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2023 Members Exhibition Catalogue

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<strong>2023</strong> Annual <strong>Members</strong> <strong>Exhibition</strong><br />

Artists | Luke Batten | Mahnie Blakey | Julie Bradley | Rozelyn de Bussey |<br />

Sarit Cohen | Lissa-Jane de Sailles | Lea Durie | Dianne Firth | Kirandeep<br />

Grewal | Michele Grimston | Sue Hewat | Dimity Kidston | Valerie Kirk |<br />

Nicola Knackstredt | René Linssen | Melanie Olde | Pinal Maniar | Cam<br />

Michael | Monique van Nieuwland | Brenda Runnegar | Fran Romano |<br />

Barbara Rogers | Samuel Sheppard | Lex Sorrentino | Helen Stark | Lisa<br />

Stevenson | Jo Victoria | Tania Vrancic | Isobel Waters | Susan Wiscombe


Craft + Design Canberra is partially supported by the ACT<br />

Government, the Visual Arts and Craft Strategy - an<br />

initiative of the Australia State and Territory Governments,<br />

and the Australia Council for the Arts - the Australian<br />

Government's arts funding and advisory body.<br />

Craft + Design Canberra acknowledges the Ngunnawal<br />

people as the traditional custodians of the ACT and<br />

surrounding areas. We honour and respect their ongoing<br />

cultural and spiritual connections to this country and the<br />

contribution they make to the life of this city and this<br />

region. We aim to respect cultural heritage, customs, and<br />

beliefs of all indigenous people.<br />

Craft + Design Canberra<br />

Wednesday - Saturday | 12-4pm<br />

Or by appointment.<br />

Level 1, North Building | 180 London Circuit<br />

Canberra ACT Australia<br />

02 6262 9333<br />

www.craftanddesigncanberra.org<br />

Publisher: Craft + Design Canberra<br />

Research, writing, and coordination: Christian Sirois<br />

Graphic Design Template: Llewellyn McGarry<br />

ABN 33 314 092 587<br />

© Craft + Design Canberra<br />

Cover Image | Dianne Firth, Turbulence, 2022 | Photo Courtesy of Artist


<strong>2023</strong> Annual <strong>Members</strong> <strong>Exhibition</strong><br />

Artists | Luke Batten | Mahnie Blakey | Julie Bradley | Rozelyn de Bussey<br />

| Sarit Cohen | Lissa-Jane de Sailles | Lea Durie | Dianne Firth | Kirandeep<br />

Grewal | Michele Grimston | Sue Hewat | Dimity Kidston | Valerie Kirk |<br />

Nicola Knackstredt | René Linssen | Melanie Olde | Pinal Maniar | Cam<br />

Michael | Monique van Nieuwland | Brenda Runnegar | Fran Romano |<br />

Barbara Rogers | Samuel Sheppard | Lex Sorrentino | Helen Stark | Lisa<br />

Stevenson | Jo Victoria | Tania Vrancic | Isobel Waters | Susan Wiscombe<br />

27 October – 9 December<br />

<strong>2023</strong> CRAFT + DESIGN CANBERRA


Image: Artist name, work title, year. Photo: Photo Credit.<br />

Image Nicola Knackstredt | Untamed, <strong>2023</strong> | Photo Courtesy of Artist


Image Melanie Olde | Cell System 1, <strong>2023</strong> |Photo Courtesy of Artist.


<strong>2023</strong> Annual <strong>Members</strong> <strong>Exhibition</strong><br />

EXHIBITION STATEMENT<br />

The <strong>2023</strong> Craft + Design Canberra<br />

Annual <strong>Members</strong> <strong>Exhibition</strong><br />

showcases contemporary expressions<br />

of craft and design uniting timehonoured<br />

techniques with modern<br />

interpretations. This exhibition<br />

showcases the trends in<br />

contemporary craft and design in<br />

Australia by local practitioners.


Image Fran Romano | Containment II, <strong>2023</strong> | Photo Andrew Sikorski - Art Atelier


Image: Artist name, work title, year. Photo: Photo Credit.<br />

Image Fran Romano | Containment II, <strong>2023</strong> | Photo Andrew Sikorski - Art Atelier


<strong>2023</strong> Annual <strong>Members</strong> <strong>Exhibition</strong><br />

Foreword by Christian Sirois<br />

<strong>Members</strong> are at the heart of Craft +<br />

Design Canberra, contributing to its<br />

vibrancy and vitality. Their creative<br />

talents and dedication infuse the<br />

organisation with fresh ideas and<br />

perspectives, ensuring that it<br />

remains a dynamic force within our<br />

community, and the local and<br />

national creative and cultural<br />

landscape. The collaborative nature<br />

of our members not only<br />

strengthens our organisation but<br />

also serves as a testament to the<br />

power of collective creativity in<br />

building a robust and culturally rich<br />

community.<br />

Creative development of our artists<br />

is a core goal of Craft + Design<br />

Canberra, nurturing the artistic<br />

growth of both individuals and the<br />

wider community. By encouraging<br />

experimentation and innovation,<br />

Craft + Design Canberra instils a<br />

culture of constant evolution and<br />

adaptation. This commitment to<br />

creative development empowers<br />

artists to push boundaries, solve<br />

problems innovatively, and express<br />

complex ideas in unique ways,<br />

while the broader community reaps<br />

the benefits the more vibrant and<br />

forward-thinking environment,<br />

these artists contribute to.<br />

In summary, Craft + Design<br />

Canberra through its emphasis on<br />

ingenuity, the championing of local,<br />

and member participation, stands as<br />

a model of the importance of craft<br />

and design in communities. It<br />

enriches culture, nurtures<br />

creativity, promotes inclusivity,<br />

and drives positive change within<br />

the Australian Capital Territory and<br />

beyond. Through organizations like<br />

ours, communities harness the<br />

creative energies of their members,<br />

reinforcing the bonds that make<br />

them unique and strong.<br />

Thank you to all our members,<br />

patrons, and the wider creative<br />

community for supporting us<br />

throughout our 52 year history.<br />

Christian Sirois is the <strong>Exhibition</strong>s +<br />

Gallery Manager at Craft + Design<br />

Canberra. Sirois is a curator and<br />

cultural researcher who’s work is<br />

centered around art-based<br />

methodologies, multisensory and<br />

liminal histories, and experimental<br />

fieldwork methods for cultural<br />

documentation. He is currently<br />

studying a PhD in Cultural<br />

Geography at the University of New<br />

South Wales.<br />

Inclusivity is a key value of Craft +<br />

Design Canberra, promoting<br />

understanding amongst our<br />

members and patrons, fostering<br />

community cohesion and<br />

appreciation for diverse<br />

experiences and viewpoints.<br />

Furthermore, our organisation<br />

serves as a platform for positive<br />

change, transforming urban spaces,<br />

shaping cultural identity and<br />

contributing to social wellbeing and<br />

change.


