2018 Western Downs Regional Artists' Exhibition Catalogue

50 SHADES… 2018 WESTERN DOWNS REGIONAL ARTISTS’ EXHIBITION

24 September – 24 October 2018

Cover image: Patricia Hinz Sticks and stones, leaves and bones (detail) 2018 Acrylic and ink | 51.5cm x 61.5cm

Message from the Mayor

On behalf of Western Downs Regional Council, I am pleased to support the fifth instalment of the Western Downs Regional Artists’ Exhibition.

I thank all the artists who submitted their work and welcome as this exhibition’s curator Tess Maunder, formerly of Dalby, from Flying Arts Alliance’s Curator By Request program.

This regional exhibition is co-produced by Lapunyah Art Gallery, Chinchilla; Gallery 107 @ Dalby and Dogwood Crossing, Miles.

I also acknowledge the support of grants and prize sponsors, including the Regional Arts Development Fund, which is a partnership between the Queensland Government and Western Downs Regional Council to support local arts and culture in regional Queensland.

This year’s exhibition theme, ‘50 Shades…’ asked artists to explore the values of light and shade across any subject, with no limits.

This large scope for creativity has produced amazing work, resulting in a curation of varied and unique pieces.

I congratulate the Exhibition Organising Committee on presenting the skill and talent of 27 featured artists.

Congratulations to our region’s artists who have risen to the challenge, creating a breadth of work that includes glass, mosaic, sculpture, painting, ceramics, drawing, printing, textiles, installation and photography, and mixed-media.

What a great way to demonstrate the connectedness of communities through cultural events that are supported locally and to achieve regional participation while activating our creative spaces.

It’s wonderful to see the vision of our region’s three main art gallery committees realised in this stunning event.

We look forward to seeing you over the next few weeks at the 2018 Western Downs Regional Artists’ Exhibition to enjoy some of the amazing talent we have here on the Western Downs.

Lapunyah Art Gallery, Chinchilla; Dogwood Crossing, Miles; and Gallery 107 @ Dalby come together to develop the exhibition each year and to rotate hosting the exhibition between them. It’s even more pleasing to see the leadership of this group through the Western Downs Art Gallery Network.

Cr Paul McVeigh Western Downs Regional Council Mayor

50 SHADES | 1

Foreword by the exhibition organising committee

On behalf of the Exhibition Organising Committee, which includes representatives from Lapunyah Art Gallery, Chinchilla; Dogwood Crossing, Miles; and Gallery 107 @ Dalby, we are pleased to present the 2018 Western Downs Regional Artists’ Exhibition.

Host of this year’s region-wide collaborative exhibition is Lapunyah Art Gallery, Chinchilla.

After much debate we decided to move away from a purely narrative theme as in previous years to a theme that also spoke to artistic technique. As a creative stimulus ‘50 Shades…’ encourages artists to explore the values of light while leaving plenty of room for exploring the narrative suggestions inherent in the theme.

This exhibition brings together 27 artists selected from entries across the region to form the annual exhibition showcasing our community’s depth of talent in a wide variety of mediums.

Some of these artists are first time participants and exhibitors; many are experienced artists returning to showcase their creativity. To all, the committee wishes to extend a well done and hope that their journey with us has and will continue to be a fulfilling one.

We acknowledge and congratulate all of those involved in bringing this year’s exhibition together. We would like to thank our sponsors for supporting and encouraging our regional artists, who play a role in connecting our community art spaces regionally.

We believe there is something for everybody in this exhibition.

We hope you enjoy the opening and look forward to seeing you at the 2019 show, to be hosted at John Mullins Memorial Art Gallery, Dogwood Crossing, Miles.

The exhibition continues to highlight the amazing creativity and talent that exists in our communities and the importance of coming together to celebrate creative expression and its power to enhance our lives both personally and collectively.

Gail Taylor President Lapunyah Art Gallery Inc.

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Roz Brownlie Chairperson Dogwood Crossing Gallery Committee

Carolyn Tillman President Gallery 107 @ Dalby Inc.

