‘Folds and Feathers’- David Golightly, Lee Shelden and Sally Roadknight – Pencil Drawings

11 October – 24 December 2018

‘Folds and Feathers’- David Golightly, Lee Shelden and Sally Roadknight – Pencil Drawings

‘Christmas Collection 2018’ – 30 plus artists – Works on paper

The pencil is a simple tool that can make a variety of marks. In the hands of a child, it can produce a spontaneous scribble or an imaginative drawing; in the hands of an artist, it can produce strong and decisive gestures, soft and sensitive renderings and realistic or abstract marks.

The next exhibition at Falkner Gallery ‘Folds and Feathers’ displays a range of expressive mark-making by three local artists – David Golightly, Lee Shelden and Sally Roadknight. 

Black and coloured pencil is their chosen medium and their subject matter is also somewhat similar – fabrics, ribbons, rags, feathers, towels. Yet each has used the pencil to create quite a different effect.

David Golightly writes of his series: ”These drawings follow a long academic tradition of drawing drapery, a necessary requirement for art training along with the requisite rendering of anatomical details initially drawn from plaster casts then life drawing. Artists were expected to demonstrate rigorous observation of nature.” [Golightly]

David’s meditative drawings are powerful tonal renderings of simple everyday fabrics. They are bold, structured tonal renderings of drapery – folded, draped, stacked; some ordered, some askew.

Lee Shelden’s coloured pencil drawings are primarily about delicacy, focusing on small, unassuming everyday things. Rolls of ribbon, folds and swirls of satin are flooded with light. She writes: “The drawings are primarily about intimacy, focusing on small, simple everyday things. Drama and mystery can be found in the way the light changes the folds in a piece of fabric, or warmth remains in a tattered moth’s wing.” [Shelden]

Her light-filled drawings are subtle, fragile and mysterious. Lee’s interest in drawing fabrics began with her tertiary studies in Fashion Design at RMIT. Later studies in visual arts at Gippsland Institute allowed her to continue her passion for the varying textures, weights and colours of fabric rendered in coloured pencil.

With reference to her drawings of feathers, Sally Roadknight writes: “By peeling back layers and simplifying images I am trying to discover clues that will help me understand the landscape surrounding me…. I have focused on drawing one aspect of the landscape, namely feathers, concentrating on expressing the qualities of strength and delicacy and by so doing increase my understanding, perception and powers of observation.” [Roadknight] Her feathers float and curl across the compositions with subtlety and fragility.

The ‘Folds and Feathers’ drawings by these three artists are a beautiful exploration of the power of the pencil to produce a range of expressions including frailty and fragility as well as academic structure.

Also commencing 11 October is the 2018 Christmas Collection, the annual, changing exhibition of 30+ talented artists’ small, affordable works on paper. The front two rooms of the gallery will be filled with a selection of Christmas gifts for all ages and the surrounding walls will represent a Christmas tree with original works, strung with red ribbon like tree decorations. Local, regional, national and international artists’ works include drawings, linocuts, woodcuts, monoprints, etchings, engravings, collagraphs, montages and collages.

Prices are $50, $100, $150 and $200.

Rather than struggling to find inexpensive Kris Kringle gifts, why not pool together with family members to buy an exclusive, special and valuable gift by an accomplished artist? It will be a gift that lasts and is appreciated forever.

Works purchased may be collected immediately, rather than at the end of the exhibition, giving time to have them framed if desired. This will mean the ‘Christmas Collection 2018’ exhibition will constantly evolve as new works replace those sold.

Both exhibitions ‘Folds and Feathers’ and ‘Christmas Collection 2018’ commence 11 October and will conclude midday 24 December.

Hours: Wed 1-5, Thurs – Sat 11-5.