By Wendy Williamson
A forthcoming exhibition at Upwey’s Burrinja Gallery is inspired by the three participating local artists’ shared love of nature and is testament to the diversity of the region’s creative community.
‘Paintbrush, Loom and Hammer: Three variations on a natural history theme’ will open Saturday 24 June, featuring the work of mosaic sculptor Jessie Yvette Journoud-Ryan, hand weaver Michele Fountain and botanical tattooist Amy Duncan.
It was friendship, the Dandenong Ranges Open Studios and this shared passion for nature that seeded the idea for this exhibition of new work by the artists. They hatched the exhibition concept during their time as Open Studios participants earlier this year and have now been working together and getting to know each other’s practices and processes for six months.
“We are all immersed in and inspired by the beauty of nature … as artists living in the Hills, our shared love of and heightened attention to our environment is reflected in our work,” Journoud-Ryan said.
Each of the artists brings their own experience and perspective on natural history to the exhibition. They explore their ideas through their distinct practices – expressed with a paintbrush, a loom and a hammer. The exhibition is an opportunity for visitors to explore these unique interpretations of the forms that plants and flowers can take.
“It is enriching for us to draw on the similarities within our creative processes, getting to know each other, sharing ideas and working together,” Duncan said.
There will be an opening celebration for the exhibition on Saturday 24 June from 6pm to 9pm. The exhibition will then run until 23 July. Burrinja Gallery and Cultural Centre is open Tuesdays to Sundays 10am to 4pm. Entry is free and the gallery is located at 351 Glenfern Road (corner Matson Drive), Upwey.