Curatorial essay

by Tess Maunder

The Western Downs Regional Art Prize is an annual event which is co-produced by three key art spaces in the Western Downs region; Lapunyah Art Gallery, Chinchilla; Gallery 107 @ Dalby and Dogwood Crossing, Miles.

This year the 2018 iteration is hosted by Lapunyah Art Gallery in Chinchilla and the theme of the exhibition is 50 Shades… Artists were encouraged to: “explore the values of light and shade, any subject, with no limits – no light, low light, directional light, a 2D or 3D work.”

Indeed, shades or perspective, shapes the way we see the world around us today. Perhaps if things are not going great in your life; you might project those insecurities onto your judgements of others. In contrast, if you have just received some good news; you may be more confident and willing to open your mind and accept the world around you; seeing it for all it is; vibrant and alive. The range of artworks submitted for the 2018 Western Downs Regional Art Prize is reflective of these many diverse perspectives on our everyday lived experiences.

Not one person’s gaze is the same; yet when reflecting on works in this exhibition, it seems as though we may be able to come together; and realise that we have more in common than we first considered.

Kristen Flynn | Actuality 2018 | Solar plate etching with Sakura oil printing on Fabiano paper | 31.5cm x 39cm each work

The result of the 2018 Western Downs Regional Art Prize ‘open call’ includes a wide range of interpretations on the theme; from craftwork; to painting, drawing, sculpture and mixed-media work. Looking around the room at the work displayed, I could see that people had taken the suggested advice on board within their work; and I could see both conceptual ideas relating to the notion of shades; and also, naturally a range of material-driven processes too.

Landscape was a major subject matter that emerged from the entries this year. For example, in painting we have; Bourne, Delport, Hinz, Grimes, McCormack, McNicoll, Perry and Tierney each presenting a layered perspective on the landscape and the various shades we may encounter. Also exploring landscape was Gaskell, Graetz, Koren and Stevenson through ceramics, textiles and sculpture.

Exploring the age old subject matter of still life subjects were Drury, Osburn, Steele and Sutton through a variety of medium. Other subject matter and ideas explored included self-portraits, animals, rural life, wearable art, abstract art and architectural and materialistic experimentation by the other artists Breay, Dennis, Flynn, Hacker, Hampel, Johansen, Moeba, Rabone, Raub, Stiller and Stokes.

The aim of these awards in my opinion, isn’t to choose a singular artist that is the most skilled, because that is an impossible task. Instead my approach as a judge was to choose a range of artists that best represents the diversity of practice happening in the region today.

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It is also important to acknowledge the intrinsic value of art, craft and creativity at large in bringing communities together; and I believe this is especially important in a regional context. However, I did have to choose some awardees, and my thoughts on those are outlined below: First Prize - Kristen Flynn Kristen Flynn presents a work called Actuality. I was drawn to the work because it was quite different from all the other entries. I liked the unique idea of placing the two works side by side as if ‘in conversation’. Because the work was minimal focusing on the one colour - blue; I felt I could really get a sense of the idea of shade because it was almost a minimal approach to shade through the focus on the one colour. Technically; the work was interesting; the work is two solar plate etchings with Sakura oil printing on Fabriano paper. Conceptually, Flynn’s work is extensional in nature; questioning some of the important binary relationships in our lives; human to the natural, organic to the man-made etc. Flynn explains in her statement that: “Conceptually, my work Actuality deals with the significant shades of our times and our lives. It questions our relationship with nature, and unapologetically reminds us that we are mortal.” Overall in summary; I think Flynn’s unique approach to the theme of shades was strongly explored in her content, context, material and process choices.

...my approach as a judge was to choose a range of artists that best represents the diversity of practice happening the region today.

