news & workshop updates

Posted in art, drawing, news, painting, workshop

Save the Date!

SAT 10TH SEPT: LANDSCAPES WITH JON LAM

An image of Jon Lam demonstrating painting techniques
Jon demonstrating during his water effects workshop

$50 members $70 non members

*If insufficient numbers full price of $70 will apply to all participants

For those who came to Jon’s previous workshop in 2018 you will remember HIS relaxed and helpful tutoring.

Jon paints for the sheer pleasure it gives him. He has won over 40 awards during his career and he seems to be going from strength to strength with 5 successful entries in this year’s Camberwell Art Show!

Jon is competent with watercolour, oil, acrylic and pastels and his works vary between traditional to contemporary.

Bring some landscape reference photos and your own choice of medium for this one! Oils, Acrylics, Watercolour!

Bookings essential!!

Visit Jon’s Facebook page or website:

https://www.facebook.com/jonfonglam

https://jonfonglam.wixsite.com/mysite

And on the Ballarat Art Society page:

Posted in art, drawing, news, painting

Welcome to 2022!

Another year on and we are still battling the pandemic. Creativity keeps us going in troubled times and our groups will still meet to give members some time out with friends in an environment that is as safe as we can make it.

Woorinen South Community Hall starting Wednesday 12th January
9.30am. Gold coin donation to help pay for hall hire and cuppa supplies.

Murray River Motel, Campbell Street, Swan Hill starting Tuesday 1st February. 9.30am

Workshops will be announced soon following a sub committee meeting to set up the schedule.

Annual Fees Now due! $25 per person
#Participants must be double vaccinated to attend art days.

Water Spirit, Lorri Lambert 2022
Posted in Uncategorized

Streeton Style Mallee Landscape

Wednesday 7th June. 10am start.

Cost $20 + hall fee for members $35 for guests

When I look at Arthur Streeton’s work, I marvel at the beautiful light he has captured. (see example of Streeton’s work below)

Merrilyn Kemp will be demonstrating a technique she has learned, to try and capture that wonderful light, using a new range of Australian paint colours developed by Matisse.

Please bring a 40-50cm square canvas is possible (rectangle is ok shortest edge 40cm)

MASH will supply whisper blue paint and gesso for underpainting. This will be done on the day.

MASH will also be supplying the Aussie colours for everyone to share during the workshop including:

  • Australian sky blue
  • Australian sap green
  • Australian yellow green
  • Australian sienna
  • Australian blue gum

Please bring the following colours (if you have them).

  • Titanium white
  • Cadmium (warm) yellow
  • Cobalt blue (cooler blue than ultramarine)
  • Magenta light (or magenta as it can be lightened)
  • Raw umber or burnt umber
Mallee Track Woorinen South (our subject)
‘The purple noon’s transparent might’ Arthur Streeton (our inspiration)
  • Title: ‘The purple noon’s transparent might’
  • Creator: Arthur Streeton
  • Date created: 1896
  • Location created: Sydney, Australia
  • Physical Dimensions: 123.0 x 123.0 cm (Unframed)
  • Type: Paintings
  • Rights: National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne Purchased, 1896, =A9 National Gallery of Victoria
  • External Link: National Gallery of Victoria
  • Medium: oil on canvas
  • Place Part Of: Australia

Inspiration – https://www.craigpennyart.com.au/

Posted in Uncategorized

April/May Newsletter

End of Month Cuppa

Come along to a great social get together for all MASH members from both groups.
10.30am, Last Friday of each Month @ Modern Natural Café, McCallum St Swan Hill. 
Members and Guests Welcome!

Weekly Art Groups

Weekly painting days are in full swing and its great to see members trying out new mediums and styles.

  • Tuesdays 9.30 – to 12 @ Murray River Motel, Campbell Street, Swan Hill
  • Wednesdays 9.30 to 12.30 @ Woorinen South Community Hall.

