David Allan

David Allan

CREATIVE PRACTICE

Drawing and painting.
I am an artist and illustrator, interested in myth, fantasy and landscape. From fine art oil paintings to delicate watercolours, I love to work in any medium.

ARTIST STATEMENT

I am inspired first and foremost by the natural world and have a great love of all things flora and fauna. Exploring and recreating specimens visually, I believe, opens up a new level of understanding and appreciation for form and function in the natural environment and creates a strong foundation from which new ideas can develop. In this way, I enjoy producing work which blurs the boundaries between apparently disparate objects and concepts, examines familiar objects from unexpected angles, and allows for the creation of new worlds, objects and anatomically plausible, if fantastical, creatures.

I work in a range of areas including natural history illustration, children’s illustration and commissions, and in a variety of mediums including digital, however, my preferred medium is graphite. Increasingly, I am exploring the many possibilities of combining digital and traditional mediums.

BIO

David Allan is an illustrator and artist whose first picture book, Two Trickster Tales from Russia (retold by Sophie Masson) was published by Christmas Press in 2013. Since then, he has illustrated three other acclaimed picture books for Christmas Press: Two Tales of Twins from Ancient Greece and Rome (retold by Ursula Dubosarsky, 2014); Two Tengu Tales from Japan (retold by Duncan Ball, 2015) and Two Enchanted Tales from Old China (retold by Gabrielle Wang, 2017). He has also illustrated short story anthologies, including The Stuff of Tales, published by Arts North West in 2018, and several Christmas Press anthologies, as well as storybooks for reading programs. His work is in private and public collections, and he has participated in solo and group exhibitions.

CONTACT

0421 721 117
davidallancreative@gmail.com

Susan McMullen

Susan McMullen

CREATIVE PRACTICE

Knitting, sewing and original designs.
I use premium quality natural fibres to create fashion accessories for men and women, and children, hats shawls, gloves and mittens.

ARTIST STATEMENT

Susan uses natural fibres including silk, wool, cashmere, alpaca, possum, camel hair, linen, angora and cotton, to create a wide selection of practical and sustainable fashion accessories for all ages. Susan creates items that are designed to last a lifetime, with classic and original designs.

BIO

Susan's inspiration and greatest teacher was her mother, who passed along a generational legacy and creative ethic, workmanship and quality and an appreciation of creating something that will last. Susan is committed to creating beautiful and long lasting items that are made in Australia. Innovation and versatility in wearable designs.

CONTACT

0400 280 352
susanmcmullen54@gmail.com

Anna Henderson

Anna Henderson

CREATIVE PRACTICE

Mixed media and ceramics.
Mixed media, semi abstract landscapes & ceramics.

ARTIST STATEMENT

I live in a quiet, isolated part of the New England Tablelands. I am surrounded by a landscape that is forever changing. My work is therefore forever changing. My mixed media work is semi-abstract and abstract. It sometimes deals with the extremely complex relationship between humans and the land and our environment. We are in awe of it, we destroy it, we idealise it, we alter it, we buy and sell it, we use its resources, and we create new environments. My paintings are silent and lonely, the many layers of paint creating a history and strength to these portraits of the land.

BIO

2018 “Artist’s Story” An exhibition of paintings and ceramics. Weswal Gallery, Tamworth. NSW.

2016 “Crash Pads” spirituality, relationships, spiritual practice, architecture, Gallery 126, Armidale NSW.

2015 “Caravan” Paintings and Ceramics, Haydon Hall, Murrurundi

2014 “Interconnect” Paintings and Ceramics, New England Regional Art Museum, Armidale.

2013 “22 Journeys” Paintings and Ceramics, Gallery 126, Armidale

2012 “Changing Moods” Paintings and Ceramics, Haydon Hall, Murrurundi

2011 “Still” Ceramics and Paintings, New England Regional Art Museum, Armidale

GROUP EXHIBITIONS....more recent

2021 New England Regional Art Museum, