Blooming Art 2024 - Bunbury Regional Art Gallery, Western Australia

 Over a cold, wet and blustery weekend, it was time for the Blooming Art 2024 exhibition, in conjunction with the Floral Designers Club of Bunbury. 

Held annually in the beautiful Chapel Gallery of the Bunbury Regional Art Gallery (built in 1897, as the Convent of Mercy), the blooming art brightens up a winter's day. 

As well as various categories of competitions for Floral Designers Club members, the club invites a number of artists and related art groups to participate by choosing artwork from the City of Bunbury Art Collection and responding to it by making an ephemeral artwork with flowers and plant material.

Here I share some of them.

Jacqueline Gibsons interpretation of Kangaroo Hill by Phillip Hansen

Donna Fortescue's interpretation of Guy Grey-Smith's Landscape 1969

Deanne Wenn-Mayne's interpretation of Eigma 33 by Janis Rudolfs Nedela - includes little yellow ducks and invited children to draw a picture of a duck with the provided pencils and take a duck home. Deanne who lives with Functional Neurological Disorder dedicated her piece to all the children who visited.

Kaylene MacLoughlin created a beautiful felted vase as part of her interpretation of "Waiting for the Boat 1986" by Helen Grey-Smith. 

Merle Topsy Davis's interpretation of Drawing for Painting by Ted Snell

Carolyn Nicholls's showcases the plight of the Red Tailed Cockatoos in her interpretation of Occupied Territory by Kay Gibson

Kathleen Pinkerton's interpretation of The Silent Camp by Graham 'Swag' Taylor represents a campfire and the loss of children taken from aboriginal camps. "Some is missing forever, will they ever be returned".

The centrepiece this year put together by members of the Floral Designers Club was a mermaid

Among all the wonderful floral art works by the designer club members I couldn't go past Catherine Meads display which won Best In Show and 1st Class 1 - Designer of the Year 2024. Obviously the judges couldn't either.

In 2014 I was an invited artist for Blooming Art. You can read about my experiences here: Blooming Art 2014. Below is my exhibited piece. The painting is by Alisa Small, called Up The Gorge to Tallering Peak.

To find out more about the Flower Designers Club of Bunbury and see more of the exhibition and the work they do. Flower Designers Club of Bunbury

A few images of the Bunbury Regional Art Gallery. It really is a beautiful space. I've just realised that they covered up the chapel stain glass windows for the exhibition.

While we were at the art galley we had a look at other current exhibitions including The Claude Hothin Bequest of historical artworks, and the Iluka Visions annual exhibition of student artworks from high schools in the South West region.

More about the Bunbury Regional Art Gallery, it's history and exhibitions: Bunbury Regional Art Gallery

Thank you so much for stopping by. I value your comments and look forward to hearing from you. I will try to visit your blogs in return. Have a wonderful week. 
I am linking up to the link-ups below. Please click on the links to see fabulous contributions from around the world - virtual touring at its best!
   

Mosaic Monday @ Soul & Mind & So On

Saturdays Critters - Viewing Nature With Eileen

Travel Tuesday

Pictorial Tuesday 

Talking About It Tuesdays @ Slices of Life

ThroughMy Lens 
Image-in-ing
My corner of the world through my camera 
Wednesday Around the World at Communal Global hosted by Randomosity. 
       and Little bird - Pienilintu
Thankful Thursday 
Welcome to Nature Thursday

Skywatch Friday

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Until then, enjoy your day... it won't be back. 

The Roofgoats and friends - Fringe Festival Bunbury 2019

 Have you ever been to a concert in an Art Gallery?

On Saturday evening I went to see the opening night of "The Roofgoats and friends" performance, "12 Brag Faves", at the Bunbury Regional Art Gallery as part of the Fringe Festival.  

Describing themselves as a folk-rock live theatre band, who have been performing since 1995, The Roofgoats performed all new material written by Roofgoat members to interpret through words, music and song, twelve pieces of art selected by Art Gallery staff. There was also original poetry by Ben Mason, comedy from Dave Phillips, dance interpretation by Nicole Kostezky, and a sea-shanty sung by The Anchormen.

And what a FABULOUS show it was performed in the chapel gallery of the Art Gallery to a packed audience.

 Before the show we were introduced to the selected artworks through a thoroughly enjoyable, tongue-in-cheek, comic introduction by "Dudley Featherstone". 

Paintings included works by Australian artists Guy Grey-Smith's "Landscape", Arthur Boyd's "Wimmera Landscape", the social-political work "The Lovers" by Julie Dowling, and an early "Bunbury Harbour" scene by Sam Wheeler.  The paintings were projected behind the group during the performance of each piece.

 Supporting The Roofgoats was an expanded group of supporting friends, which included Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA) music student Lydia McIntyre, and University of WA (UWA) conservatorium piano student Annabelle Robinson adding their feminine tones to the group. 

A few pics from the show -

Below clockwise from top left - Brad Snelling (the husband of a school teacher friend), Lydia McIntyre (daughter of my dancing friend), Mike McIntyre (Lydia's Dad!), poet Ben Mason, comedian Dave Phillips, and Annabelle Robinson (vocals, trumpet and guitar).

The Anchormen (a group formed in April 2018) sang an original sea-shanty, "Yo Ho Haul Away", written by Damian Maher and inspired by the art work "Bunbury Harbour" (1903) by Sam Wheeler.

And the many faces of my friend and dance teacher, dancer and artistic director of Sol y Sombra Spanish Dance Company, Nicole Kostezky, as she physically interpreted the music and art works. 

"Surely some physical expression would help showcase these visual artworks?" "I know someone" said Mike and so began Nicole's collaboration with The Roofgoats.  

Nicole commented: " It was a privilege to dance as part of an amazing show, with such a talented bunch of artists."

Nicole giving a Spanish Flamenco interpretation of the song "She's a Rose" written by Brad Snelling, influenced by the painting "Landscape" by Guy Grey Smith. 

At the end of the night The Roofgoats were given a standing ovation. I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of "12 Brag Faves" by The Roofgoats and friends, and lucky for me I had a good seat from which to take photos! :) 

But why Roofgoats? I asked them -
"Alan Payne, our squeezy player, when we were fishing around for a name said " I saw goats on a roof in City beach once and thought 'that would be a good name for a band'". We've tried, but never been able to shake it."

 See more of the Roofgoats on Facebook at - The-Roofgoats
 The Fringe Festival - Bunbury Fringe
 a few more photos from my Facebook album - Jill Harrison on Facebook
and Sol-y-Sombra Spanish Dance Company - Solysombra Dance

The Bunbury Regional Art Gallery is housed in the former Sisters of Mercy Concent and Chapel built in 1897 in Federal Free Medieval style, a blend of Gothic and Southern European architectural characteristics.


Thank you so much for stopping by.  Have you ever been to a music performance in an Art Gallery? Perhaps you would like to tell us about it in your comments. 

I value your comments and look forward to hearing from you. I will try to visit your blogs in return. Have a wonderful week. 

I am linking up to the link-ups below. Please click on the links to see fabulous contributions from around the world - virtual touring at its best!

   
All Seasons
MosaicMonday at Letting Go of the Bay Leaf

Our World Tuesday

Pictorial Tuesday 

ThroughMy Lens 

Image-in-ing
Wednesday Around the World at Communal Global hosted by Randomosity.
Travel Photo Thursday 

The Lovin' Life Team over at: Deep Fried Fruit
Little Things Thursday
Friday Bliss at Floral Passions

Hello there! I love reading your comments. If you scroll down to the bottom you can comment too! I would love to hear from you.

January Summer School

January is Summer School month at the Stirling Street Arts Centre in Bunbury. In past years I have booked into quite a few different workshops, but this year I just registered myself into only two. 

Blessings and Inspiration

 When I was pondering what to write about this week I was scrolling through some of the blog posts on Kim Klassen's page. Do you know of her? Beautiful still life photography, beautiful presents, beautiful thoughts. 

While I was strolling through I found Kim's post "Things Get Broken" - I am sure we have all had times like this ..... and here is a lovely quote Kim shared......

"things get broken, and sometimes they get repaired, and in most cases, you realize that no matter what gets damaged, life rearranges itself to compensate for your loss, sometimes wonderfully.― Hanya Yanagihara, A Little Life"

I am sure we have all felt like this at some time or other. I know I have. A friend of mine and her sister are going through a difficult time at the moment with a sick parent who is stretching them to their limits both emotionally and financially. I hope in time that they will find that life will rearrange itself.  I know my friend finds solace in dancing. I know I found solace in my photography when my father was gravely ill in hospital.

