18 June 2013

Current Exhibitions & Openings

*May/June Exhibitions

The latest round of openings was held on Sunday 26th May at 2pm, there were 5 Exhibitions in all and each one had somebody to do the honors and speak a little about that particular exhibition.
Judy Ferguson,
 President of Gawler Community Gallery
welcoming speech & introductions
 for guest speakers
Unfortunately this writer does not have all the information here to be able to inform you of who they all were.
It was a lovely sunny day and we had in excess of 90 visitors through the Gallery for the day.
The large crowd at the opening on 26th May.
Each exhibition put up tables in their room and supplied nibbles, with the Gallery supplying tea & coffee for those who wanted a hot drink and some of the nibbles as well. Having this shared arrangement in each of the rooms was done for the first time and appears to have worked extremely well and been very popular among the guests.
Exhibition guests

It had the effect of holding people longer in each room to have a good look at all the wonderful work on offer for their perusal and purchase.

The 5 exhibition's currently running are: 'Ancient Worlds''Faye Matthews', 'AMITY', 'Back Route' and 'Eye Spy'.
----------------------------------------------------
by Liz & Stephanie

Downstairs In the - "Tea & Sugar Gallery",
'Ancient Worlds' is presented by artists Liz Colinge & Stephanie Elands, takes us on a journey through a range of ancient worlds using a variety of methods with textiles. Beautiful work girls.

by Faye Mathews

Downstairs in the - "Red Hen Gallery", artist "Faye Mathews", formerly from Victoria presents her professional paintings which include a variety of genre and loads of subject matter to please all tastes.


paintings shown are by
Colleen Gates, Brian Windebank
 and Dorothy Beverly.

Upstairs in the - "Bluebird Gallerypresented by 6 artists, "Amity Remembers" is in their 8th consecutive year showing together at Gawler.
They are: Colleen Gates, Carol Clue, Dorothy Beverly, Dianne Vagg, Brian Windebank, & standing in for Phil, this year is his wife Sylvia Bolding.  Phil passed away in November last year after a long battle with brain tumors and the group has titled this exhibition in his honor and have included some of Phil's work along with theirs. As ever this is a vibrant, and varied exhibition which shows how 6 people using the same medium of watercolour can have completely different styles and still produce beautiful work.
Amity is on Face Book-  just click on the link: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Amity-6-Friends-Art-Adelaide/532249873498617
by Krystyna Potoczek

Upstairs in the -"Overland Gallery" artist Krystyna Potoczek  presents "Back Route" paintings from the Outback and Alice Springs region, lovely scenes painted  using exciting colours in acrylic.


by Bridget Harrison
Upstairs in the - "Ghan Gallery" presented by artist Bridget Harrison (Harri of Harri Design) is "Eye Spy" a room with a difference. Bridgets has worked in close up using a variety of medium. There is an 'eye' in each piece, and sometimes you find yourself wondering which animal it is, only due to the extreme close up of the work.

As always we have a gallery filled with wonderful work from a very talented group of artists.

 Good luck all, I hope you have lots of sales, Cheers Dianne

*GALLERY NEWS

Members Note: We have a New Roster Coordinator as Colleen Moyne has resigned for personal reasons.

Joanne Hughes has kindly taken on this task and can be contacted by Email:  kenjo@internode.on.net  or Phone: 85248213.Joanne is also our Publicity Officer.
The Committee would like to request that as many of you as are able, place yourself on a set, permanent day on the roster each month. 
The reason for this is to attempt to make the Roster task much more easily managed. I am sure you all know that it is never easy completely filling all the roster days.
It would also make life easier for most of you as volunteers as well, because by doing this you would know exactly what your commitment is and could manage most Dr or other appointments around this. The obvious exception being with professionals who only offer specific days for appointments or if you are sick or away. These are things which will always pop up and we all have to deal with them.
We currently have 70 members, and 32 of those do not regularly sit on the roster. We are desperate for more volunteers with this, even if it is only a half day. Also as a thought by myself is it possible to permanently sit once every 2 months if your cannot do it more often? It all helps Joanne our roster coordinator with this daunting task.
The Gallery cannot run without our wonderful volunteer's assistance, we very much appreciate the effort you all go to in maintaining the Gawler Gallery as a viable exhibition space with a welcoming & friendly atmosphere.

