for something

Or I'll have a kid

resembling a smile as you stare at your shoes

I wonder what Will happen at the end

Fair enough, they are nice shoes

of the thirty-seventh Batman movie

But won't you tell me

I want to know what is going to

what is really going on

Happen right now

with you? But sometimes We sit silently at the end of the pier

Not knowing

& pelicans yawn on the roof of the toilet block

Helplessly, hopelessly not knowing Is kinda nice - Carlin McLellan ÂŠ 2015 Issue 9

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Pitch black night, headlights busted

For no reason that I can know

Carlin McLellan

Sunshine bites me on the hand & I become aware of a new kind of movement & momentum

Sunshine cat knows pretty much everything & I know a few things also Whatever they are I hold them close & tight to my chest On certain nights

Rustling at my feet I get in the car and start driving I hold my breath Past the cemetery and then over the dinosaur bridge - Carlin McLellen ÂŠ 2015

(and even in the day too) when the things I know for sure come back to me I become very, very calm & quiet & Everything feels very, very ineffable

Carlin McLellan is a Novocastrian musician and poet based in Berlin. Carlin's poetry has appeared in The Curious Record and the Word Hurl Times. In October 2014 Carlin self-published his first collection of poetry, Senseless Grace, which can be found online at:

reversecymbalpress.bigcartel.com Issue 9

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PROJECT 504

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MEDIA RELEASE- New Art Initiative to open in St Leonards - PROJECT 504 St Leonards art scene will come alive as Project [504] launches. Project [504] is an experimental, co-operative art initiative in the heart of St Leonards showcasing an eclectic mix of well-known and emerging Australian artists; including regular finalists in the Archibald Prize, the Doug Moran and the Sulman Prize. Sponsored by Charter Hall, one of Australia’s leading property groups which manages $12.1 billion of quality office, industrial and retail assets, Project [504] has been established to provide an outlet for artist’s to showcase their work outside the mainstream gallery scene. It also offers artists a supportive creative working environment, enabling collaboration across genres and mediums and fuelling innovation and creativity. The space at 504 Pacific Highway is currently showing the works of a number of artists and will host art classes, workshops, events, exhibitions and creative projects over the coming months. Resident Project [504] artists and directors are now accepting proposals for use of the space, and have received overwhelming interest to date. Natalie Devlin, Charter Hall’s Head of People, Brand and Community said the Group was proud to be partnering with the local North Sydney community to offer Project [504] space at its Pacific Highway office building. “Public interest initiatives, such as Project [504], can have such a positive social impact, creating stronger engagement within mixed use areas and bringing communities to life.

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PROJECT 504 - artists run gallery and studios - (photo Evert Ploeg) Exhibiting artists: Evert Ploeg, Giles Alexander, Abdul Abdullah, Luke Cornish, Will Coles, Kathrin Longhurst, Mertim Gokalp, Mia Galo, Yang-en Hume, Nick Stathopoulous, Marcus Callum.

www.project504.com.au. Issue 9

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“Project [504] has taken an under utilised space at 504 Pacific Highway and brought together different parts of the community to create a more interesting and engaging environment.” “Charter Hall is excited to be part of this innovative space; it’s great to see the local community supporting Project [504] and to see the first art works hanging in the gallery for everyone to enjoy,” Ms Devlin added. Kathrin Longhurst, a Director of Project [504] has been inundated with local support and is working with a number of artists to provide an opportunity that will help them create and showcase their work in a beautiful setting. “We have enjoyed incredible support so far, both from our corporate sponsor Charter Hall, Lane Cove Council and other businesses in the area who have been donating furniture, equipment, supplies and their services. It’s been so much fun meeting new people and seeing the response to what we are creating in the space. “There are many artists out there who are very excited to be part of Project [504]. We chose the name Project [504] to indicate that this space is evolving organically and is quite experimental. We don’t know where it will lead and that is part of the fun with it. It can become anything that the artists and community want it to be. One thing is for sure – it won’t be boring,” Ms Longhurst said. Project [504], located at 504 Pacific Highway, St Leonards launched with a mixed art exhibition on 20th February 2015. Project [504] is open to the public between 1pm and 6pm weekdays. For more information about the exhibition or to enquire about using the space please contact Director Kathrin Longhurst on: 04111 44 893 or check out the website www.project504.com.au. Issue 9

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Blue Buddha Eric Werkhoven ÂŠ 2015

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Buddhism Eric Werkhoven. Buddhism, a means to attest our claim to enlightenment. Giver of life that also takes it away, leaving nothing behind, Only a few withered bones sticking out of the compacted earth. Sand dunes rolling backwards and forwards. What is hidden for contemporary man to find, each other? Coming face to face, to break the secret open and expose the so called truth. The myth of our forbearers, in the genetic pool, recollecting these characteristics with all their strange enchantments. (A journey no less, wiping all traces behind us) Bodily detachments of past lives and also our not too distant memories, that clog up the drain pipe. Congested mannerisms in how to act or save our skin. What are left are arbitrary manipulations. Waves of Buddhist scriptures flushing the pipes clean to resume our skylike composure, a view of undisturbed clarity.