Upcoming Workshops

Kerryn Finch Workshop: Expressive Still Life

Sat 6th May 10am-3pm @ Woorinen South Community Hall

$60 members $80 guests

Her style has developed over time, and Kerryn describes it as being a bit like her own language. She paints the things that have meaning to her, whether that’s a packet of chips, or a CD cover or some flowers from her garden, it’s her unique view of the world.

#Materials List:

# If you do not have materials MASH has plenty in the cupboard to share!

  • Paper for drawing sketches of composition, this might be a sketch book or similar.
  • Drawing materials eg: grey lead pencils, charcoal, white pencils.
  • A variety of sizes of paintbrushes suitable for acrylic painting,
  • A canvas or two, or some heavy duty paper or card.
  • Palette knife, and a palette or two.
  • An easel, if you like I can bring some table easels, just let me know if these are required.
  • Empty jars for water, rags for cleaning, apron (optional)
  • masking tape, (not essential but handy)
  • Acrylic paints, colours I recommend as a basic starting point are
    • Titanium white
    • Paynes grey (I use this instead of black)
    • Raw umber (dark brown)
    • Primary red or similar
    • Primary yellow or similar
    • Primary blue or similar

We can mix almost everything ourselves if we just have the basics.

Kerryn is exhibiting at Mildura 6th April to 28th May. https://www.milduraartscentre.com.au/WhatsOnPages/Exhibitions/On-the-Table.aspx She also has a Facebook page for her art. https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063605355171

First Wednesday in June: 
Pen and Wash with Lorri Lambert ($10 includes regular weekly fee)

Later in the year : Jon Lam Portraits stay tuned for details!

Exhibitions & Competitions

Fight Cancer 9×5 Exhibition and Online Auction Fundraiser
Swan Hill Regional Art Gallery, 29th April – 11th June 2023

Artworks will be on display at the Gallery and images and profiles will be on the auction website.

28th April 2023 – 11th June 2023

Artworks available for viewing in person at the 9 x 5 Art Exhibition on display at Swan Hill Regional Art Gallery Horseshoe Bend, Swan Hill. 2% Buyers Premium applies.

Emily: 0407 080 427  Graeme Hayes Real Estate: (03) 5450 3792

Travis Hipworth: 0435 591 985

Click on the CLEARING SALES link and the online auction will be available.

Posted in art, news, painting, workshop

April & May Workshops

@ Woorinen South Community Hall

First Wednesday @ Woorinen South Community Hall:

April 5th:  Pen & Wash with Lorri lambert $5 (plus normal hall fee) $20 non members

Archival pens supplied.  BYO watercolours and paper A5 or A4 (can be supplied if needed)

May (no workshop due to Kerryn Finch Sat 6th)

Still life painting by Kerryn Finch, Kerang based artist.

Kerryn Finch Workshop: Expressive Still Life

Sat 6th May 10am—3pm

$60 members  $80 guests


Kerryn loves painting still-life , but with some quirks and things not typically seen in traditional still-life painting. 

Her style has developed over time, and Kerryn describes it as being a bit like her own language.  She paints the things that have meaning to her, whether that’s a packet of chips, or a CD cover or some flowers from her garden, it’s her unique view of the world. 

Kerryn is exhibiting at Mildura 6th April to 28th May.  https://www.milduraartscentre.com.au/WhatsOnPages/Exhibitions/On-the-Table.aspx

She also has a Facebook page for her art.

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063605355171

Posted in art, drawing, news, painting

Welcome to 2023!

Life memberships were presented to Joan Mellahn, Helen McKerrow and Judy Brawn for their long term commitment to the group, their support of local artists and promotion of the group by continued involvement in the broader community. Judy has also been President for 11 years.

The group is once again meeting at Woorinen South Community Hall each Wednesday morning. If you need a lift, let us know there is always someone heading out from Swan Hill.

