Bringing the Tuscan home!

Jayes Gallery & Sculpture Gardens is delighted to be able to bring you an amazing array of new artworks, ceramics and sculptures from artists across Central West NSW.

Nicole Parkins

Autumn is on it’s way and while the countryside gets painted in asounding colours right before our eyes, Jayes Gallery is pleased to be showing the works of Nicole Parkins, a newcomer t this region. For Nicole’s first solo show with us, she has painted a selection of small and delightful works inspired by her journeys in Tuscany. Nicole tells us that this regional reminds her of Tuscany with its rolling hills, vineyards, orchards and woodlands dotting the landscape.

Her works are colourful and joyful and we invite you to join us on Sunday 10 April at 2 pm for the opening of Nicole’s show.

Nicole says of her work “First stop on my first venture out of Australia was in the beautiful medieval village of Montecastello, Umbria, Italy. Many of the works on paper in this exhibition were completed while doing a residency in this little town on top of a hill surrounded by classic Italian countryside.  The town itself was gorgeous; rustic charm hugged every doorway, corner, or stone paved lane way.  From the 360 view around the town, white roads and rivers meandered through the countryside, which I frequently ventured out into on walks, gathering images in my mind to take home.  Later, on my return to my studio in Australia, I completed further studies and painted the canvas series.  My works are reflections on the many moods of myself, the changing landscape and the stories that it can create and tell.”

Marjo Carter

We are delighted to bring you a small selection of smoke fired pottery from well known potter, Marjo Carter. Margo’s works are highly sought after and once again, she has excelled in the works in this collection.

"The Living Landscape" by Georgia Mansur

Georgia Mansur grew up in California and moved to Australia in 1984, settling with husband Pete on a cotton property one hour west of Moree, NSW. This isolated new environment gave Georgia the opportunity to look inward for her source of creativity and self-expression. Painting and communicating her world became an inner wellspring of discovery and joy for the artist.

Now living on their vineyard in Mudgee, Georgia has continued to explore watercolour, pastels, acrylics, mixed media and oils to find the best way to express her fascination with nature. Being able to share through art that original emotion of being moved by nature; watching the shadows grow long against the setting sun is a wonderful expression of the human experience.

A particular interest in helping others to see the way light and colour on form produces artistic ‘magic’ drives Georgia to share this passion with others.

Teaching and communicating about creativity and self expression through art has been a fulfilling experience for the artist. As Artist in Residence at Hamilton Island, Great Barrier Reef, as well as teaching workshops around the country and overseas, Georgia enjoys that interaction from helping others to tap into the natural creativity within us.

Having completed a Bachelor of Communication at CSUS (California), Georgia feels painting is another level to communicate with others in a way that goes beyond words. Making a connection with the viewer of one’s artworks and truly touching and inspiring them with what you have created is this artist’s ultimate goal.

Georgia has studied with many well known Australian and International painting masters, including Joseph Zbukvic, Herman Pekel, Patrick Carroll, Alvaro Castagnet, David Taylor, Colley Whisson, Chris Brown, Colina Grant, Les McDonough, Mignon Parker, Jeff Rigby, Jerry Fresia (Italy) and Gil Dellinger, Terry Miura and Ignat Ignatov (California) to name a few.

Georgia was a finalist in the 2008 Country Energy $35,000 Landscape Prize, and has won many awards, including First Prizes in art shows with judges Edmund Capon (Director Art Gallery of NSW), Justin Miller (Director Sotheby’s Australia), Georgina Pemberton (Australian Paintings-Sotheby’s), as well as being selected for the Calleen Art Prize, Cowra (twice), The Rocks Market Art Prize (3 times) and winner of the People’s Choice Award ‘Driven to Abstraction’, Mudgee.

Georgia participated in the San Clemente Plein Air event and Quick Draw in June 2010 and also was the recipient of the Cyndee Van de Walker Scholarship sponsored by LPAPA (Laguna Plein Air Painters Assoc) in July 2010.

Georgia's work is now showing in the Wells Fargo Bank Collection in Laguna Beach, California and at Randy Higbee Gallery in Los Angeles.

Georgia teaches at the Mudgee TAFE (Technical and Further Education) and is currently delivering Creativity/Mixed Media, Exploring Colour/Watercolours and an Arts Marketing course to help others get their career off the ground.

The artist has recently returned from the Northern Territory in outback Australia teaching art workshops and touring Kakadu National Park.  

Upcoming workshops and events:

Cortona, Italy 17-24 Sept 2011~ Plein Air Workshop

Santorini Greece 28 Sept-5 Oct 2011~ Plein Air Workshop

Grafton Artsfest 13-16 April 2011~ Mixed Media Workshop

Australian International Plein Air Event 10-22 March 2012

Artist in Residence at Hamilton Island Great Barrier Reef, 2011 dates to be confirmed

*Georgia is a Certified International Golden Paints Artist Educator *

Georgia Mansur’s work is in collections in Australia, USA, UK, Germany, Hong Kong, and Singapore. 

