a wonderful little artist collective
NOW SHOWING
Otto macpherson - a reflection of my float residency
28 April - 1 July 2023
Visit our autumn exhibition, a series of works by Otto Macpherson ~ created during his recent FLOAT artist residency.
‘In January 2023, I spent two weeks on FLOAT at Fisherman’s Landing in Bung Yarnda / Lake Tyers to seek inspiration and observation from the environment. I spent my High School years in Bruthen and have many memories of exploring the unique lake system by water or along the winding, connecting roads through the bush. Over time, I have increasingly felt connected to, as well as an ever-growing appreciation for the landscape and its diverse flora and fauna.
Staying on FLOAT was a big contrast in lifestyle to my home in Melbourne and it took some time to adjust, settle and become present in the environment. Every day that passed I felt more in tune to my surroundings, more observant and more intrigued. With my paper and bag of drawing supplies, I’d venture up the Toorloo Arm by kayak, stopping along the way for a snack and a sketch. I watched Mullet splash around me, cormorants sun bake and an array of waterbirds that always had a cautious eye on me approaching. I’d drift past kangaroos drinking from the water’s edge and followed the soaring paths of White-belied Sea Eagles as they’d survey the water course. I wanted to be as close to the natural environment as possible until I fell into the water off a muddy bank with all my drawing supplies or was feasted on by march flies and ants, then I was closer than I’d like to be but that was all part of the experience.
Back on FLOAT, I felt myself fall into the lake’s quiet rhythm. I’d wake up with the morning boats leaving for the day as I gently rocked in their wake, a family of chestnut teals that scrambled off the connected pontoon as I’d come out for my morning coffee. In the afternoon I’d watch the boats return, I’d observe the birds go about their daily routine, a lone pelican floating by for its afternoon dinner. At night I’d go to bed under a glistening starlit sky and to the rustling sounds of a hungry rakali.
This collection of drawings are my observations from the FLOAT vessel and scenes and snippets from mostly the water’s edge of Toorloo Arm, looking at how the vegetation changes as the salinity changes further up the waterway and what animal communities inhabit these ecosystems as well as the connection between people and nature. They are sketches and plans that I’m carrying on to produce further work, to somehow express all that I want to say and show my interpretation of Toorloo Arm.’ - Otto Macpherson 2023
PAST EXHIBITIONS
Penny Gray - Nature in blue
17 February - 21 April 2023
The artful Penny Gray has crafted a series of new cyanotype photograms that focus on her passion for nature and emphasis using recycled and sustainable materials. This collection of works reflects Penny's underlying ethos in her practice ~ to tread lightly on the planet. We have been lucky enough to share Penny's cyanotype wares in Foundry for some time now and you can imagine how excited we are to be hosting a collection of Penny's cyanotype prints in our miniature hallway gallery.
‘Nature is my inspiration and to be able to explore it in detail through cyanotype photograms has fast become a passion. The plants used to create these photograms have all been found on my property on Toorloo Arm, near Lake Tyers in East Gippsland. Most are native species with a few exceptions. Base materials include Berger cotton paper, Japanese rice-paper upcycled from a vintage book, natural fabrics (cotton, linen) and some rocks, shells, and wood. For this exhibition I have experimented with making art functional by making prints, light shades and hats to make art accessible and affordable for everyone. The simple wooden frames made to highlight the works on paper are upcycled floorboard remnants which reflects my ethos of treading lightly on our planet. Cyanotype is an alternative form of photography and dates back to the first photo books printed which were created by Anna Atkins in 1843 called British Algae: Cyanotype Impressions 1843-1853. It is from this process that the terms cyan blue and blueprint evolved. The process involves the mixing together of 2 iron-based chemicals which are painted onto the base material. Plants/objects or transparencies are placed on top and the blue forms where the material is exposed to ultraviolet (sun) light. Cyanotype is a form of contact printing and is a slow process. I love watching the blue form during the washing process and deepen through oxidation. I find it magical.’ - Penny Gray 2023
PERCEPTIONS
17 December 2022 - 10 February 2023
A collection of works from the VCE Art Students of Bairnsdale Secondary College in the Foundry Tiny Hallway Gallery.
The Whittle Spoon Cult - Spoon200
1 October - 9 December 2022
From Stratford hails the Art COLT (Community of Lost Trades) - a micro arts initiative. The Whittle Spoon COLT is a quirky subsidiary of the Art COLT collective. The Whittle Spoon Cult have hand crafted a series of unique wooden spoons culminated into an exhibition ~ SPOON 200 ~
‘All cultures have used the wooden spoon. Dating from 1000BC Ancient Egyptians buried them in tombs to be used in the afterlife. In Wales, young men would carve intricate “lovespoons” to give to their sweethearts. And in France, wooden spoons were elevated to an artist's tool as the preferred cooking utensil for professional chefs. All the while here in Gippsland a lone CULT keeps this ancient ritual of making intricately crafted wooden spoons alive using locally sourced timbers. SPOON 200 is a collection of their finest works, each spoon is a minimum 200mm in length and a max of 250mm. See hand timber scroll work and twists along with burnishing and Kolrosing techniques applied to these practical works of art.’ - The Whittle Spoon Cult
Exhibiting Artists: Kathy Luxford-Carr, David Young, David Ainsworth, Gavin Roberts, Justin Mccallum, Seamus Foley
Cheri o’donnell - A foundry hallway exhibition
5 August - 24 September 2022
Cheri O’Donnell has taken a break from printing her iconic designs on upcycled t-shirts to re explore her first love in the arts - painting.
Cheri created this collection of works inspired by various road trips across East Gippsland that she and her family have taken, in between and after the many COVID lockdowns.
These works speak of the sublime enjoyment of being outside in nature, while inside of lockdown. Also featuring Bats and some Bin Chickens!
Cheri O’Donnell is an artist from the East Gippsland Region, having studied Visual Arts at Gippsland Center for Art and Design and graduated with a Masters of Fine Arts (Painting) in 2013. Her artistic practice ranges from large scale paintings, to digital installations and silkscreen prints on upcycled t-shirts. Cheri’s practice is often collaborative, working with other artists and art organisations.
JILL HERMANS - Lost Wax & Finding Treasure
3 June - 29 July 2022
Join us as we celebrate the opening of Lost Wax & Finding Treasure by the fire with nibbles, drinks (sparkling bubbly Quincy!) and merry music by the whimsical Winnie Grace. Friday 3 June 5:00pm - 7:00pm.
Jill Hermans completed her Honours degree in Fine Arts at Monash University and has since moved back to Clifton Creek in East Gippsland to enjoy a sustainable lifestyle, off grid, in the bush. Her practice is materials, processes and techniques driven, finding endless fascination in the reactions between molten metals, oxides, enamel and flame. Her work has been exhibited both nationally and internationally.
‘Following on from my love of manipulating molten metal, this series of work came about after some beautiful rock interactions, and a few other fortunate alignments. A gifted electric Kiln thanks to @suex_xv opened up a world of possibility. A road trip mid 2021 up through the centre of Australia sparked a love of red earth and the changing minute geological foundation that paved the way. Out in the dessert where the landscape is so big and wide, I found myself leaning in and looking close’ - Jill Hermans
Pauline Crunden - a series of miniatures
11 February - 23 May 2022
Miniature paintings capture small moments in time, which the water and landscapes of East Gippsland continue to inspire. The creative process of colour mixing and mark making allows Pauline to express the beauty and resilience she sees in the natural world.
Pauline writes:
“The varied land and seascapes of East Gippsland continue to provide inspiration for my paintings. From the waters of Lake Tyers to the paddocks of Lindenow, my creative process celebrates the resilience and beauty of the landscape as it changes in each moment in time. I start my paintings at the horizon line, where the land meets the sky.
Very tactile manipulation of oil on board with a palette knife, and often my fingers, allows me to play with light and colour, shape and space. Always striving for a balance of spontaneity and discipline in my creative expression. I invite the viewer to enjoy looking as much as I have enjoyed creating my paintings of late 2021 and very early 2022.”
If you are interested in any of Pauline’s works please visit us in the shop or get in touch with us via email contact@ifoundthefoundry.com.
2021 - Refractions through time - by Kate Gribbin
Kate Gribbin delivers an exhibition which combines fusions of photography, printmaking lithography, linocuts, etchings, drypoint and hand drawn applications. Her luminous boxes push the boundaries of light and shadows.
Through this project Kate is exploring the sublime and the darker, more mysterious side of nature and the changing effects of light and shadows upon the landscape. Kate: “My intent was to create a series of landscape based works that are concerned with time place and ontology utilising the role that memory plays in how we see the worlds around us and how this can evoke both a physical and emotional response. These ideas are intertwined through notions through dark and light along with ideas of thinking in relation to abstract and virtual space.”
If you are interested in any of her works please visit us in the shop, get in touch with us via email or visit her Kates website directly
www.kathryn-gribbin.studio
2020 - A retrospective collection of works by JOCHEN KRUSE
Jochen Kruse: ”The direction if my work is to explore, manifest, interpret, analyse and recompose personal feelings and experiences in combination with memories of places where I have been and others, where I might have been a very long time ago, similar to places, that you see and recognise repeatedly in dreams, but cannot identify in real life.”
If you are interested in purchasing any of Jochens art works please get in touch with us via email or come and visit us in the shop and see more of his creations.
