The Patience of Ordinary Things
OCTOBER 4-27
Cheryl McCoy, Michaela James, Trudie Rockoff & Trudi Nisbet .
In this exhibition, each artist has taken on the challenge of delving into the theme of the ‘ordinary’ as inspired by the evocative poem at the heart of this collection. Through their unique perspectives and mediums, they have sought to uncover the hidden stories and imagery embedded within the lines of the poem. These works offer a glimpse into the quiet, often overlooked moments that resonate deeply with both personal and collective experiences.
OPENING EVENT – Saturday October 5th from 2pm
The Patience of Ordinary Things
It is a kind of love, is it not?
How the cup holds the tea,
How the chair stands sturdy and foursquare,
How the floor receives the bottoms of shoes
Or toes. How soles of feet know
Where they’re supposed to be.
I’ve been thinking about the patience
Of ordinary things, how clothes.
Wait respectfully in closets
And soap dries quietly in the dish,
And towels drink the wet
From the skin of the back.
And the lovely repetition of stairs.
And what is more generous
Poem by Pat Schneider
ARTIST IN THE GALLERY
SATURDAY OCTOBER 12 – TALK & PRINT BLOCK DEMONSTRATION with CHERYL McCOY – 1pm to 3pm – FREE EVENT
SUNDAY OCTOBER 13 – TALK & PRINT BLOCK DEMONSTRATION with CHERYL McCOY – 11am to 1pm – FREE EVENT
CHERYLMcCOY
Cheryl, a printmaker of Aboriginal and convict heritage, lives on the Central Coast. Her artistic journey was inspired by the poem ‘The Patience or Ordinary Things’ by Pat Schneider that led her to explore the imaged moments following the arrival of the colonialists at Warrane.
Through her work, Cheryl attempts to visualise the memories and emotions of those who faced the turmoil and unforeseen changes brought by this event – the disruption & destruction of what was familiar. She reflects on the deep yearning of both the Indigenous and convict peoples for the return to the ordinary and the known, capturing their reflections and fleeting moments in her prints, alongside a profound longing for an end to the nightmare.
MICHAELA JAMES
Michaela is inspired by the beauty that can be found in the most prosaic domesticity. Inspired by the beauty in the everyday, challenges her customary more formalist approach to painting still lives. As a result, she believes her work has morphed into something intentionally more abstractly complex, no longer what a still life might be expected to be ‘still’.
Michaela believes committing to her discipline of painting is the way to push boundaries. Working through this commitment, she is challenged to move away from too much harmony between each object. Instead of picking up on the default of figuration such as form, shadow, and weight Michaela finds instead what the painting itself needs. So rather than applying the ‘logic of the form’ instilled from formal training, she looks at the work as a transition from one state to another.
TRUDIE ROCKOFF
Trudie is drawn to painting as a vehicle from which to explore and express herself and for the pure enjoyment of her materials. She enjoys the thrill of discovery, the back and forth of finding the right pathway design for the immediate work and her present state of being. Adding and subtracting, relating differing elements to each other, building a history of time in paint, charcoal, collage and canvas. Work often begins by a flash of inspiration used to get things going, this inspiration could come from any object, space, thought or feeling.
Trudie works in an expressive manner combining her intuitive energies with her understanding and consideration of more formal design properties.
TRUDI NISBET
Trudi describes herself as an Environmental artist, with her artwork falling into 2 distinct categories: artworks made with waste and recycled material, and artworks made with plant material.
She is fascinated by the challenge of recreating forms with the manipulation of the unconventional, the unexpected and somewhat ordinary day to day items that are discarded in our society. Her sculptures will often include an element of cheekiness too.
At the same time Trudi is captivated by the striking giant spear like lily with the long slender leaves, Doryanthes Excelsa, more commonly known as Gymea Lily. This plant grows prolifically around her home on the Hawkesbury River, and as a consequence is used frequently in her basketry. The grandeur of this plant alone inspires her to create beautiful utilitarian and decorative baskets that would aspire to receive the same accolades.
POP UPS
Watch this space