Image Sarit Cohen | Beauty within Dystopia, <strong>2023</strong> | Photo Courtesy of Artist


Sarit Cohen<br />

ARTIST STATEMENT<br />

ARTIST BIOGRAPHY<br />

“I am a contemporary ceramic artist. This work is looking at<br />

series of porcelain bowls and plates. I create minimal art that<br />

reflects the emotions within my own space. I am fascinated<br />

by the universal concepts of form, mass, proportion, rhythm<br />

and structure in everyday life, and my work reflects the<br />

beauty of life and its fundamental simplicity. The use of<br />

minimal palette, reduced colour scheme, and simple shapes<br />

offer a sense of calm and serenity. This invites viewers to<br />

pause / linger to reflect and resonance.<br />

My perspective is influenced by a nuanced understanding<br />

and knowledge of the Bauhaus and the Decorative Arts<br />

movements of the early 20th. And just as importantly to me<br />

is having my formative years spent growing up in Israel, and<br />

being exposed to the kaleidoscope of colour, migration, food<br />

and architecture.<br />

The play with the form of the object is always a pleasure to<br />

me, and this play creates the building blocks of ideas to be<br />

represented.”<br />

Sarit Cohen is a graduate of the ANU School of Art<br />

(Ceramics). She completed her Diploma of Education<br />

(University of Canberra) and in this period was awarded the<br />

Doug Alexander Memorial Award for Decorative Surface.<br />

She has completed residencies in Denmark, Switzerland and<br />

China. These opportunities have significantly contributed to<br />

her work in the areas of porcelain manipulation and casting.<br />

Cohen has contributed to numerous group and survey shows<br />

over the last 20 years, both nationally and internationally,<br />

notably in the USA, Denmark, Hungary and Israel. Her<br />

works are held in private and public collections in these<br />

countries. Cohen’s work bears the influence of her childhood<br />

spent in Israel, and of her Turkish and Indian heritage. Her<br />

memories of the desert, its surfaces and dry atmosphere are<br />

constantly evidenced in her objects. Together with an<br />

increasing curiosity about her Indian background, these<br />

form the basis of her research.<br />

She says of her work “I feel very much rooted in ceramic<br />

history and I am very devoted to and dependent on my<br />

material and love the physical part of the whole process with<br />

clay and firing.”


Image Pinal Maniar | Sanctuary of Solitude, <strong>2023</strong> | Photo Courtesy of Artist


Pinal Maniar<br />

ARTIST STATEMENT<br />

ARTIST BIOGRAPHY<br />

Pinal is an artist whose journey is fueled by an unwavering<br />

passion for handcrafted textiles. With a background that<br />

encompasses printing, weaving, dyeing, quilting, and<br />

traditional textile craft techniques, Pinal's artistic voyage<br />

has been a rich tapestry of diverse experiences.<br />

After many years immersed in the fabric design and<br />

manufacturing industry, Pinal has now redirected her focus<br />

exclusively towards handmade creations. Her interest lies in<br />

the crafting of textiles that are not just unique but also<br />

sustainable. Each piece she produces is a manifestation of<br />

her commitment to marrying craftsmanship with ecoconscious<br />

practices.<br />

Within Pinal's textiles, she finds the boundless creative<br />

potential of natural materials and intricate patterns. The<br />

threads of her artistry interlace to tell a compelling narrative<br />

of the interplay between artistic expression and<br />

environmental consciousness. Every textile is an ode to the<br />

ideals of local production and sustainable creation.<br />

Driven by a life-long passion for handcrafted textiles, Pinal<br />

expresses herself through textile art.<br />

These artworks are a medium for exploring the creative<br />

possibilities of fusing natural materials with ancient<br />

techniques.<br />

They are a statement about making locally and sustainably.<br />

Melding material from the environment, these artworks<br />

speak directly about the space and time in which they are<br />

made.<br />

Each piece evokes a story of a place. It encourages the<br />

viewer to participate deeply in everything the environment<br />

has to offer and recognise the need to engage with it and<br />

protect it.<br />

Pinal's artworks are a melange of inspiration drawn from<br />

nature's palette, and her hands translate this inspiration into<br />

exquisite pieces that resonate with authenticity and<br />

meaning. With every thread she weaves, Pinal reinforces the<br />

notion that art can both reflect and contribute to the world<br />

in profound ways.


Image: Artist name, work title, year. Photo: Photo Credit.<br />

Image Helen Stark | Regeneration, 2022 | Photo Courtesy of Artist


Helen Stark<br />

ARTIST STATEMENT<br />

Through the medium of glass, I am exploring the cyclical<br />

nature of the natural world and the eternal cycle of birth,<br />

death and renewal.<br />

Destruction and devastating loss of lives caused by wildfires<br />

during the recent extreme weather events in the northern<br />

hemisphere summer was a painful reminder of the<br />

temporality of life. During the Australian Black Summer of<br />

2020, bushfires consumed everything, wreaking damage and<br />

leaving many homeless. Forests were scarred by flames and<br />

branches denuded of greenery. The intense heat of the<br />

bushfire is replicated in the kiln as the glass is transformed<br />

from solid to liquid and then back again.<br />

ARTIST BIOGRAPHY<br />

Helen Stark is an emerging glass artist living and working in<br />

Ngunnawal and Ngambri Country (Canberra.) With colour<br />

and light and through the medium of kiln-formed glass her<br />

practice explores the cyclical nature of the natural world.<br />

She recently graduated with a Bachelor of Visual Arts<br />

(Honours) from the Australian National University School of<br />

Art and Design. In 2022, she won the ANCA Emerging Artist<br />

Support Scheme (EASS) <strong>Exhibition</strong> Award.<br />

Within my sculptural objects, shifts of tone and hue are an<br />

expression of the dynamic movements of the natural world.<br />

While the organic curves within loops symbolise the flow of<br />

time and the unity of all things. Black voids fall away to<br />

represent the destruction of forests and loss of homes.<br />

Green shapes rising up depict renewal—the healing power of<br />

nature and eternal life.


Image: Artist name, work title, year. Photo: Photo Credit.<br />

Image René Linssen | Beam Coffee Table, <strong>2023</strong> | Photo 3D Rendering Courtesy of Artist


René Linssen<br />

ARTIST STATEMENT<br />

Beam is a collection of robust solid timber tables that draw<br />

inspiration from the strength and form of structural steel<br />

beams. Featuring a two-tiered design, these tables<br />

effortlessly blend ample functional storage with a strikingly<br />

minimalist aesthetic.<br />

ARTIST BIOGRAPHY<br />

René Linssen is a South African born, Australian Industrial<br />

Designer living and working in Canberra, Australia. René<br />

loves the challenges of Industrial Design, finding a way to<br />

improve people’s lives with a product that satisfies a need<br />

and that can be aesthetically pleasing at the same time. He<br />

also feels strongly about the responsibilities implicit in a<br />

career that he believes has a big impact in shaping the world<br />

we live in.<br />

Currently an Industrial Designer at Australian product<br />

design company Formswell Design, he is involved in a<br />

diverse range of design work in industries from sports,<br />

outdoors, homewares, government and more. Some of the<br />

clients René has designed products for include: Puma, Asics,<br />

Gozney, Nau, Clark, Cuisinart, Nucleus and more.<br />

In 2017, René co-founded the furniture company Furnished<br />

Forever with fellow Canberra designer Elliot Bastianon. The<br />

company focuses on furniture for high volume commercial<br />

and residential applications with an emphasis on local<br />

manufacturing.<br />

René has won several national design awards including<br />

Vogue Living / Alessi Emerging Designer Award (2015),<br />

Belle / Alessi Design Award (2017) and was a finalist in the<br />

Mercedes-Benz Design Award (2017). Rene was also recently<br />

selected in the Australian Design Reviews 30 under 30.<br />

René is still involved closely with the University of Canberra<br />

since completing his Bachelor of Industrial Design in 2016.<br />

He is currently acting as a sessional lecturer for their<br />

Industrial Design program.