Second Prize - Kerryn Rabone Kerryn Rabone presents a work called 50 Shades of brass, again I was drawn to this work because it did seem quite individual and stood out from other entries. I was impressed with Rabone’s artist statement where she mentioned that she was not scared to shy away from controversial topics; and I think this is a commendable position as an artist. In terms of the work itself; I liked the use of the everyday objects; and the conceptual connection that they had to the piece and the artist’s family. The simplicity of the metallic surfaces of the bullets creates a beautiful and mesmerising surface.

The depiction of a kangaroo; an animal indigenous to Australia; is an important subject matter both for Australia and especially for regional communities.

and I have seen a wide array of cultural activity across the world.

But I want to share with you that I grew up right here in the Western Downs region, and I remember from a young age; the joy and selfdevelopment I would gain from different creative experiences; listening to music, making art work, looking at the landscape and architecture, writing down ideas and watching a play or a film. I think that creativity and self-expression should be a part of everyone’s life; and especially in a regional context it can be a way to develop yourself as an individual, or maybe to contribute to something larger than yourself in a collective group. With that in mind I encourage many more people in the region to take up a creative pursuit, and to consider submitting their work for future prize iterations. From emerging to established; and from all backgrounds; there is a place for every perspective in this Western Downs Regional Art Prize exhibition series.

Third Prize - Helen Dennis It is obvious that Helen Dennis has been practicing her craft for some time; and that attention to detail and skill comes across in her work Rust. For the third prize; I was drawn to the artist’s skill; and her individual and stylised approach to her subject matter. In terms of shade, because of her strong sense of line in her approach; the sense of contrast and shade was strongly apparent in the work. I think most people especially here in the Western Downs would be able to relate to her subject matter of the rusted machinery; here this could become a metaphor for something larger still.

Highly Commended - Elizabeth Graetz I personally adore native flora and fauna of Australia. When I saw Elizabeth Graetz’s work Shades of the Aussie bush, I was personally connected to this piece and the various flowers depicted. With the rise of fashion exhibitions; textile works internationally are having a resurgence. It is excellent to see this type of artwork continuing to be made and it is within this context that I wish to award Graetz with her highly commended award.

In summary, I applaud all the artists and the hardworking gallery network who have submitted and helped organise this year’s response to the theme of 50 Shades… I am an arts professional with ten years experience working both overseas and in Australia;

Kerryn Rabone | 50 Shades of brass 2018 Mixed media | 92cm x 60cm 50 SHADES | 5

Participating Artists Kylie Bourne

Elizabeth Graetz

Carol McCormack

Rosanne Steele

Guy Breay

Cindy Grimes

Megan McNicholl

Meg Stevenson

Angelique Delport

Kaye Hacker

Anna Moeba

Lisa Stiller

Helen Dennis

Veronica Hampel

Kim Osburn

Kardia Stokes

Kylie Drury

Patricia Hinz

Bill Perry

Joanne Sutton

Kristen Flynn

Barry Johansen

Kerryn Rabone

Mary Tierney

Karen Gaskell

Michael Koren

Rebecca Raub

Helen Dennis Rust 2018 (detail) Acrylic | 65cm x 70cm

Prize Winners FIRST PRIZE - $1000 Kristen Flynn Actuality

SECOND PRIZE - $500 Kerryn Rabone 50 Shades of brass

THIRD PRIZE - $300 Helen Dennis Rust

INSTALLER’S AWARD - $100 Voted for by the volunteer exhibition installers

PEOPLE’S CHOICE AWARD - $200 Please place your vote at the gallery

HIGHLY COMMENDED Elizabeth Graetz Shades of the Aussie bush

Barry Johansen | Reflections of what used to be 2018 Single use plastic bags | 150cm x 45cm x 45cm 50 SHADES | 7

Seasonal shades 2018 | Mosaics | 116cm x 66cm

Naria Namu 2017 | Budgeroo tree stump burl | 69cm x 32cm x 10cm

KYLIE BOURNE

GUY BREAY

Bourne is an artist driven by her love of colour, nature, environment, family, friends and gardening. She enjoys working with glass predominantly and creates artworks that reflect her personality. A self-taught artist, she continues to challenge and develop her skills and passion in working with glass.

