November 13, 2020
Battling the pandemic and its associated restrictions has been a challenge for the Wondai Regional Art Gallery for most of this year … but last Friday night things (almost) returned to normal.
The gallery unveiled its November exhibition to an almost usual-size crowd.
And while patrons had to sign in at the front reception desk and queue for snacks at The Studio’s supper table, they were able to circulate and chat as they viewed the exhibitions (socially distanced).
This month the Gallery is hosting three exhibitions from six artists.
In the front gallery, Dianne Hodges has “A Love Of Colour”, a small exhibition showcasing her work.
Dianne grew up near Lismore where she fell in love with art at high school, and later went on to spend two years studying still life drawing at the Lismore Fine Arts School.
Then she moved to Queensland and now lives in Tingoora, where she taught art and crafts at Tingoora State School for 11 years.
Her exhibition features paintings and sculptures covering a wide range of themes.
The main gallery has a joint exhibition put together by four local artists – Pat van Kempen, her daughter Maria, Trish Corneal and Stephanie Outridge Field.
The exhibition is as diverse as it is colourful.
While Pat has retained her long-standing focus on flowers, daughter Maria is showing a very wide-ranging collection of works that range from striking abstracts to stark linocuts and eclectic electric bulb sculptures.
Trish Corneal is exhibiting luminous underwater seascapes, and Stephanie Outridge Field – a ceramics specialist – has prepared a series of cylindrical ceramic works reflecting trees, along with a parallel series of boxes with textures from the natural environment called Earthboxes.
In the rear gallery, Proston textile artist Ruth Wagner is exhibiting “A Shuttered View” – a range of wall hangings that showcase her 45 years of experience of working with textiles, which started out with quilt-making.
Ruth exhibited her works at the Pat Augustine Gallery in Mount Perry and the Gin Gin Courthouse Gallery prior to moving to the South Burnett, and her exhibition this month is her first solo outing in the region.
South Burnett Mayor Brett Otto and Cr Kathy Duff, who attended the opening night, both had announcements to make.
Mayor Otto said the South Burnett Regional Council seems likely to adopt an Arts Policy in the near future, and would be contributing towards the employment of an Arts Officer in conjunction with two other WBBROC councils thanks to a recent State Government grant.
Cr Duff, meanwhile, announced the winner of a photographic competition recently run in Proston, and presented a cheque to Laine Robertson for her photo “Every Day Is A Second Chance”.
- “A Love Of Colour”, “Burnett and Beyond” and “A Shuttered View” will remain on display at the Wondai Regional Art Gallery from 10:00am to 4:00pm daily until the end of the month. Admission to view the exhibitions is free.