But that is not what my post is about today.......When I scrolled through the comments Kim received, this one in particular, from Terasazehr resonated with me ....
 
"Yes!! I woke up this morning thinking “my week is so full” but then thought “what if I spin that? And think of it as my week is so full of blessings? Or gifts waiting to be received ?”

How true this is in my life at the moment as I jump from one event, or task, or group, or creative pursuit, to another. There never seems to be enough time in the day to stop and smell the flowers. But how lucky I am that this is possible, that my life is so full, that I am not sitting on my own on a chair in the window, wishing that life would come to me. That there are people in my life that inspire, encourage, and support me. 

I met up recently with another friend who lost her husband unexpectedly in the last couple of years. Life took a dramatic turn which she was totally unprepared for, and she has had to make a new life without her husband. She was out enjoying an event with a friend when I saw her, and she said, "at least I am not at home curled up in the corner of a couch in front of the TV."

Wheat-belt wild flowers

 Last week we had a quick overnight trip to the wheatbelt to attend the funeral of my sister's husband's father. He was 95. And as I listened to his eulogy I thought about the full and interesting life, well lived, he had led.  His funeral, even though there was sorrow, was also a celebration of his life.  And I was reminded again of the importance of grasping opportunities as they come along and treasuring every moment, those around us and our blessings.

My life at the moment is consumed with creative arts, particularly leaf prints on paper. I'd been reading about the exhibitions on at our Art Gallery . I always find art galleries inspiring, so we went into town on Sunday afternoon for a look. 

 The first collection "Broken Places" by Christopher Young and Elisa Markes-Young was inspired by the work of two women, Rosetta Kelly who produced hundreds of watercolours of flowers as a way of dealing with her grief over the loss of her son in the First World War, and Georgina Molloy who lived an isolated pioneer life in the early days of Western Australia, and began collecting wildflower specimens, which now reside in the collections of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, UK.  I was particularly interested in this because of my love of wildflower photography, and more recently make prints of eucalypt leaves, and I late last year I had read - Geogiana Molloy, The Mind That Shines - by Bernice Barry

 Also on show was the collaborative exhibition "Salt", by two local artists, ceramic artist Tracie Anderson and painter Sharon Hinchcliffe. I had first met Tracie last year at the Dardanup Art Trail, where she was exhibiting next to me at Lyndendale Gallery. Tracie's whimsical use of ceramics and found beach pieces combined beautifully with Sharon's flowing colourful lines of her mixed media canvasses. 

Completely different to the two previous galleries, we were totally enthralled by the work of Noongar/Yamatji contemporary artist Lance Chadd who paints under his tribal name Tjyllyungoo, inspired by his culture.  His paintings were amazing. As you look at them, you begin to see other images within the main painting which draw you in.

Here is a video which will give you an insight into his work - 

There was also exhibitions by Sue Dennis and Yvonne Dorricott, interpreting the breaching of the Broke Inlet, a collection from the Australind Art Club, and works from the city's collection depicting 100 years of Bunbury's history. 

Following our tour of the Art Gallery we went down town for coffee and cake at The Townhouse Cafe where photographer friend Dennis Bear was holding as small photographic exhibition. Well done Dennis. 

How blessed am I to be able to view such amazing artistic work. Where do you find your inspiration?
Thank you so much for stopping by. I value your comments and look forward to hearing from you. I will try to visit your blogs in return. Have a wonderful week. 

I am linking up to the link-ups below. Please click on the links to see fabulous contributions from around the world - virtual touring at its best!

   
All Seasons
Mosaic Monday 

Our World Tuesday

Pictorial Tuesday 

Through My Lens 

Image-in-ing
Wednesday Around the World at Communal Global
Travel Photo Thursday 

The Lovin' Life Team over at Deep Fried Fruit
Little Things Thursday

Life in Reflection

Hello there! I love reading your comments. If you scroll down to the bottom you can comment too! I would love to hear from you.

And you can join up with Wednesday Around the World linky party at Communal Global right here!