Are We There Yet?

An exploration of the process of making art.

Back to Back Galleries, 57 Bull Street COOKS HILL
Gallery hours. Friday to Sunday – 11am – 5pm

Subliminal Diversion Series by Sue Stewart. Porcelain Forms. H.65cm x 28cm W.

The idea of the artist as gifted or prescient is common but in reality, to most artists, it feels more like an addictive obsession.  There are the highs of getting it to work and the lows when it doesn’t make sense or you open the kiln door to find a disaster.  Is it ever really finished?  Possibly not.  Making art is, for each artist, an individual journey.  Is the journey linear, from here to there, building one idea on another to get there; or do we explore lots of different paths to find a central point?  In this exhibition the artists of the Athena Group reveal something of the process each artist uses giving an insight into the vastly different approaches individuals can employ.

The artists in the Athena Group include Sue Stewart, Faye Collier, Julie-Anne Ure, Helene Leane, Jeanne Harrison, Bronwyn Greive, Lucile Carson,  Amanda Hardy, Varelle Hardy, Pat Davidson.  These artists use a variety of processes and media; ceramics, printmaking, fibre, collage, encaustic, painting, drawing, photography, sculpture.  It includes people who have been practicing artists for decades and some who came to the process in the last few years.  On a personal level there are many differences as well but the process of making art has created a group of friends who support, encourage and nurture each other through their individual artmaking journeys as well as the planned excursions of group exhibitions.

Subliminal Diversion Series by Sue Stewart. Porcelain Forms. H.21cm x 22cm W.

The artworks investigate a range of individual points of view and highlight the journey involved in making artwork.   The group have well developed skills in a wide range of media including ceramics, printing, painting, photography, drawing, sculpture and textiles.  While some artists have specialised in ceramics others have indicated that clay will be incorporated in the development of mixed media works.