- Eric Werkhoven ÂŠ 2015

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BERNADETTE SMITH Bernadette Smith presently lives in Sydney,

an artist who works across different media such as

photography, painting and film using a hybrid of documentary and new materialism approaches. Smith says about her current project “Is to use my art to try to focus awareness on the importance of

respecting our environment and fellow

human beings. I am particularly influenced by the visual nuances of moving water and its surface reflections. In my documentary photography I am drawn to the intensity of facial expressions during public protests and the fluid qualities of water in urban nature. My painting explores the viscosity of oil paint and is informed by New Materialist approaches to abstraction. My next body of work will be exploring hybrid mediums and aesthetic styles to bridge the gap between aesthetic formalism and issue-based art. I want to explore the social intersections of ecology and equality to see if there are ways to protect our land and water for future generations.” On the following pages four of Bernadette Smith’s books are featured and Lorraine Fildes, travel photographer and writer reviews Faces of Newcastle. All of the books are available online at Blurb

Bookstore. Issue 9

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Staatenlos Stateless Experimentellen Fotografien - experimental photos by Bernadette Smith â&#x20AC;&#x153;Over 2 decades of experimental film photography from contemporary trans-national artist Bernadette Smith. The visual language of these works is borrowed from the early avant-garde but the philosophical dilemmas they explore deal with the contemporary issues of our time. These photographs are meditations on statelessness, globalisation and

nature's exile.â&#x20AC;?

http://au.blurb.com/b/1256753-staatenlos-stateless

Bernadette Smith PORTFOLIO Art Responses to Solastalgia and Precariacy Visual meditations on globalization 2013. http://au.blurb.com/b/4603943-bernadette-smith-portfolio

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Contemporary Australian Painting, Contemporary Australian Art from Mark Elliot-Ranken and Bernadette Smith, August 31, 2014 http://au.blurb.com/b/5548000-smithrankenart-2014

From the Country Women's Association to Bikie Rebels marching on Parliament, from Occupy Sydney to Austerity rallies, from climate activists blockading Australia's largest coal port to anti-Intervention Indigenous protests. This book provides a snapshot of the social resistance on our streets that has arisen since globalisation. Author website: http://australiandocumentaryphotos.blogspot.com.au Issue 9

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Lorraine Fildes Reviews“Faces of Newcastle” by Bernadette Smith

Bernadette presents a photographic view of the people of Newcastle in all their modes – protesting, working and playing. Of course the background of the photos tell you that you are in Newcastle but the photos tell you about the people and their lives. It is a harbour city, a beach city so the laid back lifestyle of the beach culture predominates. The people protest to try and maintain their environment, but even the protests seem to be modified by the beach lifestyle which dominates the city. The huge mountains of black coal which sit at the end of the north side of the harbour are not shown – and this is good as hopefully they will eventually vanish, but the harbour and beaches will remain and the people of Newcastle will keep up the fight for their harbour, sea and tree enhanced environment. - Lorraine Fildes © 2015

http://au.blurb.com/b/2602876-faces-of-newcastle Issue 9

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Back to Back Galleries is now calling for submissions for exhibitions to be held during 2016. Submissions must be received by 31 March and applicants will be informed of the selection committee's decision by the beginning of May. This is earlier than usual to ensure that all exhibitors have at least nine months preparation time before their exhibition opens. Contact - Kathy

Heinrich (bandk4@bigpond.com for submission forms and information.

Please remember that Back to Back Galleries is a ceramics gallery and our goal is to ensure ceramics feature in every exhibition. Submissions are stronger if they include ceramic artists.

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Exhibition runs till 8th March. Issue 9

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Art Bazaar Lake Macquarie 2015 Issue 9

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MEDIA RELEASE: Art Bazaar Lake Macquarie 2015 Hunter Arts Network’s (HAN) fourth annual Lake Macquarie Art Bazaar will return to the grounds of Lake Macquarie City Art Gallery (LMCAG) on Sunday 3 May 2015 from 10am – 3pm. Located on the shores of beautiful Lake Macquarie, this award winning gallery with expansive grounds including Sculpture Park, mosaic pathway & Awaba House Restaurant Café is an exceptional cultural and tourist destination. With Art Bazaar now being held on the weekend before Mother’s Day, visit the stalls to search for unique Mother’s Day gifts while having an enjoyable day out. A 2014 Finalist in the Hunter & Central Coast Awards for Excellence in Tourism, Art Bazaar has developed into a major art event for the region which now attracts many visitors from out of the area and is the Hunter's premier artisan and design marketplace. Art Bazaar is a great way to show families and visitors how wonderful our creative community is. HAN is a non-profit membership of artisans from the Hunter who carefully hand pick stallholders to ensure that shoppers have an array of local, handmade, unique, original & quality products, making Art Bazaar an affordable opportunity for both the public & the creative people of Newcastle and the Hunter. Enjoy meeting the artists and designers who have carefully created for the reputable event providing access beyond the boundaries of the gallery. Art Bazaar is free entry. There's also demonstrations, entertainment, food & drinks, and a quick stroll to LMCAG for children’s art activities and exhibitions including Bodywork: Australian Jewellery 1970-2012 touring from the National Gallery of Australia and a (in)visible: the First Peoples and War showing until 10 May and 24 May respectively. CALL FOR STALLHOLDERS: - Stallholders must be HAN members. Membership is $55 for individuals, $80 for groups of 3 or less, and $100 for groups & organisations of more than 3. - The $60 stall fee includes public liability insurance Click here to apply: http://artbazaar.com.au/call-for-stallholders/call-for-stallholders-lake-macquarie-art-bazaar-2015 - Applications close 1 April 2015 Issue 9