Members/ Friends/Facebook

I would like to remind everyone who supports our Gallery that you are very much appreciated, and as such would like to suggest that you encourage anyone you may know who is interested, to join our Gallery and become members also. The more members we have the easier it is to fill rosters and our exhibitions will remain varied, fresh and interesting for years to come. Our membership prices are VERY reasonable, as are our ROOM HIRE fees, so spread the word.
Here are the links for our Facebook page and internet page to make it easier for you to pass information on.
Face Book; http://www.facebook.com/GawlerCommunityGallery?hc_location=timeline 
Internet/web site link;  http://gawlergallery.50webs.com/  These links are also on our home page.

*Gallery to Have New Office!

By August we will have moved the Office upstairs to what is now the BLUEBIRD room, (previously the blue room).
This room will be dedicated to all office work, and we hope to run the occasional "workshop" and "social gathering" from there as well.
WHY?
Over the last 6 months we have noted that our visitors are very reluctant to enter the shop, even when invited, as they feel like they are intruding into an office. The Shop coordinator & assistant have been constantly trying to remedy this problem with minimal effect.
There are also Occupation, Health & Safety issues with trying to hang paintings over bulky furniture. The last thing we want is for any of our volunteers to get injured.
Use Of Kitchen ;
There will be a new contract drawn up with the Lions Club soon, to reflect the recent changes with the Gallery space. We will no longer be getting the kitchen space, it will continue to be shared with the Lions as they find they still need the extra room for storage.

*Available Gallery Spaces for 2013

Exhibition Coodinator

Our Exhibition coordinator is Thelma Kirkwood, her job is to promote the gallery spaces for hire and fill each one throughout the year. This can be a big job, coordinating the rooms to the wishes of those wanting to exhibit in our gallery takes time and planning. Stirling work Thelma, there would be no exhibitions without you.

Looking for Exhibition Space? We still have available rooms this year, however they are filling fast. Each Exhibition run time is 6 weeks, and our prices are very reasonable.  There are still some rooms available for 2014, so if you are planning an exhibition get in quick and lock it in with a deposit so you don't miss out.
The dates and rooms still available are: August 15th - Sept' 22nd, The Overland Gallery and The Ghan Gallery, these are both upstairs, quite large rooms with lovely light & high ceilings. 
Contact: Thelma Kirkwood on 8254 2886 or
Email Thelma atatkirk@bigpond.com
At a later date I will give you the remaining availability for 2014 which is also filling very fast.

*Hanging Exhibitions

It Doesn't Happen By Accident 

Visitors to the Gallery probably never stop to think about how the artwork gets up on the walls and always looks fantastic.  

Magic? I don't think so!
I would like to congratulate & thank Team Leader, David Arandle & our hanging team for all their hard work in performing this important task several times
a year.
There is a definite ART to this task and extra help is always appreciated, so if you feel you can give a few hours every 6 weeks, and wish to learn the in's & out's of hanging, and taking down an exhibition to it's best advantage, then please contact David you will find his expertise & support invaluable.
All Galleries aim for a professional and artistic look to present to their visitors.
David is also our hard working secretary. 
You can contact him by 

It is not only the exhibition rooms that require a lot of thought and effort to maintain a professional look in our premises, but also the Shop & Hallways, which form part of our shop. 
The Shop coordinator Colleen Gates & assistant Dianne Vagg attend to this on a regular basis. At other times throughout the month if extra work comes in for the shop, several of our other members do a sterling job in assisting with this as well, so a big thank you to them also.

*Shop Updates

A Few Reminders

We are constantly looking for a variety of Art work & more members to either Hang or place in the Gallery Shop.     
 Here are some suggestions; Small to medium paintings, gift cards, pottery, jewelry, textiles to name a few.
If you have anything you think is suitable contact the shop coordinator who has the final say on appropriate pieces for the shop. Bearing in mind that space is a premium and we want to give everyone a fair go.  
Contact, Shop Coordinator - 
Colleen Gates;  Email; gordon.gates@hotmail.com  or Assistant -  
Dianne Vagg; Email; djvagg@bigpond.net.au 
All shop displays are on consignment and need to be written into a book specifically for your work.
The change over of this work is on a 3 month basis to keep the shop looking fresh & interesting for our visitors.
It is a good idea for you to keep a copy of your shop work and note the change over date in your diaries. If stuck you can always ring the gallery during opening hours, or simply roll up and change it out. It does not matter if you do this earlier than 3 months.
When the office moves upstairs, the shop will have a complete overhaul. The aim of this is to make it SAFE for shop staff & ALL members to hang their artworks. Currently it feels cramped, and having to stretch over cabinetry is NOT the ideal for anyone. It is a constant struggle juggling the layout each month so that everyone's work is displayed so that it looks its best.
Colleen is to be commended for doing such a wonderful job of this with the assistance of Dianne under the circumstances.