For his sculptures, Breay selects gnarled and twisted wood with interesting shapes and movement from his sustainably managed forest. His style constantly evolves to reflect experiences, imagination and inspiration he gets from the natural beauty of wood. His creations are enhanced using lines, negative spaces and contrasting textures and colours.

SEASONAL SHADES The glorious deciduous trees in my garden are spectacular.

Watching the transition from summer greenery through to their various autumn shades of yellow, orange and red has inspired the creation of Seasonal shades.

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NARIA NAMU (‘TAKE CARE’ - PAPUAN) This entwined piece symbolises tying the knot of bonding, friendship, love and fantasies between two people as portrayed in the romantic trilogy Fifty Shades by author E.L James. A considerable amount of timber had to be carefully removed to accomplish this delicate carving from one piece of wood with no joins. Ribbon like planes twist and turn from the top, become entwined in a knot and return to the beginning. Budgeroo grows naturally in the forests of the Western Downs region and is highly valued for its incredible grain.

ANGELIQUE DELPORT Delport is a free-thinking artist loving the dance of colours on a canvas and prefers abstract art. She has lived in the Miles area for the past 10 years and started painting ‘accidentally’ about 7 years ago when invited to an art workshop by a friend.

CINNABAR

Cinnabar 2015 | Acrylic | 102cm x 122cm

The rhythm of the never-ending ebb and flow, reflect the boundless turn of days to nights; shades of vermillion, orange, ochre and the contrast between the dark waters and the luminous sky makes the horizon look like the meeting place of two different worlds – the known and the unknown. The magnitude of shades whisper soft promises and the wind carries it away. It takes your breath away and leaves you speechless. It makes you feel like an intruder in a magical ritual and yet every sunset pulls you into its bosom with shades of love and peace.

HELEN DENNIS Dennis seeks to represent and interpret the environs in which she lives and visits. Her approach to art encourages each artwork to have its own contemporary narrative.

She asks the viewer to bring forth their own stories into the viewing.

RUST Abandoned relics of past mining booms lie hidden deep within a landscape of green and gold. Slow oxidisation of the old forged iron produces the enemy rust, whose natural iron oxides produce a range of earthy colours widely used as durable pigments for the artist’s palette. A constant source of shades in the yellow, orange, red and brown range to explore.

Rust 2018 | Acrylic | 65cm x 70cm 50 SHADES | 9

Light up my life 2018 | Acrylic and acrylic inks on canvas 78cm x 78cm

KYLIE DRURY Drury has lived in the Miles/Condamine district of the Western Downs for 24 years. She has drawn and painted throughout her life and enjoys producing works that give joy and delight to the viewer, through the use of strong colour and form.

LIGHT UP MY LIFE Our world has been made beautiful and enhanced by colour and its many and varied shades. Light also gives colour, its luminosity and casts shade to cool and shelter us. I am privileged to have the ability to use colour to paint the things I love to bring beauty and joy to the viewer.

“Every good and true thing is given to us from Heaven, coming down from the Father of Lights, with whom there is no change or shade made by turning.� (James 1:17)

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KRISTEN FLYNN Flynn’s compositions and forms come from her everyday life. Her art always stems from understanding her identity. Flynn’s work plays with binary opposition: grungy to beautiful, man to nature, organic to geometric and controlled to free. She prides herself on mixing traditional processes and new technologies to create her work.

ACTUALITY

Actuality 2018 | Solar plate etching with Sakura oil printing on Fabiano paper

Conceptually, my work Actuality deals with the significant ‘shades’ of time in our lives.

It questions our relationship with nature, and unapologetically reminds us we are mortal. I have sought to show themes of beauty, peculiarity, self-reflection, and the forever search of answers we seek to find in our direct surroundings. Technically, I have used digital manipulation and different degrees of UV exposure to create the visual shades in the printing plate. I use traditional etching printing methods. Actuality is printed in prussian blue oil ink to create a monochromatic work of ‘50 shades’.