Our AGM was held on 17th January at the Swan Hill Regional Art Gallery, followed by a General Meeting. Norma Anderson has taken on President, and Lorri Lambert remains in the role of Secretary and acting Treasurer. We currently have 17 members.

General Business from the meeting:

Twilight Arts Market
This will be held at the Town Hall on Saturday 25th February. 
Members agreed to have a 2m x 4m stall at the cost of $90.  This is an opportunity to promote the group.  The market runs from 4pm – 8pm with further details to be obtained by Lorri and members advised regarding delivery and pick up of items.  Norma has offered to collect display stands from Judy for the event and will check with her regarding the banner.  Once more details are obtained Lorri will consult with Helen and Norma to plan how the site will be set up to best highlight the artworks and display other items.

Workshop Survey Results

The survey showed that members are happy with the current format of First Wednesday workshops and special guests for one or two days on weekends.

Pastels, Oils and Pen and Wash were the top three selected medium.

Portraits, Life drawing/painting and colour mixing were the top three in skill development.

Jon Lam, Di Giddings, Jan Lawler and Kerryn Finch were the top four tutors in the survey.

Newly suggested tutors include Bethany McKay (Dandy Lion studio tutor), Glenda Cornell and Basil Hall.

Workshop planning group will include Lorri, Norma and Nancy with Maxine and Sue to be asked if they wish to participate.

Thanks
Helen McKerrow thanked Norma for organising our annual Christmas functions and for always providing beautiful decorations for the event.  This was supported by a round of applause.

Swan Hill Show:  MASH will continue to support with a donation and assistance in hanging works.

Motel Group: Thank you to the Tuesday group for arranging a gift as thanks to Justin and Jean.

Lake Boga Annual Art Show February 23-25
Joy advised the group that entries are still open and that it is a great community event and an opportunity to sell some work.  Lorri to post an update on Facebook to remind members.  Entry forms will be taken to art group on Wednesday.

Insurance
Some discussion was held about our insurance and what it covers.  Lorri explained that it is called Market Stall Insurance but also covers us for $20m public liability insurance.  This covers us against accidents at any event we participate in anywhere in Australia.  *Lorri looked up policy to confirm following the meeting.

Membership
The question was raised why we have not continued the $10 reimbursement at the Christmas event.  Lorri explained that the funds were needed for insurance and also used to purchase materials and support workshops.  Effectively we were only charging $15 membership if we continued the reimbursement.  Members agreed that the annual fee is still very reasonable at $25.

Life Memberships
Presented to Joan Mellahn and Helen McKerrow for their support of MASH, local artists; often representing MASH in other forums and promoting the Arts in the region.  Lorri will present Life Membership to Judy Brawn for 11 years as President and her support for the Arts in our community.

Monthly Cuppa/get together
It was agreed to continue these in 2023 as they are a great way to keep the group connected.  There was discussion around venues and it was agreed to meet at the same venue this year to make it easier to remember.  The group agreed to meet at Modern natural (opposite the town hall) as it is roomy, has plenty of parking and usually not busy so we can hear each other.  Norma will contact the café and the first one will be February 24th 10.30am.

Survey for Art Gallery Redevelopment
Members were asked to complete the survey being conducted to gather ideas for the redevelopment of the Regional Art Gallery.  Lorri completed the survey online and hard copies were made available.

9×5 Exhibition again in 2023
This will be held in April this year and some members took boards and signed up.  More boards will be made available for those who wish to participate.

Lorri will provide feedback to the organising Committee of the exhibition regarding the obscurity of the Auction site and difficulty for some to locate and navigate.  Being inside the real estate agent website made it unclear as to the real purpose of the fundraiser.  Also it was questioned that the platform was used by some artists to self promote and concerns that this was not appropriate for a fundraiser.

Moving House
Joan Mellahn advised the group she has moved to Logan Lodge and as a result will have paintings and art materials that can not be housed.  Family are assisting in sorting and Joy has offered to photograph Joan’s paintings.  Members agreed to assist Joan in selling paintings at an afternoon (date to be announced) where funds will be donated to a charity of Joan’s choice. 

