A NEW exhibition, titled Botanicals, has just been set up for display in the Port Stephens Community Arts Centre.
Running from 27 May to 21 July, it showcases mixed media artworks celebrating the beauty of the natural world, with pieces ranging from large canvases to small, framed miniatures.
Brightly coloured flowers, specimen illustrations, tropical greenery and cottage garden-style paintings are some of the subjects that the exhibition has to offer.
Alongside the Botanicals exhibition, the Centre is also showcasing Printmakers, which explores the tactile beauty of hand-pulled art, with intricate linocuts, etchings, and woodblocks, as well as a fascinating display of hats and weaving.
To create a more immersive experience, the gallery has seen some recent changes in the way it’s laid out.
“We’ve changed the way we do exhibitions. We’ve combined the gallery and the hallway, so everything connects with the theme,” said Gallery Manager Di Adamson.
While visitors come to look at exhibitions, there is a lot of work happening in the background at the centre.
Artists are busy with their easels, preparing for upcoming exhibitions; learning; fulfilling commissions; or simply creating personal pieces with techniques that range from traditional watercolour, acrylic and ink to experimental.
“We have about 350 members,” commented artist Marianne Newton. “We have different groups doing different crafts and art throughout the week. It’s a very busy place, very happy place.”
Many of the members emphasised how their best insights often came through bouncing ideas off each other, or by receiving mutual feedback.
The gallery welcomes artists of many different skill levels, from complete beginners to seasoned veterans like Bev Henry, who joined the Centre in 2019 but has been painting since the 1960s.
“It’s a big journey and you never stop learning,” she said.
“We’re very lucky to have her”, commented another member, “because she teaches us different techniques, and she’ll walk around and look at what everyone’s doing, give a little hint.”
By Nico LOMBARDO
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