Image Cam Michaels | Beauty within Dystopia | <strong>2023</strong> | Photo Courtesy of Artist


Cam Michael<br />

ARTIST STATEMENT<br />

My work explores our relationship to place making. It was<br />

initially a response to my experience of time visiting Lanyon<br />

Homestead and references some of the man made features<br />

in the grounds and how they sit within the landscape. It is<br />

both a refection on historical marking of presence and how<br />

these structures sit with the landscape. The cast iron<br />

lamppost and bench, mud brick building, and well cared for<br />

framed garden also show historical sustainability in making<br />

by hand and how this mirrors my own processes in creating<br />

this work; allowing for reflection on the presence created by<br />

making. Remaking these pieces on a smaller scale allows for<br />

positioning a composition, in a way that highlights the<br />

historical features and also draws the viewer in to a more<br />

intimate space. Holding space to both reflect on history and<br />

future simultaneously - for the audience to see themselves<br />

in the landscape.<br />

This work embodies the current direction of my practice to<br />

explore combining fused glass and framing to extend on my<br />

experience with cast glass and use these elements to<br />

develop context for my cast glass work. The frame is<br />

Australian Red Cedar made by Ed Garnett to support this<br />

work. Place Holding was created on residency at Canberra<br />

Glassworks.<br />

ARTIST BIOGRAPHY<br />

Cam is an emerging mixed media artist currently focused on<br />

glass. He works with themes of redefining value, the<br />

relationship between identity and perception of space, and<br />

creating inclusive space for other perspectives.<br />

His work is informed by experience of disability, being a<br />

carer, growing up outside of Australia, and identifying as<br />

LGBTI.<br />

Cam graduated with a Diploma in Visual Arts from CIT in<br />

2020 and the (then) CraftACT Emerging contemporaries<br />

award for his final work “Redefining Precious”. After a brief<br />

stint at ANU, Cam spent the COVID period creating large<br />

scale street art paintings to combine with cast glass and<br />

digital prints in a solo show at Belconnen Arts Centre 2022.<br />

He is currently undertaking an access residency at Canberra<br />

Glassworks.


Image Melanie Olde | Cell System 1 | <strong>2023</strong> | Courtesy of Artist


Melanie Olde<br />

ARTIST STATEMENT<br />

Through my ongoing exploration of life-like cellular<br />

structures and functions, this work reflects on the<br />

algorithmic simulation of microscopic complex natural<br />

systems as a metaphor for reflection and regeneration of the<br />

global environment.<br />

My work, hand-woven 3-dimensional fabric forms, delves<br />

into the dichotomy of a complex system of threads creating<br />

simplified geometric cellular shapes. Drawing inspiration<br />

from artificial life algorithms such as cellular automata, I<br />

engage in experimental weaving practices that question the<br />

increasing societal tension and opportunities for artificial<br />

mimicry of the natural world.<br />

In this piece, I employ contrasting materials of paper and<br />

nylon monofilament threads to weave multiple systems of<br />

organic cellular structures. The resulting contrast and<br />

similarity between the materials prompts the viewer to<br />

question what constitutes 'artificial'. Through the<br />

experimental nature of the materials and weave structure,<br />

the tessellated cells move organically, reminding the viewer<br />

that synthesized natural forms can occur from a simple set<br />

of instructions.<br />

ARTIST BIOGRAPHY<br />

Melanie Olde is an Australian experimental weaver with<br />

professional experience in art, production weaving, research<br />

and teaching. In addition to a BA (visual) and her current<br />

MA, Melanie has studied nationally and internationally and<br />

is a compulsive researcher. Her artistic practice involves<br />

researching cellular structures for form, function, and array<br />

to interpret these in biomimetic, moving, woven 3-<br />

dimensional cloth, advancing innovative exploration. She<br />

regularly exhibits and publishes nationally and<br />

internationally.<br />

She recently won 1st place in consecutive international<br />

complexity weaving exhibitions, presented and exhibited at<br />

Bridges Mathematics/Art Conference in Helsinki, Finland,<br />

and gave lectures and workshops in New Zealand. She is<br />

currently a Sessional Lecturer at ANU School of Art.<br />

Through my exploration of cellular geometries and<br />

functions, I aim to inspire viewers to consider how<br />

technology can be used to mimic and reflect upon the<br />

complex regenerative beauty of the natural world.


Image Mahnie Blakey | Untitled Phone (1) | <strong>2023</strong> | Image Courtesy of Artist


Mahnie Blakey<br />

ARTIST STATEMENT<br />

The Untitled Smart Phones use the relationship between<br />

textiles and technology to explore how contemporary<br />

technology allows us to exist in physical and digital space<br />

simultaneously.<br />

ARTIST BIOGRAPHY<br />

Mahnie Blakey is a Canberra based artist and designer who<br />

explores the relationship between textiles and technology.<br />

Mahnie graduated from the Australian National University<br />

in 2019.<br />

Working primarily with embroidery and programming, I<br />

move images between ‘cloth’ and the screen to reveal their<br />

shared structures and gestures while highlighting the gaps<br />

in translation. Through this process I create new imagery<br />

that references both computer glitch and the idiosyncrasies<br />

of the hand which shows how we as individuals establish<br />

our presence in a digital landscape.


Image Isobel Waters | Wasted Potential | <strong>2023</strong> | Photo Courtesy of Artist


Isobel Waters<br />

ARTIST STATEMENT<br />

Wasted Potential embodies the pressure I sometimes feel to<br />

succeed as an artist. The anxious idea that my most recent<br />

success will be my last, and that my growth is limited. That I<br />

will waste my potential. Is this true? Only time will tell.<br />

ARTIST BIOGRAPHY<br />

Isobel Waters (B. 1995) is an emerging artist based in<br />

Ngunnawal and Ngambri Country, Canberra, whose work<br />

explores lived human experiences through the conjugate<br />

vessel of a physical body. Combining the mediums of glass,<br />

ceramics, performance, video and photography, Isobel<br />

strives to understand the responsibility of both individuals<br />

and collectives in contemporary socio-political issues such<br />

as capitalism, climate change and health care.


Image Sue Hewat | Tidal Lines | 2022 | Photo Courtesy of Artist


Sue Hewat<br />

ARTIST STATEMENT<br />

My ceramic art practice continues to be an interpretation of<br />

the layers, lines and colours that are seen in the land or sea<br />

scape.<br />

This work, Tidal Lines, is wheel thrown porcelain, altered<br />

and inlayed with coloured nerikomi clay. A striking palette<br />

of sea and sand colours, assembled in random flowing<br />

patterns, are layered and blended in an original nerikomi<br />

clay log. Thin sections of this log are inlayed into the vessel<br />

surface, creating an impression of the ebb and flow of the<br />

tide. The coloured lines flow organically, depicting the<br />

imperfect rhythms of the tidal cycle. The inside of the vessel<br />

is glazed a pale shiny sea green colour complimenting the<br />

external patterns and uniting the two surfaces, inviting the<br />

viewer to dive right in and be enveloped by the essence of<br />

the beach.<br />

ARTIST BIOGRAPHY<br />

Sue Hewat is a ceramic artist living and working in Canberra.<br />

In 2015, having worked with clay for many years, she was<br />

awarded a Bachelor of Visual Arts with Honours (Ceramics)<br />

from the Australian National University, School of Art and<br />

Design. On graduation, she received many exhibition and<br />

studio opportunities.<br />

Since then, Sue has exhibited in selected shows in Canberra<br />

and interstate and has work available at various retail outlets<br />

and galleries.<br />

Sue Hewat’s ceramic art practice continues to be an<br />

interpretation of the layers, lines and colours that are seen in<br />

the sea or land scape.