Gallery News

Members Note: We have a New Roster Coordinator as Colleen Moyne has resigned for personal reasons.

Joanne Hughes has kindly taken on this task and can be contacted by Email:  kenjo@internode.on.net  or Phone: 85248213.Joanne is also our Publicity Officer.
The Committee would like to request that as many of you as are able, place yourself on a set, permanent day on the roster each month. 
The reason for this is to attempt to make the Roster task much more easily managed. I am sure you all know that it is never easy completely filling all the roster days.
It would also make life easier for most of you as volunteers as well, because by doing this you would know exactly what your commitment is and could manage most Dr or other appointments around this. The obvious exception being with professionals who only offer specific days for appointments or if you are sick or away. These are things which will always pop up and we all have to deal with them.
We currently have 70 members, and 32 of those do not regularly sit on the roster. We are desperate for more volunteers with this, even if it is only a half day. Also as a thought by myself is it possible to permanently sit once every 2 months if your cannot do it more often? It all helps Joanne our roster coordinator with this daunting task.
The Gallery cannot run without our wonderful volunteer's assistance, we very much appreciate the effort you all go to in maintaining the Gawler Gallery as a viable exhibition space with a welcoming & friendly atmosphere.

Gallery to Have New Office!

By August we will have moved the Office upstairs to what is now the BLUEBIRD room, (previously the blue room).
This room will be dedicated to all office work, and we hope to run the occasional "workshop" and "social gathering" from there as well.
WHY?
Over the last 6 months we have noted that our visitors are very reluctant to enter the shop, even when invited, as they feel like they are intruding into an office. The Shop coordinator & assistant have been constantly trying to remedy this problem with minimal effect.
There are also Occupation, Health & Safety issues with trying to hang paintings over bulky furniture. The last thing we want is for any of our volunteers to get injured.
Use Of Kitchen ;
There will be a new contract drawn up with the Lions Club soon, to reflect the recent changes with the Gallery space. We will no longer be getting the kitchen space, it will continue to be shared with the Lions as they find they still need the extra room for storage.

Available Gallery Spaces for 2013

Looking for Exhibition Space? We still have available rooms this year, however they are filling fast. Each Exhibition run time is 6 weeks, and our prices are very reasonable.  
The dates and rooms still available are: August 15th - Sept' 22nd, The Overland Gallery and The Ghan Gallery, these are both upstairs, quite large rooms with lovely light & high ceilings. 
Contact: Thelma Kirkwood on 8254 2886 or
Email: atkirk@bigpond.com
At a later date I will give you the remaining availability for 2014 which is also filling very fast.

It Doesn't Happen By Accident

Hanging Exhibitions


Visitors to the Gallery probably never stop to think about how the artwork gets up on the walls and always looks fantastic.  
Magic? I don't think so!
I would like to congratulate & thank Team Leader, David Arandle & our hanging team for all their hard work in performing this important task several times
a year.
There is a definite ART to this task and extra help is always appreciated, so if you feel you can give a few hours every 6 weeks, and wish to learn the in's & out's of hanging, and taking down an exhibition to it's best advantage, then please contact David you will find his expertise & support invaluable.
All Galleries aim for a professional and artistic look to present to their visitors.
David is also our hard working secretary. 
You can contact him by 
Email at; etourist@arttimeproductions.com

It is not only the exhibition rooms that require a lot of thought and effort to maintain a professional look in our premises, but also the Shop & Hallways, which form part of our shop. 
The Shop coordinator Colleen Gates & assistant Dianne Vagg attend to this on a regular basis. At other times throughout the month if extra work comes in for the shop, several of our other members do a sterling job in assisting with this as well, so a big thank you to them also.

1 March 2013

Margaret Purnell, Jenny Georgi, Steve Oatway and Fringe Benefits

Exhibitions at the Gawler Community Gallery on display until April 7th, 2013:

Distraction - Margaret Purnell

International and national artist, Margaret Purnell exhibits a selection of oil paintings featuring Australian bushland and coastal scenes.

Girls, Girls, Girls - Jenny Georgi

Brighton artist, Jenny Georgi's debut exhibition featuring her stylized, figurative watercolours of the female form.

