Vanessa Oter

Vanessa Oter, Hayfield, 2008. Mixed media on canvas, 150x150 cm.

Vanessa Oter, Three Silos, 2008. Mixed media on canvas, 120x120 cm.

Images reproduced courtesy of the artist.

Vanesa Oter, born in Melbourne, 1973, is an informal lyrical abstractionist whose paintings present as a symphony of the world that envelopes her. The vista is the local landscape, while her mark making, which constructs the image, is a layering reflective of natural weathering processes and gestures suggestive of the small discoveries of accidental beauty 'found'  within the patina of her urban coastal environment. Filtering through the layers are stencils, scribbles and road worker's signage. Oter is also an installation artist and a soft toy maker, comprised of everyday recycled materials. After a gap in study, including living overseas for six years, Oter graduated with first class honours from RMIT in 2006. She has been a finalist in the Metro 5 Art Award, 2006, and the Paddington Art Prize, 2009. Vanessa has held several solo and group exhibitions in New York, Boston  and Toronto, as well as Australia. Her work is in international and Australian corporate and private collections.

Seaneen Tait

Seaneen Tait, Earrach (Gaelic for "Spring"), circa 2007. Oil on canvas, 61x46 cm.

Image reproduced from the Harris Courtin Gallery Website.

Seaneen Tait's paintings recall landscape memories of times, seasons  and weather phenomena. The titles of Tait's textured, open, minimal abstractions are in Gaelic, her cultural heritage. Tait is a young artist, working also as a freelance textile designer. Tait received an Advanced Diploma in Fine Arts, from Meadowbank College of the Arts, 2000, and an Advanced Diploma in Fashion Design from the East Sydney Design School, 2004. She is represented by, and has held three solo exhibitions at the Harris Courtin Gallery, Sydney, 2004-8. Her work is held in the collection of the Mathematics Department at the University of New South Wales, and many private collections in Australia, London, New York, Bangkok and Ireland.

Dawn Whitehand

 Dawn Whitehand, Rocks, 2009. Wheelthrown and manipulated clay, volcanic glaze, dimensions variable.

Detail of Rocks, 2009.


 
Dawn Whitehand, Balance, 2008. Wheelthrown and manipulated clay. Pit Fired and wax polish and unglazed raku clay, 33x13x14 cm.
Images reproduced courtesy of the artist.

The vulnerability of the environment is a major theme for ceramicist, Dawn Whitehand, whose sculptures can also incorporate both organic and 'found' textural objects. Whitehand sees clay as 'the skin of the Earth' and her works gain power when presented within the natural environment. Whitehand achieved First Class Honours (H1) in 2004 and a Doctor of Philosophy, Visual Arts, 2009, at the University of Ballarat.  Whitehand has several peer reviewed publications to her credit along with numerous juried group exhibitions and scholarships, including a University of Ballarat Research Scholarship, 2006, and the AGL Shaw Summer Research Fellowship at the State Library of Victoria, 2009. Dawn will undertake the A.I.R. Vallauris, Artist in Residence, Vallauris, France in 2010. The work arising from this residency will be exhibited at her first solo exhibition at Red Gallery, Melbourne, in April, 2010. Dawn is represented by Port Art in Port Melbourne, Wolf at the Door in Hepburn Springs and Scope Galleries in Warrnambool. Her work can be found at the Ballarat Regional Gallery and in private collections including the Kakunaka Corporation, Japan.

Jessica Schroeter

Jessica Schroeter, Untitled, 2008. Oil on canvas, 60x90 cm.

Image reproduced courtesy of the artist.

Jessica Schroeter is currently undertaking a Master of Visual Arts at the University of Ballarat. Schroeter's abstractions source place. The physical space to the distant horizon, the weathered surfaces and cracks of paths and roadways, the random marking and natural erosion that can convey a sense of history within the urban environment converge and filter into her conscious memory during the act of painting. The resulting distilled images often have a personal childhood association - a place known. Schroeter is a young artist who has already been involved in several significant group exhibitions and in 2009 held, Detour, a solo exhibition at the University of Ballarat Post Office Gallery. She is a member of the Golden Key Society and in 2007 was awarded the Adrienne Guy Award for excellence within arts at the University of Ballarat. 