Image Julie Bradley | Lullaby | <strong>2023</strong> | Photo Courtesy of Artist


Julie Bradley<br />

ARTIST STATEMENT<br />

What originally started out as an exploration by Julie<br />

Bradley, into the effects of music on image making, became<br />

a deeper reflection on how music like visual art, is also a<br />

language.<br />

These images are explorations of seeing music as a visual<br />

expression and are a depiction of the resonance between<br />

colours and shapes, sounds and images and between artists.<br />

Music has always been a big part of Bradley’s life and after<br />

recently joining the redoubtable Rachel Hore’s (OAM) Pop<br />

up Choir, she has had cause to consider how music alters<br />

her perception as an artist.<br />

While some works are a direct response to particular pieces<br />

of music others investigate the shared terminology between<br />

visual art and music.<br />

Collage and particularly composition being process lead<br />

techniques, are not unlike the musical form of call and<br />

response. They require the artists to respond to shapes and<br />

lines as the image and composition builds and forms.<br />

ARTIST BIOGRAPHY<br />

Julie’s work investigates the idea of connectedness and<br />

express aspects of the emotional landscape and states of<br />

being. Her works are abstract evocations of remembering<br />

places and emotions.<br />

Journalist Genevieve Jacobs writes of Julie’s work:<br />

“And with deft confidence Julie uses her tools – the<br />

gouaches, the paper, the collages, to shape land and<br />

skyscapes that are as much of the interior world of emotions<br />

and the imagination. She shows us what it feels like, not<br />

what it looks like, to be in a place. She evokes turmoil and<br />

beauty, peace and change, the things we feel as well as what<br />

we see, the territory of our minds’ eye as well as our direct<br />

vision."<br />

Artist residencies Julie has been invited to undertake<br />

include: Hill End, Bundanon, the Australian Tapestry<br />

Workshop, CSIRO Sustainable Ecosystems ACT, Istituto di<br />

Europeo di Design Italy and the Intensive study program in<br />

Taos, New Mexico.<br />

In 2019 Julie was the International Visiting Fellow at the<br />

Ballinglen Art Foundation in Ireland and was also awarded<br />

the CAPO (Canberra Arts patrons Organisation) fellowship<br />

in that year.<br />

In 2020 Julie was presented with the City News Artist of the<br />

year award. Again in the same year Julie was awarded the<br />

Canberra Critics Circle Award for “her marvellously resolved<br />

exhibition, Evocation, at Belconnen Arts Centre, August<br />

2020,of sophisticated paintings and artist books that<br />

eloquently transmitted the powerful effects of place and<br />

weather.<br />

Work by Julie Bradley is held in the collections of the<br />

National Gallery of Australia, the Australian National<br />

University, Canberra Museum and Gallery, the University of<br />

Canberra Collection, Bundanon Trust, Calvary Hospital<br />

Birth Centre, the Lu Rees Archive, Canberra Hospital, the<br />

Goulburn Regional Art Gallery, the Ballinglen Museum of<br />

Contemporary Art in Ireland and private collections.


Image Brenda Runnegar | Marion | <strong>2023</strong> | Photo Courtesy of Artist


Brenda Runnegar<br />

ARTIST STATEMENT<br />

My ability to translate my style and iconography into a<br />

variety of media are central to my artistic evolution. My<br />

recently acquired skills in art-doll making have made my<br />

two-dimensional portrait paintings and drawings come alive.<br />

They allow me to implement within my oeuvre my interest<br />

in the tactile qualities of textiles, fabrics, embroidery, and<br />

handwork. Dolls have emerged periodically in my work in<br />

various forms. Dolls for me are not children’s toys but<br />

provide a canvas for the exploration of new concepts and<br />

ideas and are made for display purposes only.<br />

My latest art dolls are figurative works, which have evolved<br />

over the past six or seven years. They are entirely handmade<br />

and each is attached to a purpose-built stand. They are<br />

embellished with the use of recycled fabrics giving new life<br />

to old treasures Sometimes the fabric or lace I use presents<br />

some irregularity or, being vintage, signs of wear or little<br />

stains. These are qualities to me and add value and<br />

personality to the doll, giving them another dimension. The<br />

personality of the dolls is also conveyed by their drawn<br />

faces, unruly hairstyles and the use of these imperfections.<br />

More recently many of the dolls feature details such as<br />

heads, faces, feet, shoes and hands made from air dried clay<br />

thus providing me with the opportunity to give more detail<br />

than textiles can provide.<br />

ARTIST BIOGRAPHY<br />

As a multimedia artist Brenda Runnegar specialises in<br />

painting, printmaking, photography and textiles. Her fortyodd<br />

year-long practice is characterised by the use of the<br />

surreal and dreamlike. Her exquisitely detailed and quietly<br />

confronting work is inspired by the natural world and<br />

explores the complex vulnerabilities and strengths of the<br />

human condition.<br />

She has worked variously in the arts and crafts and began as<br />

a Textile Artist in the 1970s whilst living in London and<br />

studied at the Stanhope Institute. She completed a Master of<br />

Fine Arts by research in 2007 and has worked professionally<br />

as an Educator, Arts Administrator, Gallery Manager and<br />

Project Manager in the private, public, and not-for-profit<br />

sectors. Since 1981 she has exhibited in numerous<br />

prestigious group exhibitions and has had seventeen solo<br />

exhibitions.<br />

Her most recent work has involved re-examining the use of<br />

textiles and soft sculptures (art doll making) and digital<br />

imaging.


Images Michele Grimston | Deep Inside Alone | 2022 | Photo Courtesy of Artist


Michele Grimston<br />

ARTIST STATEMENT<br />

During the 2021 lockdown, after a recent shift to living alone<br />

for the first time in many years, the motif of the<br />

vortex/portal became a recurring symbol in my work. Filled<br />

with both transformational potential and danger, this<br />

symbol began mirroring the experience of navigating<br />

through my own interior landscapes when external stimulus<br />

was curtailed.<br />

This symbolism continues to reoccur in my practice, in this<br />

work the slow textile processes and connection to the body<br />

through materials create a meditative space for ever deeper<br />

connection to self.<br />

ARTIST BIOGRAPHY<br />

Michele Grimston is a visual artist and community cultural<br />

development practitioner based on Ngunnawal Country in<br />

the ACT. She completed her honours degree in textiles at<br />

the Australian National University School of Art in 2009 and<br />

in 2014, she graduated with a Masters in Community<br />

Cultural Development from the Victorian College of the<br />

Arts.<br />

​She has exhibited in solo and group shows across Canberra,<br />

Melbourne, Perth and Canada. She has been selected for<br />

multiple artist residencies, notably at The Banff Cantre in<br />

Alberta, Canada and Vancouver Arts Centre, WA. In 2019,<br />

her work 'Origins of Breath' was acquired for the collection<br />

of Geoscience Australia.<br />

Michele has presented participative, community engaged<br />

works through Rebus Theatre (Project Alchemy) and You<br />

Are Here and has facilitated large scale collaborative projects<br />

as artist in residence multiple schools and Early Learning<br />

Centres in the ACT and WA. Michele has received grants<br />

from Arts ACT (Good Company) and Department of Culture<br />

and the Arts (WA) and has worked with a wide range of<br />

community groups to facilitate workshops and immersive<br />

creative experiences.


Image Kirandeep Grewal | Belond | <strong>2023</strong> | Photo Courtesy of Artist