KAREN GASKELL Gaskell enjoys a variety of art media but always seems to gravitate back to clay. She is inspired by good form in pottery which is the harmonious relationship of the clay body, shape and surface treatment.

AUTUMN LEAVES The passage of light through the changing colours of autumn leaves inspired me to create this work for this exhibition 50 Shades… The merging and blending of coloured clay slips depicts this myriad of colour, light and shade set against the turquoise blue of a winter sky.

Autumn leaves 2018 | Ceramic | 5cm x 23cm x 23cm 50 SHADES | 11

ELIZABETH GRAETZ Graetz is a fibre and textile artist residing in Dalby. Her arts practice has been developing for the last 10 years and is ever changing as she learns new techniques and develops new interests. She enjoys the natural world around her and finds inspiration within it.

SHADES OF THE AUSSIE BUSH

Shades of the Aussie bush 2018 | Fibre | 40.6cm x 30.5cm

The flamboyant splendour of the Aussie bush and its wildflowers calls to me as shades of yellow, red, pink, blue, white and myriad hues of green splash their colours across the landscape to enchant the viewer. Flagrantly clothed in excessive display after spring rains these icons of the Aussie bush breathe vibrant life into the dusty, dry, secret places where only a few will venture. Defying the pressures of the landscape around them, wildflowers fill themselves with their own self-importance; revelling in their ability to withstand the flood, fire, and drought.

CINDY GRIMES Grimes paints to tell the stories of the landscape of her backyard, and the people in it. While she enjoys practicing and learning to apply artistic concepts to her work, Grimes’ main aim is to produce images which are aesthetically pleasing.

SHADES OF BRIGALOW

Shades of Brigalow 2018 | Acrylic on canvas | 50.5cm x 76cm 12 | 50 SHADES

To me, Brigalow is the perfect subject to explore the values of light and shade. I have lived in the Southern Brigalow Belt for many years but am only now appreciating these surprising trees. When you look, its ordinary greyness responds to light in so many unexpected ways. Whether in the distance, or up close it always fascinates and challenges the artist in me.

KAYE HACKER Hacker started doing abstract art when she was in High School. She is not aware of any specific thing that inspired her, except that she liked shapes and how they interact. Over time scrapbooking became her creative outlet, with a recent return to pattern design and the publication of her own design book.

EMANATING To me 50 Shades‌ meant lots and lots of colour, shades of colour, pale and dark, and a huge quantity of all the colours. All of the colours are emanating out from the light, bright colour.

Emanating 2018 | Acrylic and pen | 30cm x 40cm

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VERONICA HAMPEL Hampel is an artist with a wide range of creative talents. Her preferred media include watercolour, pastel, acrylic, leadlight, paper sculpture, print, collage, wood, metal and textiles. She has studied, taught and exhibited throughout Australia and gained inspiration from overseas travel.

This diversity is reflected in her artwork.

DINGOS IN THE MOONLIGHT Dingoes are nocturnal, often hunting and socialising at night. This painting is an attempt to show form and substance using mainly reflected light.

Dingos in the moonlight 1997 | Watercolour | 38cm x 34cm

PATRICIA HINZ Working as a mixed media artist Hinz predominately uses water-based media.

She enjoys experimenting with many pigments including those found in the environment. Strongly influenced by the landscape she lives in and finding inspiration in rocks, soil, foliage etc, she then works them into an explosion of colour on the canvas.

STICKS AND STONES, LEAVES AND BONES

Sticks and stones, leaves and bones 2018 | Acrylic and ink | 51.5cm x 61.5cm

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The inspiration for Sticks and stones, leaves and bones came to me while observing leaf litter below the huge old river gums close to my home. The sun filtering through the leaf canopy creates mottled shadows as it fell on the scattered debris built up over many years on the ground. I used three colours (ultramarine blue, alizarin crimson, and cadmium yellow) plus black and white to mix as many shades of the colours I wanted to depict the mood of the scene in front of me.