Sam Atyeo

Born in Melbourne, Sam Atyeo, 1910-90, first studied architecture before attending the National Gallery School. Atyeo (also an interior designer), was a modernist, and is attributed to being  one of the first artists in Australia to work in the abstract tradition. In Melbourne during the 1930s, Atyeo completed a number of abstractions reflecting the influence of Paul Klee. See Organised line to yellow, c1933, National Gallery of Australia. His social milieu included John and Sunday Reed. Atyeo married the artist, Moya Dyring (Cité Internationale des Arts, Moya Dyring Paris Studio) and spent a large part of his life living in Europe (France).

Robyn Hassall

Robyn Hassall, With Words, 2003. Carborundum print over relief etching,  42x120 cm.

 

Robyn Hassall, Canopy, 2005. Stencil and relief print on two sheets, 99x136 cm.

 

Robyn Hassall, Continuum, 2005. Linocut on four sheets of paper, 60x232 cm.

Images reproduced courtesy of the artist.

Printmaker, Robyn Hassall, creates subtle vestiges of the landscape. Her abstractions remind one of a reflection in a pool or the curve of a rock. It is peaceful work founded on close observations of the structures and patterns that permeate the natural world.  Hassall employs a wide range of print techniques. For example, Canopy, 2005, is created by multiple impressions of 'onion bags' onto an inked plate. Hassall first studied film (achieving a Diploma of Visual Art) at Swinburne University of Technology before  turning to a career in art teaching. In 2006, she attained a MVA (Master of Visual Arts) from La Trobe University. Hassall has exhibited widely in regional Victoria where she is based. In 2001, Hassall was selected for the Emerging Artist Exhibition at the Eighth International Works on Paper Fair in Sydney. Her upcoming solo exhibition is scheduled for early 2010 at Woodbine Art, Malmsbury.

Sylvia McEwan

Sylvia McEwan, Abstracted Landscape Series VI, 122x246 cm. Oil on canvas, 2001.

Reproduced from Harris Courtin Gallery Website. 

Queensland artist, Sylvia McEwan, is represented by the Harris Courtin Gallery in Sydney. McEwan's paintings span landscape, still life and figure studies. Her work, at times, veers towards abstraction while remaining firmly grounded in traditional realist painting techniques, paying close attention to tone, colour, line and gesture. In 2003, McEwan was a finalist in the Sulman Prize at the Art Gallery of NSW and has also been a finalist in the Fleurieu Art Prize, South Australia, 2002. McEwan will hold her first solo exhibition in London, at the 9 Langton Street Gallery, October 2009.

Robert Grieve

Robert Grieve, Landscape with Navy and Red. Gouache on paper, 55x75 cm, circa 1990(?).

Reproduced from Harris Courtin Gallery website.

 

Born in 1924, Melbourne based artist Robert Grieve was amongst the first generation of Australian abstract artists. A free thinker, who was widely traveled, Grieve drew influences from around the world including Japanese aesthetics, Russian literature and Spanish arts including the work of Antoni Tàpies (whose prints he owned, along with a collection of Japanese masks). His artwork is focused above all on quality of gesture and the transmission of feeling, often reflecting landscape or the human figure as subject matter. Well read, Grieve remained curious and passionate about his numerous creative interests until his death in late 2006. He exhibited regularly throughout Australia during his lifetime and his work is represented in the National Gallery of Australia and many state and regional galleries. His estate is currently represented by Eastgate Holst Gallery in Melbourne and Harris Courtin Gallery in Sydney.

Alan Bates

Alan Bates, Pink Cliffs, 2009. Acrylic on linen on board, 65x65 cm.

Alan Bates, Untitled, 2009. Acrylic on linen on board, 65x65 cm.

Images reproduced courtesy of the artist. 

Alan Bates creates minimalist arresting harmonies of paint. Bates lives in regional Victoria and his works resource local places. For example, Pink Cliffs, 2009, references a disused mine near Heathcote in central Victoria. Bates' paintings are quiet but rewarding. Each line or shape is in symphony with the next and the overall composition is arranged within a field of subtle monochrome. This delicate space is sparely unified by contrasting notes often rendered in darker tones. The resulting works can speak of landscape or the weathered detritus randomly found in abandoned industrial areas including the dockside. A graduate of the University of Ballarat, Bates has been exhibiting regularly, holding solo exhibitions almost yearly since 1990. He is represented by Salt Contemporary Art Gallery in Queenscliff and his forthcoming solo exhibition is scheduled for February 21, 2010, at Woodbine Art, Malmsbury, Victoria.