Kirandeep Grewal<br />

ARTIST STATEMENT<br />

This textile artwork tells the story of my connection to the<br />

Ngunnawal land. It showcases the beauty of the<br />

Brindabellas, incorporates salvaged embroideries, and<br />

features a symbol of strength in the form of a Japanese lady<br />

from a stitching group. It also includes a cherished blue<br />

crochet bookmark gifted by a dear friend. The tea stained<br />

hand represents the shared cups of tea and coffee with<br />

friends. Inspired by Indian Kantha embroidery, the stitches<br />

in this artwork are simple yet captivating, breathing new life<br />

into old fabrics.<br />

The impact of these experiences on my creative journey has<br />

created a strong sense of belonging in Canberra. Title:<br />

Becoming This self-portrait represents the artist's journey<br />

across Australia.<br />

The hand-dyed denim symbolizes strength and a strong<br />

foundation. The embroidery on the denim was done during<br />

family gatherings and each stitch represents a life change,<br />

represented by bright colours.<br />

The soft colours symbolize the past and the passage of time.<br />

The artist's studio life is shown in the eyes, created with<br />

precious hand-dyed silks, reflecting memories of inspiration<br />

and empowerment from their time in Western Australia.<br />

The forehead dot is stitched with a recycled silk coil,<br />

symbolizing resourcefulness, and fearlessness in trying new<br />

concepts.<br />

Overall, this self-portrait captures the artist's experiences,<br />

resilience, and personal growth throughout her life as an<br />

artist.<br />

ARTIST BIOGRAPHY<br />

Kirandeep Grewal is a multi-disciplinary community artist<br />

and an art educator based in Canberra. Her art practice is<br />

based upon a meditative approach to everyday life. Her<br />

designs on silk scarves, wall hangings or paintings are a<br />

combination of various traditional techniques, including<br />

Shibori, Indian tie-and-dye, freehand drawing/painting, and<br />

embroidery.<br />

Facilitating and engaging the community in arts through<br />

various community projects are the core of her art practice.<br />

Currently, she runs Maker’s Workshop (personal and home<br />

well-being project) in collaboration with Multicultural Hub<br />

Canberra.<br />

In October 2022, she had the privilege to be running art<br />

workshops for children and their parents who had recently<br />

arrived in Australia from different parts of the world. These<br />

workshops are supported by Vinnies, the Red Cross, the<br />

Multicultural Hub, and the ACT Library.<br />

She was invited to collaborate on Live painting for the 2022<br />

Australian of the Year Lunch at the National Gallery of<br />

Australia.<br />

She is the founder and facilitator for Migrant Women’s Art<br />

Group since 2020. An initiative is supported by Gungahlin<br />

Arts. In 2015 she was a facilitator for Artist by the River<br />

Projects 7 and 8 in Perth. She was recognised by the Rotary<br />

Club of Swan Valley, Western Australia for her dedication to<br />

the project.


Image Lissa-Jane de Sailles | Callistemon Wands | <strong>2023</strong> | Photo Courtesy of Artist


Lissa-Jane de Sailles<br />

ARTIST STATEMENT<br />

The environment, living in harmony with the natural world<br />

and connection to place are themes that reoccur in my work.<br />

I mainly use paper thread and take natural materials that<br />

grow near my home and use them to make fibre sculptures.<br />

Repetitive basketry techniques and meticulous attention to<br />

detail reveal rhythms and patterns, colours and textures<br />

that pay homage to the natural world, particularly the<br />

Australian bush.<br />

ARTIST BIOGRAPHY<br />

Lissa-Jane de Sailles is an award winning fibre artist and<br />

basket maker residing on Wandi Wandian and Jerrinja land<br />

in the Shoalhaven. Initially trained as a dancer, Lissa-Jane<br />

undertook study with the late Jim Walliss OAM in 2013.<br />

Since that time she has undertaken further tuition in<br />

traditional and contemporary basketry in Ireland, England<br />

and the USA.<br />

Most recently she became the first international instructor<br />

to be invited to teach at the National Basketry<br />

Organization's 11 Biennial Conference in Tacoma,<br />

Washington.


Image Lea Durie | Outside | <strong>2023</strong> | Photo Courtesy of Artist


Lea Durie<br />

ARTIST STATEMENT<br />

Outside is a response to place. It explores notions of place<br />

in relation to the boundaries we put around our places and<br />

what lies within and without. Do we feel part of a place that<br />

is outside constructed and conceived boundaries? Who<br />

cares for these outside landscapes in a changing climate.<br />

ARTIST BIOGRAPHY<br />

Lea Is currently undertaking a Master’s in Contemporary<br />

Art Practices at the ANU School of Art and Design. She has<br />

been the recipient of the ANU Boronia award for excellence,<br />

the Craft ACT Emerging Contemporaries Award with Craft<br />

ACT, the 3D award at the QPRC Art Prize <strong>2023</strong>, the Doug<br />

Alexander Award 2021 from the Canberra Potters and is a<br />

finalist in the national Klytie Pate Ceramics Award <strong>2023</strong>.<br />

Her work has been included in a number of group shows in<br />

the ACT, Victoria and NSW.<br />

Lea explores notions of place and use of land in her practice.<br />

Her work investigates the layers of human and non-human<br />

impact on the landscape. Through the marks and traces of<br />

what existed before now and what remains, she considers<br />

how land use and land control change a place. What do we<br />

know of who or what is impacted, who benefits and what is<br />

lost.


Image Jo Victoria | Burnt offering 1 | <strong>2023</strong> | Photo Courtesy of Artist


Jo Victoria<br />

ARTIST STATEMENT<br />

My art practice explores ideas of place and focuses on the<br />

influence of living close to nature. Unglazed porcelain<br />

captures an essential quality of this experience. The<br />

whiteness and translucency of this material produces<br />

similar qualities to bleached bones, fossils and broken shells<br />

found on the beaches and rock platforms on the ocean’s<br />

edge.<br />

Porcelain sculptural works feel fossil like in the way they<br />

capture the life essence of once living things in this<br />

environment.<br />

I use light in my work to portray a sense of ephemerality.<br />

The way light interacts with the materiality of porcelain<br />

enhances ideas of fragility, strength and the influences of<br />

deep time.<br />

This piece is evocative of times collecting tiny, beautiful,<br />

fragile and strange things. Something on the shore attracts<br />

our attention, we gather, feel, wonder and dream as<br />

collections grow in our pockets. These are gathered<br />

memories of something, sometimes hard to articulate, but<br />

that transcends the present moment and connect,ing us to a<br />

deep time sense of nature.<br />

ARTIST BIOGRAPHY<br />

Jo Victoria is a ceramic artist living and working on the<br />

South Coast of NSW. She works primarily in porcelain, and<br />

makes tableware, lighting and sculptural works. Jo started<br />

her career as an anthropologist in the 1980s working with<br />

people in remote Australia and collecting stories about<br />

country and cultural landscapes. She later completed a<br />

Diploma and MVA (ceramics) at the ANU School of Art and<br />

Design in Canberra.<br />

Jo’s art practice explores ideas of place and focuses on the<br />

influence of living close to nature. Her works are often<br />

focused on revealing hidden narratives in the landscape that<br />

illude to the deep past and the inter relationship between<br />

people and nature.<br />

Her high fired unglazed porcelain work captures an essential<br />

quality of fragility and strength. The whiteness and<br />

translucency of her pieces are evocative of bleached bones,<br />

fossils and broken shells found on the beaches and rock<br />

platforms on the ocean’s edge.<br />

This work is constructed with found objects dipped in<br />

porcelain, water colour on tracing paper, found fishing line,<br />

bone, crystal and marine plastic. It has three layers of<br />

porcelain and found debris to replicate the layers of fragile<br />

memories inhabiting collections of found objects. The<br />

hanging works draw the viewer, as do shiny, broken fragile<br />

things washed up on the beach. There for a moment, a<br />

glimpse of, or a feeling about something recognizable in our<br />

own memories, and then, as fleetingly, disappears.


Image Nicola Knackstredt | Untamed | <strong>2023</strong> | Photo Courtesy of Artist