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BOOK KEEPERS 6 March – 22 March. Opening @ 6.00pm Fri 6 March . Back to Back Galleries presents a group show of mixed media artworkscurated by Margaret McBride in conjunction with Newcastle WritersFestival (March 21-22). The exhibition will be opened by special guestGreg Ray. Artists: Brett Alexander, Jane Calthorpe, Brian Cox, Jan Downes, Caroline Hale, VarelleHardy, Katherine Heinrich, AnneMaree Hunter, Barry Maitland, Margaret McBride, Sylvia Ray, Julie Reid, Helen Stronach, Sue Stewart, Sharon Taylor, Sharon Tompkins. In 2014 Back to Back Gallery in Newcastle, showed the work of a group of artists from the region in conjunction with the Newcastle Writers Festival. The artists took the latest publications of a group of Newcastle writers that were being presented at the Writers’ Festival and translated the written words into visual images. It was so successful that the consensus was to hold a similar exhibition in 2015. In Book Keepers, this year’ sexhibition will include both Newcastle writers and others from outside the area. Writers and the books chosen for interpretation are: Bill, The Life of William Dobell byScott Bevan, Optimism by Bob Brown, Lost and Found by Brooke Davis, The Climb by Geraldine Doogue, House of Grief by Helen Garner, Murder on the Apricot Coast by Marion Halligan, The Hour of Silvered Mullet by Jean Kent and Life and Death by Michael Robotham. The layers of meaning in the artworks are as varied as the origina lliterature. Please join us for drinks at the opening with the artists and special guest Greg Ray. Newcastle Studio Potters is a not for profit incorporated association supporting ceramic artists. Its gallery Back to Back Gallery while presenting exhibitions in various media,focuses on traditional and contemporary ceramics. Back to Back Galleries: 57 Bull Street Cooks Hill NSW 2300 T: 49 293 677

Open Friday, Saturday, Sunday 11am-5pm

www.newcastlepotters.org.au Issue 9

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Contact information: Anne Kempton

Timeless Textiles 90 Hunter st, Newcastle East T: 49265888 M:0408483913 Hours of opening: Wednesday to Saturday 10am-4pm Sunday 10am-2pm Web: www.timelesstextiles.com.au Email: anne@timelesstextiles.com.au

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‘Letting Go’ project to celebrate International Women’s Day 2015 Newcastle’s Timeless Textiles Gallery will mark International Women’s Day in March with an innovative and collaborative exhibition – Letting Go – which will include the placement of a large-scale art installation outside the Lock-up Gallery.

The installation, a 72-square metre fabric mosaic designed by local Aboriginal elder and artist Elsie Randal, will be placed on the footpath outside the historical gaol to symbolise the need for Australians, and people from other nations, to cleanse and heal historical pain.

The Letting Go installation is inspired by a community ritual held in a small Italian village each year, where townsfolk colour bark chips and scatter them in the square. A respected community elder then leads a walk through the chips, scattering them as a symbol of cleansing and letting go of old enmities.

Timeless Textiles Gallery Director Anne Kempton says the exhibition also re-connects to the gaol that houses both the Lock Up Gallery and Timeless Textiles.

“Awareness of the rising number of women in incarceration leads us to question what we need to let go of that no longer serves our communities and how we begin again,” Anne said.

Largely supported by a City of Newcastle’s ‘Place Making Initiative’ grant, Letting Go is a community based project, which is also supported by donations of artistic collaboration, time and materials. The International Women’s Day project aims to bring people together and expand awareness of the creative culture that is thriving in the city. Free workshops have been held at Timeless Textiles Gallery since October last year, offering people from all walks of life the opportunity to pick up a new skill in textile art or contribute their talent to the work.

Over 350 people have created approx. 1800 fabric tiles.. printing, mark-making, stitching and felting, by attending workshops, run by local fibre artists Naomi Wild, Wilma Simmons and Ruth Spence. As well NCEATA have spent many hours stitching creating part of the design.

“Layers of stories have emerged as people explore their creative expression in the workshops,” Anne said. “Individual life experiences, a strong local sense of place and a collective of thoughts on the global issues facing women today have all been represented by group members.”

The resulting works will be on exhibition for a walk-through on Sunday, 8 March as part of the Letting Go International Women’s Day celebration at 2pm. Individuals, families and community groups are invited to participate in Letting Go – collectively, creatively and meaningfully. The walk with be led by Lord Major, Nuatali Nelmes and Elsie Randall. Issue 9

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A R T N E W S Issue 9

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A R T N E W S

A R T N E W S Issue 9

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RINDI SALOMON - The Old Lighthouse