ARTIST STATEMENT

Painting is a form of communication that acts as a bridge directly from me

to you, no words necessary.  My intense passion to explore creates a process in which I am exposed and made vulnerable—my personal perceptions weave their way into pieces, imprinting like an individual stamp.

It is this honesty that I am looking for and it is all there, if we take the time to look for it.

My work is shaped by a deep connection to the land---growing up in a farming community in California, my years in the Australian Bush, as well as time spent on our Mudgee vineyard. The natural environment, in all its ugliness and all its glory, fascinates me--- echoing human nature in an intriguingly similar way.

Colour and light motivate me, fueling my passion to paint. Painting is like music, creating a reaction, evoking a mood---sometimes bold and vibrant, sometimes soft and reflective---expressing and enriching our lives.

I am most inspired by the changing light and how it affects forms so dramatically. Early morning/late afternoon are my favourite times of day to watch the sun moving, casting long shadows and creating wonderful drama, throwing everything into a balance of light and dark, soft and hard edges.

Communicating in the language of visual art is very satisfying for me to express what I think and feel; even more powerful when the message is received by the viewer, linking us in a way not possible before.

Sometimes words are inadequate and painting helps

me put a finger on my emotions and express them,

creating an awareness within.

In some ways it is like a key to a secret passageway~

a beautiful place of possibilities and connection to all humanity.

"The Road to Tanami" via Molong!

An exhibition of recent artworks inspired by a journey through the most outback and desolate region of Australia, the Tanami Desert by Wanda Driscoll.

In her usual inimitable style, Wanda takes us to a new land, the Tanami desert in Central Australia. She is not called Wanda for nothing as her journeys take her to amazing places that many Australians have never seen and it is an extraordinary experience to be able to see these places through her particular style of paintings!

Colourful and rich, these artworks are imbued with the rawness of the Australian landscape, the depth and variety of colours. Her brushstrokes contain the freedom of the wind as they sweep across her canvasses.

The opening night was well attended and a lot of laughter as Wanda described her journeys to the gathered art lovers.

An art show that should not be missed! Only at the gallery for one month so come and see us soon! Exhibition ends 14 November.

"Up Close & Personal" by Janelle Bowler

Jayes Gallery is pleased to present the photographic images of talented Janelle Bowler in this forthcoming exhibition. Many of the works have been printed as large format giclees on canvas and would make a statement in any home.

Janelle says of her works, "So often when taking pictures I’m asked “Why do you get so close?” 

Such unique perspectives, patterns, even colours come to life when you take a different point of view and go in close on your subject, whether with a camera or whatever media you choose to represent the world through.

Suddenly a plain old leaf lying in a gutter takes on new value and calls for appreciation as intricate details or fascinating forms that you never realised were there, emerge to enlarge your vision and the beauty that lies there unbeknown to the casual observer.  What was just an ordinary scene, becomes extra-ordinary.

The beauty of the camera is that the lens can take you there, right up close where often your eye would or could never venture. The creative work is already done. You however have the great pleasure of revealing it to a world unawares.

Getting up close and personal certainly pays off in the end enriching our lives with the knowledge that beauty really is all around us."

Janelle's work is really perceptive and original so why not come and be inspired!

Barber and Clark at the Gallery for Spring!

 Opening: Saturday 18 September 2010 at 6.30 pm

Jayes Gallery & Sculpture Gardens is delighted to be able to bring you an amazing array of new artworks and sculptures from artists across the Central West and as far as Sydney. 

“The Spirit of Place” by Ada Clarke

Ada Clark will be showing paintings from her recent travels to Central Asia and other exotic locations. Vibrant and clear works that glow with bright colours and free flows of paint, these paintings will transport you away to other places as these works portray “the spirit of place” in Ada’s own individual style. Alongside works from the Australian bush, Ada is presenting these new works for you to view and buy for the first time.

“Les Derniers Coquelicots” by Melissa Barber

Melissa tells us quietly that these are to be her last works on ‘Poppies’. We are amazed and appalled as Melissa’s poppies have been one of our favourite themes over recent years. These are rich gilded works dripping with the ripest of reds, a mass of thick paint and forms, so warm and inviting that you can ‘smell’ the poppies in their fields of glowing colours. So if you want a Melissa Barber Poppy painting, then this is the time to get on out to Jayes. Don’t dilly dally along the way as spring doesn’t last long!

SCULPTURE IN THE SPRING - 18 September - 22 December

sculpture n. The art or practice of shaping figures or designs in the round or in relief, as by chiseling marble, modeling clay, or casting in metal.

On a quiet and windy day, out on the farms and fields, one can find a number of country folk sculpting away, creating all sorts of wonderful arrangements of metal and stone, objects found around the place or local scrap metal dealer, suddenly are welded into new forms and possibilities!

Among these, there are also renowned sculptors whose craft practices are so well advanced that they create exceptional and sophisticated forms from granite and stone. A 1.4 metre high monolith from red granite greets you as you enter gallery 1. Sculpted with both polished and adzed surfaces, this elegant form invites you to stroke and admire it. Ken Hutchinson is well known and has recently mounted a major work at the entrance of Bathurst Base Hospital and the gallery at Molong is delighted that Ken has provided them with this work for you to consider.