Nicola Knackstredt<br />

ARTIST STATEMENT<br />

Most of my work explores the materiality of highly<br />

malleable fine silver sheet metal, which I refine through a<br />

rolling down process, pushing the metal to its limits. The<br />

result is a thin, delicate material that I can manipulate in the<br />

same way as a stiff fabric. With this process, I mimic in<br />

metal the movement and folds of fabric.<br />

For this piece, I wanted to quite literally integrate fabric into<br />

my work. This neckpiece is made using two materials:<br />

sterling silver wire and silk fabric. I have repeated simple<br />

silversmithing techniques to create a necklace with five<br />

tiers, which form the foundation of the work. This simple<br />

form is elevated by the addition of uniform strips of fabric<br />

which are tied around individual links of the chain. The<br />

result is a bold, complex and voluminous neckpiece.<br />

I consider silk to be a special fabric; it is a natural fibre, it is<br />

opulent and resplendent. I used green fabric because this<br />

colour gives me a sense of calm and fulfilment and also<br />

symbolises hope, rejuvenation, and peace with the natural<br />

world—something that is increasingly under threat. I have<br />

purposefully left the edges of the fabric frayed, thereby<br />

accentuating the many individual threads that constitute<br />

the beautiful, rich fabric made through an earlier repetitive<br />

process.<br />

ARTIST BIOGRAPHY<br />

Nicola is an emerging contemporary jeweller who studied<br />

Jewellery and Object at the Australian National University,<br />

where she received the Boronia Prize for Excellence in Gold<br />

and Silversmithing in the first year of her studies.<br />

In 2022, Nicola was a finalist in both Profile: Contemporary<br />

Jewellery and Object Award, presented by the Jewellery and<br />

Metalsmiths Group of Australia–NSW Inc. and the<br />

Australian Design Centre, and the National Contemporary<br />

Jewellery Award.<br />

Nicola's prior professional experience as a human rights<br />

lawyer has helped shape her practice and her business as<br />

Nicola sources her materials from an Australian company<br />

reputed for their sustainable and ethical production<br />

methods.<br />

Nicola’s work mostly explores the materiality of fine silver<br />

sheet metal, which is highly malleable, and is used in a way<br />

that suggests the movements and folds of fabric.<br />

Nicola’s work is made by hand in her studio at M16 Artspace<br />

in Canberra, where she also sits on the Board of<br />

Management.<br />

‘Untamed’ is playful and childlike—joyful to make, to look<br />

at, and wear.


Image Fran Romano | Containment II | Photo Andrew Sikorski - Art Atelier


Fran Romano<br />

ARTIST STATEMENT<br />

Inspired by the architecture and archaeology of Europe my<br />

abstract vessels reference both the built and natural<br />

environment. They reflect my interest in exploring notions<br />

of decay as a metaphor and marker of time. Inspired by<br />

themes of loss, longing and nostalgia and their intersection<br />

with concepts of ritual and remembrance; I use layering,<br />

surface texture and imagery to reference the passage of time<br />

and build a sense of history and narrative into each piece.<br />

Containment II, is the latest in an ongoing series exploring<br />

veneration spaces and voids. The abstracted form creates a<br />

container for abstract things: memories, ideas, longing. A<br />

miniature cairn placed as though guarding an unseen<br />

doorway or perhaps a portal? Or maybe it’s an offering? The<br />

highly textured surface references the patina of age, whilst<br />

the darkened interior invites closer inspection – bronze<br />

highlights mimic reflected light – a reference to something<br />

hopeful perhaps?<br />

My work creates a quiet, contemplative space for the viewer.<br />

This moment of reflection creates a marker in the infinite<br />

expanse of moments past and those yet to come. It is a<br />

meditation on the duality of life; the tangible and intangible.<br />

ARTIST BIOGRAPHY<br />

A graduate of ANU School of Art (2013), Fran Romano<br />

works from a home studio in inner-city Canberra. Her<br />

teaching work and design practice complement her artmaking.<br />

With a focus on process-driven making, and<br />

drawing on her background as a Social Worker, she runs<br />

experiential/well-being workshops.<br />

Fran was a recent finalist in the Goulburn Art Award (2022);<br />

the Little Things Art Prize (2018) and the Palliative Care Art<br />

Prize (2017). In 2019, she was awarded first place for 3D Art<br />

in the Foot Square - Small Pieces Competition (Brisbane). In<br />

2018, she was awarded an Emerging Contemporaries prize<br />

from Craft ACT.<br />

This year, she is excited to be part of a collaborative group<br />

exhibition pairing botanical artists with ceramicists. She will<br />

undertake a residency in Italy this October where she will<br />

continue her research into burial practices of the Ancient<br />

Etruscans in Italy.


Image Dianne Firth | Turbulence | 2022 | Photo Courtesy of Artist


Dianne Firth<br />

ARTIST STATEMENT<br />

My work is informed by my training as a landscape<br />

architect. My minimalist layered and stitched textile art<br />

enables me to explore landscapes and portray qualities of<br />

our environment.<br />

ARTIST BIOGRAPHY<br />

Dianne Firth is an artist, landscape architect and academic<br />

and is Adjunct Associate Professor with the Centre for<br />

Creative and Cultural Research at the University of<br />

Canberra. Dianne exhibits regularly in juried exhibitions in<br />

Australia and internationally and her work is held in major<br />

public and private collections.


Image Monique van Nieuwland | Chucked | Photo Courtesy of Artist


Monique van Nieuwland<br />

ARTIST STATEMENT<br />

Chucked, tossed, blown or lost - rubbish in our environment<br />

confronts us daily. Materials, design and concept are equally<br />

important to me. Woven cloth speaks of our past, the<br />

present and the future.<br />

My weaving work starts with finding threads to construct a<br />

warp and then what I choose to use as weft. These<br />

combinations have to work together as a cloth, creating a<br />

voice that will convey the concept.<br />

My artwork focuses on the environment and explores our<br />

ephemeral existence in this world.<br />

ARTIST BIOGRAPHY<br />

Since the 1980s van Nieuwland’s textile practice<br />

encompasses contemporary techniques and materials,<br />

keeping loom weaving vibrant and relevant as a form of<br />

expression. In 2004 Monique completed M(Phil) studies at<br />

the ANU which researched ‘The Shroud as a Contemporary<br />

Textile Art Phenomenon’.<br />

She is an accredited member of Craft + Design Canberra.<br />

Commissions have included public works for hospitals and<br />

weaving for movie costumes and set. She exhibits nationally<br />

and internationally.<br />

Her work has been selected for several Tamworth Fibre<br />

Textile Biennial/Triennial exhibitions (1988/2004/2014). In<br />

2016 she represented Australia in the 15th International<br />

Triennial of Tapestry in Poland.


Image Samuel Sheppard | Casper | <strong>2023</strong> | Photo 3D Rendering Courtesy of Artist


Samuel Sheppard<br />

ARTIST STATEMENT<br />

My practice is primarily based on creating free-standing<br />

furniture out of timber with an extension into sculptural<br />

works.<br />

My work is guided by two core tenets, the first of which is a<br />

keen passion for drawing upon artistic concepts or the<br />

beauty of the natural world to elevate pieces above their<br />

functional nature.<br />

The second element of my practice is a focus on challenging<br />

a material’s inherent capabilities and attempting to draw out<br />

features which may at first not seem apparent.<br />

Working primarily with timber, I have felt it is important to<br />

honour the finite nature of this material and the time and<br />

effort involved in its creation.<br />

ARTIST BIOGRAPHY<br />

Following a career transition into furniture making, Sam<br />

studied in the UK at world renowned furniture school<br />

Waters and Acland in Lake District.<br />

He currently practices as Hopmans Furniture in Canberra<br />

producing limited edition production furniture, sculptural<br />

works, and custom commissions. His style is heavily<br />

influenced by various artistic movements of the 20th<br />

century and is committed to crafting work which stands out.<br />

Combining the highest standards of craftsmanship with a<br />

love for sleek design and coherence with the works<br />

environment. He works primarily in wood with a focus on<br />

sustainably sourced timbers and respect for material, which<br />

he applies to all his work.<br />

The first work is a simple three legged coffee table with rigid<br />

and truncated triangular formed legs which contrast with<br />

the soft textured top that features hand-carved subtle<br />

adjustments in surface of the top to give the effect of<br />

drooping or folding of the top by the forces of the<br />

supporting frame creating a wholly organic table top which<br />

appears as soft drapery rather than solid timber.<br />

The second piece, 'Curl' is a riff on the classical form of the<br />

modern H frame production chair, which has been disturbed<br />

with a rippling effect challenging our perceptions of<br />

functional strength and injecting a sense of play into an<br />

often banal everyday object, with the softness further<br />

accentuated by the softness of the seat and backrest.


