Studio Days at Callemondah

Tonight I was given the opportunity to   speak about and open an exhibition ‘ Studio Days’ at the Kiama Fire Station Gallery. It is a group exhibition of artists working out of Callemondah, the home and studio of well known artist Tori Di Mestre.

 

 

 

 

Callemondah , is a refuge from the world . A beautiful stone homestead and gallery ,  unique studio spaces ,all hand built and dotted around the property,  hillside paddocks with cows grazing happily amongst May Barrie’s huge stone sculptures, all sitting right beneath the stunning escarpment .It is an artist’s dream. ( See the link below )

Tori has opened her home and studio, freely sharing her knowledge, experience and even her art materials .  She has created a safe haven for artists to be fearless, and to have access to a great mentor, much as her mother May Barrie did before her. Over time Callemondah has become a place of intense productivity…. a wonderfully supportive network of like-minded artists.

The artists exhibiting  are a group of delightful women , many whom I know from days at Wollongong TAFE, each at a different stage of their artistic journey. They are drawing on their life experience, wisdom, abilities, inspiration and their deep need to make art.

 

 As artists we generally come to a stage in our life ( some earlier than others ) where we realise that it doesn’t really matter if that technique is not perfect , our ideas are not understood or our work is not as well received as we had hoped .It is more important to be true to ourselves and the art that flows from within us. This , I think is the substance of what Callemondah is all about.

Working individually as an artist can be very isolating. Working in a collaborative group on the other hand provides occassions to explore your own methods with an interchange of ideas and perspectives. It becomes a testing ground for experimentation, new ways of processing materials and making art. It is an opportunity to be brave, backed with support, trust and respect.

And who better than Tori to facilitate this unique experience. I first met Tori as a lecturer in drawing at TAFE Several years ago now. Never mind drawing with pencils or charcoal, Tori had us stitching and weaving our drawings, wrapping objects we were going to draw , creating unusual compositions…. Always testing, always pushing us to think outside the square.

 Looking around the exhibition we can see the experimentation, the brave choices, the unlimited new ways of using materials in these works. Peering closely I notice the surfaces , the many layers, unusual combinations of materials.

 

Art will  generally communicate something to you, it can provoke, educate,  or arouse some emotion in the viewer .This group of works ticks all of those boxes .Every year I look forward to seeing what this lovely group of ladies creates. To look and wonder….”how on earth did they do that? ”

I am always blown away by the diversity of mediums and different ways they are using them, the narratives and stories woven into the work, but especially the wonderful feeling that is consistently generated… it feels fresh , sincere and significant.

I think in years to come , these women artists will look back on these days in the studio as an unequalled experience of self discovery and creative authenticity.

 

11. I congratulate everyone for your commitment to your craft in presenting yet another successful exhibition.

Artists: Deborah de Vaal, Lynne Dallas, Ger Pasman, Rhonda Murray, Diane Power, Veronica Spanicek, Margaret Fisher, Fay Cavenagh, Lesly Kind, Sandra Rosiak, Susan Brown, Naomi Gates, Florence Rankin, Marie Cooper, Sue Ellen Cowell, Margaret Murray, Vanessa Harrington, Jennifer Lane, Rosemary Szabo, Kaye Turnbull, Faye Mason, Mandy Holloway.

Callemondah Studios

Kiama Fire Station Gallery