Meeting closed 11.50am

Posted in Uncategorized

Christmas Greetings

MASH is taking a break over the holiday season.

Merry Christmas!

A big thanks to everyone who helped make our year a memorable one! The Opening of our 21st Exhibition was fabulous and it will be on show at Swan Hill Regional Art Gallery until the end of January.

We will be holding the AGM Tuesday 17th January at a venue to be confirmed.

The Woorinen Group resumes on Wednesday 18th January.

Posted in art, Birthday, drawing, exhibition, Market, news, painting, photography, workshop

How to photograph your artwork

DIGITAL CAMERA PHOTOGRAPHY TIPS

  1. Hang your work on the wall. Find a neutral coloured wall (white or grey) and hang your work at the height where the middle of your piece will be parallel to where your camera is pointing – either on a tripod or sitting on a hard surface, such as a shelf or table.

2.     Light your work. If shooting indoors, make sure you shoot in a room with plenty of windows and natural light. Avoid direct sunlight on your artwork as this may create glare and affect the colours of your photograph.  You can light your work with lamps. For 2D works, all you need is two lights. (Preferably using Daylight bulbs). Place the lights halfway between the camera and your work on the wall at a 45-degree angle pointing towards the wall (this angle will help eliminate any glare you might get from the lights). If you are still experiencing glares from the lights – you can diffuse the lights with white sheets in front of them. See image for camera placement.

3.    Once your artwork is hung on the wall and lit with lamps, double check that the camera is set to where the lens lines up with the middle of the painting.  The artwork should take up the majority of the frame in your picture. The ISO and aperture of your camera are very important to get clear, crisp and bright images of your artwork. In this case, since we want very crisp images, we want a low ISO. Studio shots will generally be shot at ISO 100. The f-stop of the aperture of your camera adjusts how much light is let through the lens by making the opening bigger or smaller. The higher the number, the less light is being passed through. With a DSLR the ideal range for shooting artworks is between f-8 and f-11. Set your camera’s timer to four or five seconds so that pressing the shutter button doesn’t create a shake in your image.

#NOTE Look up specific instructions for your Camera or Smart Phone for step 3

4.     Take the picture!

WATCH THIS VIDEO!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AQmt8y9V6wc&ab_channel=PaulRichmond
Photo editing app demonstrated in this video that you can download:  Snapseed

Posted in art, Birthday, drawing, exhibition, news, painting, photography

What is an Artist Statement?

An artist statement is piece of writing by you that helps the audience access or
understand your artistic work. It is written in the first person, while artist bios are written in the third person. Both represent you as an artist, even while you are not there. Both are not meant to come to you right away and it will take some time, revisions, and fine tuning to have a finished written product. They may include sources, ideas, and materials in your current practice.

HOW TO WRITE AN ARTIST STATEMENT WITH A SHORT BIO

Between 150-200 words (two paragraphs) is the best length for a statement that is going to be published. It is long enough to let a viewer learn more about you and your work, but not too long that they can’t follow your story and get distracted. 

The “Who”  Very briefly state a bit about yourself and your highlights and education as an artist.  Do not write a resume!  Readers will be bored if this is the main feature of your statement.  In fact I recommend putting it at the end!

The “How” Refers to how you created your works. Many visitors are interested in knowing about your artistic process. Describe your works; what colours do you use, do you make large marks or small marks, or do you use blending so there are no visible marks at all? If you’re a photographer, what kind of tools are integral to your process?

The “What” Are your paintings abstract? Portraits? Do you take photos of landscapes? What is your imagery? When people describe what you make, what do they say? Describe the content of your works in a general way to flow from how you work to what you make.

The “Why”   Why do you make what you make? What does your life say about your work and your work say about your life? What symbols do you use and why? Explain the influences behind the meanings of your works.