Image Rozlyn de Bussey | Celebrations | <strong>2023</strong> | Photo Courtesy of Artist


Rozlyn de Bussey<br />

ARTIST STATEMENT<br />

As a committed Canberra artist, I have been recognised by<br />

the glass fraternity as a professional maker and educator.<br />

My contemporary practitioner standing is evidenced by my<br />

work being showcased as an independent artist in the thenprestigious<br />

Ranamok Glass Prize and the Bombay Sapphire<br />

Design Prize. Not many in this country can use vitreous<br />

enamels and lustres as I can do. It does take years of<br />

practice, patience and resilience to master a variety of<br />

technical processes.<br />

ARTIST BIOGRAPHY<br />

De Bussey is a recognised Australian glass artist and<br />

educator, she has exhibited work globally since 1984,<br />

including in the USA, Italy, the UK, the Netherlands, Spain,<br />

Pakistan, France and New Zealand. Her work are<br />

represented in collections throughout Australia and<br />

overseas, including the Frank Howarth Collection,<br />

Queensland Art Gallery, Piiponnen Collection in Finland<br />

and the Sklarse Museum in the Czech Republic.<br />

As a Craft + Design Canberra Professional Accredited Artist,<br />

I’ve been further recognised by peers and colleagues for my<br />

excellence, technical skills and ability to create glass forms<br />

that shine in their light using historical technical processes<br />

in a contemporary way.<br />

As an educator, I have many years of experience. I have been<br />

trained by master craftspeople, including the late Ann<br />

Dybka (recipient of the Australia Council Emeritus Award<br />

and Order of Australia; she was the first glass artist to<br />

receive these awards and was nominated by me), as an<br />

apprentice in Architectural Glass and through my studies at<br />

the ANU School of Art under the late Klaus Moje. I have<br />

always reciprocated my learning experiences, giving back to<br />

the community through teaching and lecturing on various<br />

subjects.


mage Valerie Kirk | Namadgi | <strong>2023</strong> | Photo Courtesy of Artist


Valerie Kirk<br />

ARTIST STATEMENT<br />

I have always had a connection to the natural world –<br />

growing up on a farm in Scotland and now living and<br />

working in Canberra, the Bush Capital of Australia. In this<br />

beautiful city we are surrounded by vegetation and to the<br />

south lies Namadgi National Park with majestic mountains<br />

and wild terrain.<br />

In 2021 I was awarded a residency at Gudgenby Cottage in<br />

the south of Namadgi National Park. During the three weeks<br />

of the residency I walked and explored, observed the<br />

changing elements and the fading flowers in autumn. The<br />

mountains surround the valley and change with the light,<br />

weather and time of day. In a small journal I made notes and<br />

drawings, experiments with visual elements and tested ideas<br />

for new works. On a small loom I wove impressions of<br />

colour and texture, thinking about the age of the land, time<br />

passing and the absorbed impressions of being there.<br />

ARTIST BIOGRAPHY<br />

My background is in art, design and woven tapestry, having<br />

studied at Edinburgh College of Art.<br />

This education laid the foundation for my first job as a<br />

weaver at the Victorian Tapestry Workshop in Melbourne.<br />

Then following further study at Goldsmiths, University of<br />

London, I worked for exhibitions, did commissions,<br />

travelled and taught in GB and Australia before taking up the<br />

position, Head of Textiles at The Australian National<br />

University.<br />

Now I work from my studio in O'Connor - weaving,<br />

teaching, art and design projects and planning textile tours.<br />

Changes in weather and the seasons link me in to the cycles<br />

of life and passing of time. Back in my studio I designed this<br />

tapestry with a close up view of plant forms on the ground<br />

and the distant view to the mountains, my experience every<br />

day of the residency – looking down and looking up.


Image Dimity Kidston | Thinking of You | <strong>2023</strong> | Photo Courtesy of Artist


Dimity Kidston<br />

ARTIST STATEMENT<br />

"Thinking of You" encapsulates the universal sentiment of<br />

longing and remembrance. The shades of blue serve as a<br />

conduit for viewers to immerse themselves in the collective<br />

reservoir of emotions tied to loss.<br />

In this artwork, I seek to convey the healing power of<br />

shared experiences, reminding us that we are never truly<br />

alone in our reflections and that the memory of a mother's<br />

love persists like a timeless thread in our lives.<br />

ARTIST BIOGRAPHY<br />

Dimity Kidston is an artist and educator based in Canberra,<br />

known for her tapestry weaving and ceramics.<br />

Her artistic journey began at the Australian National<br />

University's School of Art, where she developed a passion<br />

for Textiles and Ceramics.<br />

Influenced by her global explorations, Kidston creates<br />

intricate designs that harmoniously blend contemporary<br />

aesthetics with traditional techniques.<br />

Her tapestry weaving transforms threads into vivid<br />

narratives, while her ceramics strike a delicate balance<br />

between form and function.<br />

With a portfolio featuring private commissions, commercial<br />

installations, and recently a Netflix feature, Kidston<br />

navigates the intersection of art and practicality. Her work<br />

stands as a tribute to the confluence of past and present<br />

artistic practices.


Image Barbara Rogers | Traces | 2011-2022 | Photo Courtesy of Artist


Barbara Rogers<br />

ARTIST STATEMENT<br />

In a process of adding and subtracting, masking and<br />

revealing I incorporate innovative shibori techniques with<br />

other traditional resist-dye processes in my unique artworks<br />

to create subtly varied patterns and rhythms that work in<br />

harmony with the cloth.<br />

In my work Traces, disruptive patterning is achieved by<br />

stitching, over-dyeing, re-dyeing and more stitching.<br />

ARTIST BIOGRAPHY<br />

Barbara Rogers is a Sydney based textile artist. Rogers has<br />

gained international acclaim for her work which has been<br />

exhibited in Australia and internationally.<br />

She completed Dress Design at the National Art School and<br />

worked in the fashion industry for many years.<br />

Rogers now works in shibori, an ancient Japanese resist dye<br />

technique and participated in the last nine World Shibori<br />

Symposia.


Image Susan Wiscombe | Traversing Lanyon | <strong>2023</strong> | Photo Courtesy of Artist


