‘Caste’- Georgie Beard – Acrylic paintings
‘TREE/CREEK’ – Paula Martin – Mixed media
Nature – studies and impressions by two artists
Georgie Beard last exhibited at Falkner Gallery in 2014 with her meticulously painted egg tempera ‘portraits’ of chairs. It was a highly successful exhibition with each chair cleverly conveying the personality of its owner.
Formerly from Melbourne, Georgie now lives in Port Stephens, NSW, an area of great beauty and bio-diversity. Beachscapes, soaring forests and lush wetlands exist alongside the manicured lawns and treescapes of a thriving tourist area.
Georgie’s new exhibition downstairs ‘Caste’ is a series of studies of trees from the area. The title Caste references the Indian demarcation of society according to occupation and subsequent wealth. Her trees tell the tale of nature’s survival – either naturally or by being controlled by man. Some survive and thrive by natural means; others are pandered and protected into manmade environments by their wealthy owners.
Paula Martin‘s exhibition TREE|CREEK’ upstairs also relates to nature but rather than being ‘portraits’ of her creek subjects, Paula explores and expresses how nature and her morning creek walks affect her. She writes of her works: ‘Some are landscapes, some are details of patterns within the creek landscape. Some are abstracted and some are immediately identifiable, but all are paintings that are ‘about’ some other sense of being or feeling….. My inspiration involves early morning walks; same walk, always different. Crepuscular darkness, early morning light changing, veils of mist, wind, water’s depths, its mirrored surrounds, a confusion of seeing which accentuates a feeling of mystery.’ Martin
Paula was Head of Scenic Art with the Australian Opera in Sydney before moving to Castlemaine in 2015. In that role she was scenic artist, props maker and wardrobe art finisher. She therefore has a wealth of skill and experience in all fields of creative art – fine art, scenic art, design, costume, props, masks and sculpture. Her two-dimensional works in ‘TREE|CREEK’ are expressed in ink, pastel, pencil, acrylic and oil paint in and clearly illustrate her competency in all media.
It is fascinating to see these two artists’ totally different interpretations of the nature that exists around them.
Meet the artists Sat 26 May 2-4pm