Primary Colours - Steve Oatway

Cockatoo Valley artist, Steve Oatway has become known as much for his sculpture as his pop art paintings, his latest exhibition at the gallery features a number of his pop art portraits and a little sculpture too.

Fringe Benefits - Various Artist

Presented  by the Gawler Community Gallery this themed exhibition invited artists to create an artwork on a 12" x 12" canvas that included the word 'Fringe' in its title. You'll be amazed at the range and styles on display. This exhibition is part of the Adelaide Fringe Festival.

17 January 2013

Gallery Exhibitions Jan 17 – Feb 24, 2013

A Day at the Zoo - Robert Laidlaw
An exhibition of large and small photographs by photographer and journalist Robert Laidlaw featuring many animals from the Adelaide Zoo.

Mixed Moments in Time - Maxine Donald
Kapunda Artist, Maxine Donald, presents a selection of watercolour artworks and acrylic paintings capturing various themes and moments in time.

Horses, Cats and Other Things - Ellen Steyn, David Arandle
Ellen Steyn exhibits a selection of her widely admired horse paintings as well as maybe a few other themes too. Whilst David Arandle brings together some of his whimsical cat paintings and other artworks that usually raise a smile.

Summer's Showing - Colleen Gates, Dianne Vagg
Colleen Gates and Dianne Vagg present a selection of their watercolour artworks across a variety of subjects and themes.

Gallery Committee Members Exhibition
A selection of artworks by Committee members Judy Ferguson, Joanne Hughes, Thelma Kirkwood, Ellen Steyn, Colleen Gates, Sue Olds and Dianne Vagg.

11 December 2012

Gallery 2013 Committee, AGM, Fringe Benefits Exhibition

Gallery 2013 Committee. From left; Thelma Kirkwood,
Colleen Gates, Ellen Steyn, Judy Furguson, David Arandle,
Joanne Hughes, Sue Olds, Colleen 'Col' Moyne.

2013 Committee

The gallery's 2013 committee was decided at November's AGM. Returning Committee members were extremely pleased and excited to once again have a full committee of eight members after a year of operating as a five person team.

Elected members and the roles are as follows:
  • Judy Ferguson - President
  • Ellen Steyn - Treasurer
  • David Arandle - Secretary, Newsletter Editor, Hanging Team Co-ordinator
  • Colleen Gates - Shop Co-ordinator
  • Sue Olds - Gawler  Health Service Exhibition Curator
  • Thelma Kirkwood - Program Co-ordinator
  • Joanne Hughes - Publicity.
  • Colleen 'Col' Moyne - Roster Co-ordinator
Congratulations to all successful nominees.

AGM Outcomes

One issue that was voted on at the AGM was the constitutional rule that no committee member is permitted to serve for more than 5 consecutive years. The meeting was asked whether this rule should be removed to allow those wishing to serve longer the ability to do so (in light of the ongoing difficulties associated with finding new committee members that the gallery had in 2012 - with former committee members resuming roles unofficially because of the restriction).

Removal of the rule was put to a vote with the majority in favor of having the limitation removed.

Fringe Benefits Exhibition - Entries now open

Entries are now invited from all artists to paint a canvas for our upcoming Fringe Benefits Exhibition being held as part of Adelaide's Fringe Festival during February and March.

The exhibition will be on display from Thursday 28th February 2013 to Sunday April 7th 2013. The official opening will be on Sunday March 3rd 2013 at 2pm.

To Enter simply visit the gallery and purchase a 30 x 40cm canvas for $10.00 (Price includes the cost of entry) and grab an official entry form (you may also download an entry form from our web site). Completed artworks must have the word 'Fringe' somewhere in the title.

You are free to interpret the theme 'Fringe' in any way and medium you choose just so long as the canvas forms part of your entry.

Limit of three entries per person. Entries Close Friday, February 22nd, 2013.

Note that the gallery closes for Christmas from Monday December 17th so be sure to visit the gallery by December 16th if you would like to purchase your canvas this year. The Gallery reopens on January 3rd 2013

21 August 2012

6th Gawler Art Award Winners Announced

Winner: Best Work Overall, "Winter Sun" by Gerhard Ritter.

The winners of the 6th Gawler Art Award were announced on Sunday 19th of August at the official opening of the exhibition which welcomed about 80 visitors to the gallery that day.

