By Parker McKenzie
Miller’s Homestead’s heritage aesthetic will be contrasted with vivid colours when Artist Shirley Dougan’s exhibition A Patterned World is on show from Tuesday 19 July until Wednesday 10 August.
Ms Dougan, who will also be giving an artist’s speech about the exhibition on Wednesday 3 August, said the art work on display was created recycled material from a local craft store called Resource Rescue.
“I found this stuff in there, it’s a black and very dense foam, then I cut it with a pair of scissors,” she said.
“I cut into it and made shapes and then I stamped with it onto my canvases.”
She said she hopes the brightness and colourfulness of her art create contrast with the heritage-listed Miller’s Homestead.
“I’m stoked because having my artwork in that old place is beautiful, it’s really gorgeous,” she said.
“The juxtaposition of really bright modern stuff in a very old house, I think would be really interesting.”
Miller’s Homestead is a single-storey Victorian building on the corner of Melrose Court and Dorringo Drive, Boronia. It was built in the 1880s and has been restored with a garden landscaped as close as possible to the original design and is an example of the Late Victorian boom era architecture.
She said the 12 to 14 pieces of artwork which will be exhibited were mostly landscapes of places she had previously visited.
“There are a couple of animals but this is mostly landscapes. I work in what I call a colourful but recognisable style,” Ms Dougan said.
“There’s one of the Ferntree Gully Quarry, there’s a couple from Scotland and one from Dorset, a place called Durdle Door which is quite well known.”
Ms Dougan is also a committee member of the Ferntree Gully Art Society, which will be having its own exhibition at Millers Homestead in October.
Miller’s Homestead is open from Monday to Friday 9.30am to 12pm and 1pm to 5pm.