You don’t have to have the same amount of each type of information, but it is a good idea to have part of your statement devoted to each of these categories. However, if one category seems far more relevant to your work than the others, feel free to emphasize it in your statement. You can put as much or as little of each category as you like. If your works are about the medium then you can focus more on how you make your works and if it is more about the “why” and your inspiration, focus on that. Balance your content in any way you need.

Posted in art, Birthday, drawing, exhibition, news, painting

21st Birthday Exhibition

Past and Present members of Mallee Artists Swan Hill Inc. are invited to exhibit in the 21st Birthday retrospective exhibition at Swan Hill Regional Art Gallery.

Any work created by the artist in their lifetime may be exhibited.  Deceased artist works may also be included at the discretion of their owners and or families.
(in this document they are called Agents)

Important dates

Friday 30 September                     Entries close

Friday 28 October                         Artists notified of successful entries

Monday 21st November                Artwork to be delivered to the Gallery

Friday 25 November                     Official opening of Exhibition

Saturday 26 November                 11am Walk through the exhibition with artists

Saturday 26 November:                6.30pm Artists and guests dinner

Sunday  30 January 2023              Last day of exhibit

Tuesday 14 February 2023            Last day to collect artworks

All Enquiries including assistance with photography:

President: Judy Brawn 0448918771  Secretary: Lorri Lambert 0467 879 261

Conditions of Entry

  1. Artists must be registered past or present members of Mallee Artists Swan Hill Inc. Two works may be submitted, however only one may be displayed.  This is at the discretion of the Gallery Director.
  2. Members (or their agent) must submit an entry form with an electronic or printed image of the work (either TIF or JPG max. 5 MB) and a short artist statement maximum length of 200 words – word or rtf format).
  3. Images, statement about the work, and signed entry form will be accepted by MASH up until 5pm 30 September 2022.  Late entries will not be accepted.
  4. Artists will be notified which artwork/s will be exhibited at the Gallery by 28 October.
  5. Artists or their representatives are responsible for delivering all accepted work/s to Swan Hill Regional Art Gallery no later than Monday 21st November 2022.
  6. Adequate protection must be taken in packaging work as no responsibility will be taken by Swan Hill Regional Art Gallery for damage or lost works during transit. Works of art will be insured whilst in storage and on display at Swan Hill Regional Art Gallery.
  7. All works selected for the exhibition must be available for the duration of the exhibition, current from 25 November 2022 to 30th Jan 2023.
  8. Work is to be suitably mounted and ready to hang. Instructions are to be supplied with the work if alternative installation is required.  Small 3D work is also accepted.
  9. Works DO NOT need to be for sale but if they are, a commission of 20% will be retained by Swan Hill Regional Art Gallery upon sale of the artworks.
  10. All artworks and statements must be available for any form of media promotion and advertising of the exhibition. The Gallery will strive to ensure any publicity of artwork is appropriate.
  11. Artists are responsible for the return of their artwork and must be collected by 14 February 2023.

———————————————————————————————–

Registration Form

21st Birthday Retrospective Exhibition
for members past and present

Artist Name: ____________________________________________________________________

Agent: (if applicable) ______________________________________________________________

Contact Telephone: _______________________________________________________________

Email: __________________________________________________________________________

Postal Address: ___________________________________________________________________

 _______________________________________________________________________________

ARTWORK #1

Title: ____________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________

Year created: ______________  Medium: _______________________________________________

Size:   L  _________________W ___________________ H________________

ARTWORK #2

Title: ____________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________

Date: ______________ Medium: _______________________________________

Size:   L  _________________W ___________________ H________________

Please attach

  • Artist Statement/short bio (up to 200 words)
  • A digital or printed image of the work/s. Email images to malleeartists.swanhill@gmail.com

Mallee Artists Swan Hill Inc.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/malleeart

malleeartists.swanhill@gmail.com

All Enquiries including assistance with photography:

President: Judy Brawn 0448918771  Secretary: Lorri Lambert 0467 879 261