Susan Wiscombe<br />

ARTIST STATEMENT<br />

My early years were in Tasmania, amongst a rugged<br />

landscape, where the ebb and flow of warmth and coolness,<br />

light and darkness maintain equilibrium in all living things. I<br />

explore the natural phenomena of space and light. My works<br />

include many small components of kiln-formed glass that I<br />

then combine to depict a narrative. Usually, that narrative<br />

draws attention to matters that are of concern to me.<br />

Due to the duplicitous qualities of glass - strength, and<br />

fragility, opaque or transparent, shine or matt, it is my<br />

material of choice for exploring issues that are vexed and<br />

potentially divisive. Like the land and seascapes of this<br />

distant south island, glass can be beautiful yet treacherous,<br />

yet fragile to human intervention.<br />

I delve into philosophical juxtapositions impacting the<br />

natural world by creating works whose beguiling aesthetic<br />

encourages the viewer to take another look, as often there is<br />

an underpinning narrative that at times may have sinister<br />

implications.<br />

An example, my work Ghost Brumbies gives visual voice to<br />

the complexity and plight of the Brumbies.<br />

ARTIST BIOGRAPHY<br />

Susan has explored a number of artistic and craft mediums.<br />

In 2012, Susan attended an introductory Kiln forming glass<br />

workshop. From this Susan completed a number of courses<br />

and workshops, developing skills, knowledge, and networks.<br />

In 2016 Susan’s life took on a new direction when she<br />

enrolled in Bachelor of Visual Arts majoring in Glass at the<br />

ANU.<br />

<strong>Exhibition</strong>s include two EASS award exhibitions, Craft ACT<br />

<strong>Members</strong> exhibition, Belconnen Arts, Queanbeyan Art<br />

society and a Finalist in Inaugural Art Prize at Lanyon.<br />

Susan has focused on building expertise through eLearning,<br />

setting up and equipping her home studio workspace and a<br />

website whimsicalmakings.com.<br />

Susan’s professional activities include having developed a<br />

number of one day kiln forming courses at classbento.com.<br />

Susan has received five-star reviews from all participants.<br />

Susan is a Director on the Board of Ausglass, a Not for Profit<br />

whose membership includes of glass artists, curators, and<br />

collectors. https://ausglass.org<br />

European settlement brought horses to Australia. Banjo<br />

Patterson’s ‘The Man from Snowy River” immortalised them<br />

into Australian folklore. There is a growing awareness of<br />

environmental issues and a desire to preserve the Australian<br />

landscape as authentically as possible. Hence is now a push<br />

for the eradication of wild horses particularly in the Snowy<br />

Mountains area.<br />

The once noble equines are now seen as pests, invaders, and<br />

destroyers of the natural landscape and by extension a<br />

threat to native species, grasses lands, and watercourses.<br />

My work – Traversing Lanyon also highlights the impact of<br />

approaches to land management and ownership that have<br />

been imposed by my ancestors who were Colonialists. Again,<br />

I am conflicted. There are no easy answers other than<br />

making a personal commitment to walk gently on this land<br />

and show respect for those who were here long before the<br />

colonialists.


Image | Luke Batten | Fragment | <strong>2023</strong> | Photo Courtesy of Artist


Luke Batten<br />

ARTIST STATEMENT<br />

Working predominantly with wood, I design and craft<br />

quality bespoke objects. From custom one-off pieces to<br />

batch produced products, my work celebrates material,<br />

joinery, and design. Shaped by my education at prominent<br />

national and international creative schools, my ethos<br />

merges craft values with design principles.<br />

Fragment demonstrates the possibilities of modularity. The<br />

design uses a single symmetric, and repeating module to<br />

create a series of beautiful sculptural tables. Within the<br />

module design are five joinery variants, enabling each<br />

unique table iteration to be organically generated.<br />

Each iteration of Fragment comprises a sculptural wooden<br />

base and a functional glass top.<br />

Inspired by cell-reproduction and the photomicrography of<br />

bone, the design beautifully exhibits the dichotomy of<br />

natural geometry — symmetry creating a sense of order and<br />

asymmetry producing a feeling of chaos.<br />

ARTIST BIOGRAPHY<br />

Luke Batten is an Australian Craftsman based in Ngunnawal<br />

country.<br />

Luke is a graduate of the University of Canberra (Bachelor of<br />

Industrial Design), a graduate of the Australian National<br />

University (Master of Furniture Design) and has studied<br />

fine woodworking at the Center for Furniture<br />

Craftsmanship, in Maine, U.S.A. (9-month Program).<br />

Luke’s creative process unifies design with making,<br />

emphasising material, production design, and user<br />

experience. He is driven by a passion for craftsmanship,<br />

authentic design, and sustainability.<br />

His work has been widely recognised through exhibitions,<br />

competitions, media and awards.<br />

Meticulously handcrafted, each module elegantly combines<br />

joinery with form, demonstrating an uncompromising<br />

approach to craftsmanship. Beneath the glass top surface,<br />

the quality of this craftsmanship is showcased as a sequence<br />

of meeting surfaces and exposed joinery.<br />

Fragment is bespoke. Each component is customisable in<br />

size, arrangement, timber species, tints, and colours.


Image Tania Vrancic | Untitled | <strong>2023</strong> | Photo Courtesy of Artist


Tania Vrancic<br />

ARTIST STATEMENT<br />

Creating art is often a journey of self-discovery. I tend to<br />

make intuitively with the subtle meaning behind my work<br />

unfolding over time. Most of my work is abstract landscape<br />

depicting the feeling of a place and what it is like to be there<br />

and journey through the landscape rather than a literal<br />

place. As an emerging mixed media artist and painter, I am<br />

seeking to make the connections between my ceramics and<br />

painting stronger. How can I paint on ceramics in a similar<br />

way as on canvas and board? The work I propose for this<br />

exhibition is a small series of three vessels using new<br />

processes to paint on hand-built ceramics. They will be<br />

abstract landscapes with text inside the vessels about<br />

belonging. Belonging to ourselves, to each other and to our<br />

surroundings.<br />

ARTIST BIOGRAPHY<br />

Tania Vrancic is a contemporary ceramic artist working from<br />

her sunny little studio in Canberra, Australia. Drawing her<br />

inspiration from landscape and childhood memories Tania<br />

creates a sense of freedom and whimsy mixed with a<br />

Scandinavian design aesthetic.<br />

Using various printing on clay techniques, hand building and<br />

slip casting makes each item unique. Details are added with<br />

sgraffito, ceramic pencil and slip trailing creating multiple<br />

layers which are enhanced by the translucency of high fired<br />

porcelain.<br />

Tania is also an emerging mixed media artist. As she works<br />

in different mediums, she finds each one informs the other.<br />

My testing process is well on its way however I do not have<br />

a completed piece to photograph at this stage. The next test<br />

batch is in the kiln now, so I have plenty of time to complete<br />

the works in time for this exhibition.


Image Lisa Stevenson | Crisp | <strong>2023</strong> | Photo Courtesy of Artist


Lisa Stevenson<br />

ARTIST STATEMENT<br />

The plants used in the creation of these vessels are from<br />

some neglected and overlooked community spaces.<br />

The Gymea Lily was a council planting in need of pruning,<br />

as it was so large it was impacting on the roadway.<br />

The Kangaroo Grass was collected during the wet summer<br />

of 2022 from the roadside, a week before the rest was mown<br />

in preparation for fire season. The leaves of the Kangaroo<br />

Paw hide in the community garden, the plant forgotten<br />

about after the beautiful flower spikes turn brown.<br />

Transforming these overlooked materials is my joy.<br />

ARTIST BIOGRAPHY<br />

Lisa Stevenson is a basket maker and fibre artist, living and<br />

working on the unceded land of the Ngunnawal and<br />

Ngambri.<br />

With a passion for using natural materials, she has been<br />

growing and harvesting her own basketry materials, or<br />

sustainably foraging materials from her local area. Creating<br />

functional and sculptural forms using various basketry<br />

techniques Lisa seeks to explore the possibilities of design<br />

with natural fibres.<br />

Sharing her passion for basketry, Lisa has been delivering<br />

workshops on various basketry techniques.<br />

She is currently undertaking a degree in visual arts at<br />

Australian National University and has exhibited in<br />

Canberra and interstate.


Image Lex Sorrentino | Wall Trophy | <strong>2023</strong> | Photo Courtesy of Artist


Lex Sorrentino<br />

ARTIST STATEMENT<br />

My love for experimenting with different clay mediums has<br />

produced Unique Sculpture in Polymer Clay and Air-Dry<br />

Clay.<br />

Each upright sculpture is created over a wire armature and<br />

have glass eyes.<br />

ARTIST BIOGRAPHY<br />

Lex Sorrentino, Mixed Media Clay Artist, began sculpting in<br />

1996 and being self- taught, her minimal training has left her<br />

free to approach clay sculpting with no preconceptions as to<br />

how it ought to be used.<br />

“Ignorance is not only bliss, but genuinely constructive,<br />

particularly in a medium as adaptable as Polymer & Air Dry<br />

clay.”<br />

Lex’s choice is Whimsical art, which show the diversity of<br />

different clays and how they can be incorporated with many<br />

mediums to produce interesting creations, (one of which<br />

came first in the International Polymer Clay Association<br />

Sculpture Award Global <strong>Exhibition</strong> <strong>2023</strong> and a close second<br />

in the People’s Choice Sculpture for Clyde <strong>2023</strong>)<br />

She teaches weekly Workshops in Oxley, Canberra.<br />

Co-ordinator for the once-a-year Contemporary Craft<br />

Retreat at Greenhills, Cotter ACT.

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