King Island Cultural Centre: Tasmania

Showing posts with label Tasmania. Show all posts

Thursday, October 4, 2012

King Island Artist Pam McKay

I’ve lived most of my life in coastal Qld, also lesser time in WA, NSW, and NT. My husband Noel and I love to travel and discover new places.

After reading of King Island in a national magazine in 2009, we came for a quiet 6 day getaway as retirees and fell under the spell of the island and its people. We impulsively bought a NW coastal property, sold our Mt Tamborine home in Qld, and moved here.

I grew up on a sugar cane farm driving tractors and playing in the creek. This instilled in me a love of nature and strong colours, the raging red of cane fires, vivid blue mountains beyond, fresh green foliage of tropical Qld along with the multi coloured parrots and tropical fruits. However I was equally as happy experimenting with sewing, crochet and embroidery. Later my husband and children wore my sewing creations usually of my own design. Eventually I retired from the workforce and learnt watercolour and acrylic art, life drawing, sculpture, mosaics and patchwork.

In 2007 on a trip through Victoria I first discovered felting – it was love at first sight and feel; I did a one day workshop in Daylesford and immediately felt it was ‘my’ medium. I marvelled at the result of working with fine merino wool, tissue silk and beautiful silk fibre. With a little research I found I lived just 2 hours from Polly and Myfanwy Stirling, and did several 2 and 3 day workshops with this talented duo. However I didn’t extend my knowledge until I moved to KI.

Image courtesy of artist

Moving here has inspired me, given me a sense of freedom I’ve not experienced since childhood. I now challenge myself and find felting exciting! It’s a way for me to express myself freely, let the work evolve and be surprised. I continue to explore and learn new techniques, particularly eco-dyeing through books and the work of other artists; nuno felting with rich silk fabric and fibre being my current preference for creating works of felt art. I particularly admire the work of Liz Clay and Pam Hovell .

Image courtesy of artist

The spectacular colours of the sea sand and rocks in the magical glow of the long twilight, perfect rainbows, rugged raw beauty and clean air all lend themselves to creating fabulous art.

Thursday, August 2, 2012

New works by Richard Skinner

bird stories, kelp stories

fragments of journeys; illuminated and suspended

July 5th - August 3rd

Image courtesy of the artist

The works in this exhibition bird stories, kelp stories, are both a record of past journeys and of current investigations, of journeys off and on the island. Bird stories, kelp stories is a return to the place and people that inspired me, an opportunity to present new work developed since the original residency, and to recognize and celebrate the shared, and sometimes unpredictable, nature of creative exchange Richard Skinner

This Exhibition was assisted through Arts Tasmania by the Minister for the Arts. Supported by

Thursday, December 18, 2008

Woolindra

“Woolindra”

An exhibition about Currie Harbour, King Island by Bridget Levy

I must go down to the seas again, to the vagrant gypsy life,
To the gull’s way and the whale’s way where the wind’s like a whetted knife;

And all I ask is a merry yarn from a laughing fellow-rover,
And quiet sleep and a sweet dream when the long trek’s over.
‘Sea Fever’ by John Masefield
This exhibition is dedicated to Maitie

January 9th – February 6th 2009

King Island Cultural Centre
Currie Harbour

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Artists Statement
King Island is in my history. My family left England on the Tanui in 1886 and after a few false starts, arrived on King Island as seafarers and free settlers to take up land in 1895 - with their mother Elizabeth McKie Bowling. There were 5 boys and 2 girls. Fred Bowling the second eldest son was my grandfather and with my grandmother Ella farmed the Yellow Rock country for 25 years until soldier settlement took over. My Grandmother talked of the adventure and hence my love and fascination for the island - the tremendous courage, the loneliness, the pathos, the coastal hills, the sea, the amazing history and the pride. I try to do justice to the island and my family through my paintings. My present paintings are my interpretation of the King Island fishing boats – their individuality, comradeship, busyness and great character and pathos and of course the red Tahui 3.

Artists Profile
Bridget completed a four Year Diploma of Painting (1957-1960) at Swinburne Art School with Honours. She was the last student to go through the Arts School and Laurie Pendlebury was the Senior Lecturer at that time.

Bridget exhibited her work in Tasmania in late 1960 and managed a gallery in Mornington Peninsula until 1968.

Bridget and her husband decided to move to the peace and tranquillity of King Island after her husband became ill eleven years ago. Here Bridget has found the inspiration to paint again and this exhibition is for Maitie.