Reflections of what used to be 2018 | Single use plastic bags 150cm x 45cm x 45cm

BARRY JOHANSEN Formally trained as a fashion designer Barry Johansen has taken his artistic skills to the digital realm. Usually working on his iPad, Barry translates his traditional drawing skills to create a body of work that resembles watercolours. His current projects are reinterpreting his fashion knowledge with plastic.

REFLECTIONS OF WHAT USED TO BE One couldn’t help coming back to Fifty Shades of Grey while contemplating the theme, it was how many ďŹ nished the sentence in conversation. The concepts of bondage, discipline, submission and domination all came to mind. The work encourages people to consider their perceptions of women. Translating into garments that are not perfect, but conveying an urban tribal dystopian futurism.

Resilience is required in a world that seems so often at odds with reality manufactured by men.

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MICHAEL KOREN Koren works with any materials that come to hand in his peripatetic life... art being what happens next... and he sometimes buys art materials. He thinks of himself as an artist... but in the ‘economy’ he is usually a craftsman.

MOVABLE HERITAGE Would I open that box in a gallery?

Curiosity – the box of night and the coming of day. Colour as an artefact, road piercing shadows, a wallaby carcass, inarticulate spirits, the metal flag, worthless beauty, intimations of older culture held in deep silence. Would I close the box after me?

Movable heritage 2018 | Mixed media, found objects | 16cm x 26.5cm x 25.5cm

CAROL McCORMACK McCormack is primarily a landscape painter with a keen feeling for place, often delving into the up close and personal aspects of an area such as its flowers and birds.

STUDY IN GREEN There are many ways to interpret 50 shades... technically, literally, imaginatively - and you can argue whether a SHADE is achieved simply by adding black to a colour, or is it a variation of a colour or hue e.g. green can be described as olive, lime, sea, grey, blue, yellow, red, light, dark, medium – just to name a few of the adjectives you can apply. I’ve chosen to use a rainforest landscape which illustrates the many shades of green perfectly. I’ve used every tube of green paint I possess and every colour mixture I know to create this painting.

Study in green 2018 | Acrylic and mixed media on linen | 91cm x 91cm 16 | 50 SHADES

MEGAN McNICHOLL With camera in hand McNicholl endeavours to take a quiet walk with Mother Nature most days of the week. She enjoys the challenge of capturing the natural elements in what she hopes is an interesting and thoughtful way.

QUIET REFLECTION The theme 50 Shades… speaks to me of natural elements. I have always been inspired by Mother Nature. This waterlily has risen out of the mud, each petal brighter as it unfolds. A reminder that everyday has its own beauty – wherever we live.

Quiet reflection 2018 | Photograph | 43cm x 43cm

ANNA MOEBA As an acrophobic art is a medium for Moeba to express her inner feelings. She loves the texture and smell of paint and the possibilities it represents. Moeba is self-taught and on a journey of artistic exploration and expression, challenging herself and broadening her art experiences.

BLURRED VISION

Blurred vision 2018 | Acrylic, mixed media, found objects | 60cm x 122cm

This was a theme I struggled with as I couldn’t get the dreaded ‘50 Shades’ books out of my head, even though I haven’t read them. My focus turned to the word ‘Shades’, and then the penny dropped. Sunglasses are also called shades, so I just had to make 50 pairs of ‘shades’ into one pair of ‘shades’.

I’m currently experimenting with fluid acrylic painting and just had to give it a go to see how they turned out...

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KIM OSBURN Recently Osburn has been experimenting and producing works full of vibrant colours and watercolour washes but always seems to return to her favourite media of graphite pencil and charcoal. She loves the monochromatic palette and the tonal qualities that can be achieved.

REFRACTION Refraction is the bending of the path of light at the point where it enters the glass. The image that emerges on the reflective side is often visually distorted and vastly different to the object conducting the light. With selective shading I have aimed to capture the light on its journey.

