February 10, 2016
Fighting breast cancer, battling depression and the need to get metropolitan galleries to sell more rural art might seem an unusual set of themes for an exhibition … but that’s how the Wondai Regional Art Gallery launched its 2016 exhibition program last Friday night.
This month the Gallery is playing host to three shows.
The front gallery is hosting “From The Radium Diaries” – a quirky and eclectic collection of works created by South Burnett artists Faye Cook and Jan Sody while they were both undergoing treatment for breast cancer.
Creating the works, they said, helped them take their minds off their troubles while they were going through the treatment process and provided them some peace of mind in the midst of a difficult situation.
The main gallery is filled with works created by well-known Mundubbera watercolourist Sue Lederhose.
Sue’s exhibition – “Here And There” – contains works created in Australia and overseas, which range from landscapes to portraits and floral works.
Last year Sue ran several well-attended watercolour art classes at the Gallery’s Studio but she doesn’t plan to do the same in 2016.
Instead she will be looking for additional outlets in Brisbane and on the coast to sell her artworks.
“The problem is that there isn’t a big market for art in rural areas,” Sue said.
So for full-time rural artists to make a living, it’s necessary for them to get outlets in higher population areas.
The rear gallery hosts “Love, Loss and Depression”, a collection of works by Barambah artist Allison Seiler.
Allison said the drought years had driven her into a deep depression but creating art had provided an outlet that allowed her to combat the disease which now, happily, she believes she’s beaten.
The exhibition was jointly opened by Cr Ros Heit and Wondai Regional Art Gallery curator Elaine Madill.
Cr Heit congratulated the artists on producing a lively, colourful and very thought-provoking collection of works, and Mrs Madill announced the Gallery will be running an exciting range of exhibitions in the year ahead, including several art competitions thanks to generous sponsors.
Mrs Madill also announced the Gallery will soon become a cellar door for four of the region’s wineries: Clovely Estate, Crane Wines, Moffatdale Ridge and Kingsley Grove Estate.
- “From The Radium Diaries”, “Here And There” and “Love, Loss and Depression” will remain on show at the Gallery on the roundabout in Wondai from 10:00am to 4:00pm daily until the end of the month. Admission to view them is free.
- Related article: New Cellar Door For Wondai
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