Gallery President, Judy Ferguson, announced the category winners and runners up including the Youth Award 10-14 years (Winner: Talia Green ”First Portraits” ; Highly Regarded: Jesse Crow “A weekday inspiration”), 3D Original Art Award (Winner: Sharyn Sinclair “Getting Fit” ; Highly Regarded: Di Popovic “Carnivale"), Hanging Textile Award (Winner:  Liz Collinge “Ginko-ites” ; Highly Regarded: Trish Moores “Leafy”), Watercolour Award (Winner: Walter Gray “Lewiston Landscape S.A." ; Highly Regarded: Carol Green “Evening Stroll”), Open Theme Award (Winner: Carol Clue “Ah! That feels better” ; Highly Regarded: Norah Jones “Solitude”).

Next came the exhibition awards beginning with the Best Work with a Flora/Nature theme which Judy announced the winner as Lorraine Winchester for her work titled “Hellebores”.

Winner: Briant Mahoney Memorial Art Award
"Proud, Happy, Loyal" by  Odette Larner.
Following that announcement Member for Light, Tony Piccolo MP was invited to talk about The Inaugural Briant Mahoney Memorial Art Award which he proposed to the Gallery when he was once again invited to be a sponsor of the awards.

Mr Piccolo said he named the award in memory of the late Briant Mahoney – the man with the dog - as he had become such an integral part of the town’s character. The award is an acquisitive prize, with the winner collecting $500 for a work of art that symbolises the essence and spirit of Gawler.

Mr Piccolo went on to say that towns like Gawler have a great spirit that often wasn’t always present in less defined communities. “The purpose of this prize is to encourage artists to create a work of art that symbolises the essence or spirit of Gawler.”

Artist Odette Larner (second from left) with Don Mahoney, Shirley Sevi,
Evelyn Hall and award sponsor Tony Piccolo MP at the award
ceremony. Photo courtesy of Tony Piccolo.

The award was announced and presented by Briant’s eldest sister Evelyn Hall, assisted by brother Don and Sister Shirley Sevi with the winner being Odette Larner for her work titled “Proud Happy Loyal”

The final award for the Best Work Overall was announced and presented by the Mayor of Gawler, Brian Sambell, who was also on the Judging panel. Mr Sambell noted of the experience that although he wasn't an artist himself he was surprised that his choices were generally on par with his fellow judges (and artists), Glenda Parker and Peter McLay.

The winner of the Best Work Overall, with a prize of $2000 sponsored by the Town of Gawler was Gerhard Ritter for his work titled "Winter Sun" (pictured at the top of this post).

The Gawler Community Gallery Committee would like to thank the judges, the Mahoney family and the following sponsors for their support of the 6th Gawler Art Awards: The Town of Gawler, Member for Light – Tony Piccolo MP, Vadoulis Garden Centre, Gawler Books, Adelaide Road Clinc, Totally Framed and Textile Artist – Jelina Haines.

For more images from the official opening including photos of the winning works visit the galleries Facebook Page.


27 May 2012

The 6th Gawler Art Award - Entries Now Open



The Gawler Community Gallery Inc is proud to present The 6th Gawler Art Award in 2012. Entries are now invited from Artists both locally and nationwide for the following exhibition and category awards.

Exhibition Awards:
(Works in all categories will be judged in these awards)

Best overall work in Exhibition
Acquisitive prize - The Town of Gawler $2,000

The Briant Mahoney Memorial Award
Awarded to the work that most symbolises the essence and spirit of Gawler - historic or contemporary or both. (Acquisitive prize)
Kindly donated by Mr. Tony Piccolo Member for Light $500

Best work with a Flora /Nature Theme
Kindly donated by Vadoulis Garden Centre $100 Gift Voucher

People’s Choice
Kindly donated by Gawler Books. Vote for your favorite Artwork!

Category Awards:


Open Theme Award in Any Medium
Kindly donated by Adelaide Road Clinic $150

Watercolour Award in Any Theme
Kindly donated by TBA

Hanging Textile Award in Any Theme
Kindly donated by Jelina Haines, 1 to 1 Mentorship

3D Original Award in Any Theme or Medium
Kindly donated by The Gawler Community Gallery $100

Youth Award in Any Theme or Medium. Ages 10-14 years
Kindly donated by The Gawler Community Gallery $60

Youth Award in Any Theme or Medium. Ages 15 – 18 years
Kindly donated by The Gawler Community Gallery $60


Entries close Friday August 10th

Entry forms available from the Gallery or download and print one yourself from this link (requires Adobe Reader).

To be held at The Gawler Community Gallery August 16th to September 23rd. Official opening Sunday August 19th at 2pm.

For more information email Gallery Secretary David Arandle: etourist@arttimeproductions.com