Refraction 2018 | Graphite pencil | 44cm x 39cm

BILL PERRY Perry has always been intrigued by the language of visual representation. The struggle between the restoration of appearances, inventing appearances and faking appearances. In his art making he moves between realism, abstraction and expressionism. The elements in each appeal to his art sensibility.

YELLOW SKY My response to the theme is, life is not black and white, and neither is art. All you need to create the illusion of form are three tones so maybe it’s only in life we need fifty shades.

Yellow sky 2018 | Acrylic | 40.6cm x 30.5cm 18 | 50 SHADES

50 Shades of brass 2018 | Mixed media | 92cm x 60cm

A place to hang your hat 2018 | Recycled timber 200cm x 795cm x 70cm

KERRYN RABONE

REBECCA RAUB

Rabone’s body of artwork reflects several different styles and media as she loves to challenge her capabilities. She mainly enjoys creating visually pleasing and playful artwork. However from time to time, she chooses to create artworks which challenge the viewer to think.

Rebecca, mother and farmer with a past of many trades cabinetmaker being one. Here she takes her passion and trade and turns it into a functional concept using what she has around her.

50 SHADES OF BRASS

50 shades of colour are dimensional. Nature mixes all shades; natural materials offer a raw essence of how colour can be mixed to create dimensional depth. What does a worker need at the end of the day? Somewhere to park their hat. Hat racks normally take one form, a peg where you hang your hat. I took this idea and made it fun.

Push the keys and hang your hat. Taking recycled floor boards and studs from a woolshed on my property, I have repacked them into a dimensional funky concept that plays on the peg idea.

The familiar 50 Shades of Grey came to mind when hearing of this year’s theme. I have chosen to represent an Eastern grey kangaroo. One day whilst collecting and piling empty .22 shells with my son at the Chinchilla Pistol Club, I noticed the range of different colours, depending on how tarnished the shells had become, and found it intriguing. For this piece, I felt that the subject matter of a kangaroo portrayed in .22 shells would make a bold and somewhat controversial statement given the current overpopulation of the animal within the region.

A PLACE TO HANG YOUR HAT

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Time for a cup of tea 2018 | Acrylic on canvas | 46cm x 46cm

ROSANNE STEELE Steele lives in Chinchilla and is painting on a regular basis as she develops her style. She has a love of beauty and colour. Steele has recently painted over 45 studies of flowers in acrylics but is now producing beach settings and other subject matters such as the still life and eagle seen in this exhibition.

TIME FOR A CUP OF TEA This painting Time for a cup of tea also displays my love of colour.

This picture was a challenge with its many areas of texture and man-made objects such as the glass vase, porcelain teacup and saucer with a fabric tablecloth juxtaposed against nature which is displayed by the delightful yellow and orange roses. Although this is categorised a still-life, my challenge was to make it a painting that comes to life where you feel you would like a cup of tea and smell the roses.

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MEG STEVENSON Stevenson finds the shapes, forms, colours and textures of the natural environment, and its flora and fauna, provide endless possibilities as she experiments with using the qualities of glass to communicate her ideas and tell her stories. A major focus in her work is the harnessing of the reflective and refractive qualities of glass.

AUTUMN The greens of summer fade and the myriad colours of autumn appear to delight the eyes.

Autumn 2018 | Glass and timber | 20cm x 27cm 11cm

LISA STILLER Stiller began painting in 2015. She dabbles in various styles, using her creativity to advance her healing from chronic illness. She enjoys abstract art, working mostly in acrylics.

LET YOUR LIGHT SHINE

Let your light shine 2018 | Watercolour and ink | 65cm x 90cm

We live in a beautiful, colourful and lightfilled world, but sometimes it can feel dark and gloomy. I want to convey hope through my art, and 50 Shades… gave me an opportunity to remind us all, that in many ways, we have the ability to control the light and shade in our own lives. By choosing our window shades and light shades, from the dullest of greys, to the brightest of patterns, we can control the amount of light and shade we allow in and out of our homes, our lives and even our hearts. I hope my interpretation of ‘50 Shades…’ brings hope and joy to all who view it.