Out in country NSW, nationally renowned and well known sculptors from NSW will show their works in a new 3 month event, Sculptures in the Spring. This year the exhibition will run over 3 months to coincide with Wine Week and National Field Days in Orange NSW, two other well-known and established regional events.

Jayes Gallery, a city styled art gallery located at Molong in Central NSW has developed a sculpture garden to add to the already established gallery and stable of artists.

Opened at the same time, are two exhibitions by well known artists, Melissa Barber and Ada Clark. This is an arts extravaganza! Sculptors present in this show are Ken Hutchinson, Al  Phemister, Simon Reece, Tim Kyle and Hal Holman to name but a few.  Runs to 22 December.

'BURNT HILLS" AND "WILD WOODS' INSPIRE ART!

In an exhibition of works "Burnt Hills", artist Sally Watson brings us a fresh view of her world inspired by burnt hills and the natural world. Watson has a strong sense of line and form and these are works with a 'zen' quality that will hold your attention.

Opening on Saturday, August 21 at 6.30 pm, everyone is invited to attend.

SALLY WATSON'S STATEMENT:

"I have always loved the round hills of the landscapes around Orange. There is something maternal about the roundness and they seem to hold things in place. A daily walk is often a source if inspiration for may drawings, whether it is the shape of a leaf or an abstract idea. In November 20009, there was an out of control grass fir e which burnt out paddocks for kilometres until it was finally extinguished within 500 metres of where I lived. The familiar round hills were blackened and marks with the tracks from the fire trucks and I was reminded of the drawings by Rover Thomas. I was inspired to make a series of drawings based on the burnt hills. The hills are beside the road which I walked for many days and which had served as an inspiration for artworks, From November until January, I created large and small drawings, which were based on those burnt hills and the emotions of anguish and release of fear. I let myself go so I could explore my feelings through the drawings.

This exhibition also includes works from my Organic Abstraction Series. In these drawings I have not been concerned with representing any seen reality. One method I have used is automatism where the act of drawing, painting or writing is based on chance, suppressed consciousness and free associations. The subconscious holds thoughts and feelings, which can be hidden from us. Drawing an be a spontaneous way of letting go of control and allowing the work to emerge. Meditation, Zen and solitude always influence my work.


My arts practice includes keeping a visual journal, the observation of life around me, the inclusion of meditation as a way of becoming conscious of thoughts and feelings, the development of mark making, along with the loosening up and letting go of control in drawing and brushwork. I also make drawings, which are composed entirely of words, which represent a spontaneous flow of my consciousness. To me this is cathartic. The Organic Abstraction Series has nature nature and human emotion as the source for inspiration and also makes the use of gestural drawing and brushwork.


The richest way for me to be with myself is to paint and draw."

JUDY WHITLOCK'S STATEMENT:

"I work on paper in a  variety of media, painting, watercolour landscapes and leaf studies; drawing trees in pen and ink; and printmaking: etchings, mostly of trees, and oil-marbling. I make miniature books and photography is becoming an obsession.


My finished work is studio-based using sketch book drawings and photographs. I visit specific locations to obtain this material; on such trips I tramp around with a pen, sketchbook and camera. Working in pen forces a decision and creates a confidence in line and style. It is a very productive method and I have filled dozens of sketchbooks.

My paintings and etchings all evolve from the sketches. In the studio, (painting or preparing an etching plate) I like to play with composition, quality of light and bring my own atmosphere to a picture.


My tree drawing begin in situ and are finished in the studio. I vary the substrate and style but always there are millions of lines.


I am constantly refining, rethinking; I am always at work."


On inspiration, Judy says "All trees evoke some kind of response in me. They are the quintessential landscape. Many of my specific travel locations are for the trees alone. Some preferred areas are, the Darling and Murrumbidgee Rivers, western NSW, that area round Lake mUngo and it' many dry lakes, southern Alaska, and the Olympic Peninsula of Washington State USA.


Trees communicate a wealth of information relating to their environment and station in life; eg - White Spruce in southern Alaska are attacked by the brown beetle. This beetle has a degenerative effect and as a consequence, the spruce now stand sad, alone and forlorn.


Leaves are as interesting as their trees; all different and individual. I have vast collections of them, some, years old. They all have a story to tell. 


Some trees even grow on sand hills. Like leaves, who could not love them? - sand hills I mean. They lie waiting to be climbed, drawn and painted. The sun changes their colour; the wind, their shape. Alive, they creep slowly across the land devouring all in their path.


My printmaking specifically etching, is an extension of my drawing - studies perhaps rather than landscape as a whole. I like the atmosphere of a finished print and the whole printing process."


These two women artists both have insights and the love of this land that inspires many artists to express themselves. This is indeed a lovely exhibition with many pieces that will likewise inspire you, the viewer to a new understanding of Australia and the nature of this place.