50 SHADES | 21

Past, present, future (detail) 2018 | Photograph | 50cm x 77cm

Sunset glow 2017 | Acrylic on canvas | 91cm x 122cm

KARDIA STOKES

JOANNE SUTTON

For Stokes, photography has been a life-long project. As an artist, she is an occasional photographer; inspiration comes from themes which then provide occasions to practice the art, searching out subject matter and style. She maintains her utmost trust in the medium and its possibilities to foster imagination and awareness.

Sutton is a contemporary artist with a passion for ‘zooming in’ on the ordinary, challenging us all to focus on the individual elements that create the rhythm of our lives. It is her artistic endeavour to capture on canvas the narrative of life to which we can all relate and celebrate.

PAST, PRESENT, FUTURE

SUNSET GLOW

Time writes its text in shades of black and white as light travels between light and dark, oscillating between past, imminent present and unknowable future. Its themes are danger and placement, or rather displacement.

‘Can you paint me a pink rose?’

The indices are: • a water tank, on stumps, safely raised way back when; • unawares, and living in the moment, the horse senses imminent danger from a camera bag I had carelessly left behind; • the law of gravity will come to bite: we would expect the tank to topple, sooner rather than later

“Of course…… what shade of pink?’

Salmon, Baby Pink, Flamingo, Watermelon, Lemonade, Lace, Creamy, Bubble gum, Taffy, Carnation, Fuchsia, Ruby, Hot Pink, Punch, Magenta, Rouge, Coral, Peach, Blush, Rosewood, Blush Pink, Crimson, Strawberry, Crepe, Antique, Cocktail, Cerise, Flesh, Piglet Pink, Summer Punch, Cotton Candy, Musk, Cherry Blossom, Fandango, Brick, French, Orchid, Geranium, Grapefruit, Seashell, Azalea, Thulian, Amaranth, Champagne, Shocking Pink, Lolly Pink, Fairy Floss, Potter’s Pink, Opera Rose, Brilliant Pink…..

50 shades…PINK

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Shades of diversity 2018 | Oil | 41.5cm x 103cm

MARY TIERNEY Eighty-one and still painting, Tierney is a stubbornly realistic artist, believing that an inspiring subject deserves to be painted recognisably, with adjustments to composition and tonal values where beneficial. She prefers to work in oil, watercolour or pen and ink, sometimes using collage for texture and variety.

SHADES OF DIVERSITY I have attempted to illustrate in this diptych the differing emotional responses evoked by the bright, almost primary, colours of the built environment around the wharf at Echuca, on the Murray River, N.S.W, and the gentler shades of natural bushland, just a short distance upstream. The first has an upbeat, energising feel, while the other engenders a sense of timeless tranquillity.

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Acknowledgements 50 Shades‌ Hosted by Lapunyah Art Gallery, Chinchilla 24 September - 24 October 2018 An initiative of the Western Downs Regional Council through Dogwood Crossing, Miles in partnership with representatives from Lapunyah Art Gallery, Chinchilla and Gallery 107 @ Dalby committees.

This project is supported by the Regional Arts Development Fund.

The Regional Arts Development Fund is a partnership between the Queensland Government and Western Downs Regional Council to support local arts and culture in regional Queensland.

This project is also supported by Cameby Downs Mine; QGC; ENZED Surat Basin and McDonalds, Chinchilla.

Photography and file optimisation by Photographers of the Great Divide (Spowart + Cooper) Many thanks to the planning committee, staff, volunteers and artists involved in the delivery of this exhibition.

Copyright is retained by the artists for their artworks and statements and by Tess Maunder for the curatorial essay.

ISBN 978-0-9808329-8-3 PRESENTED BY THE COMMITTEES OF

KINDLY SUPPORTED BY

Elizabeth Graetz | Shades of the Aussie bush (detail) 2018 Fibre | 40.6cm x 30.5cm 24 | 50 SHADES

1807053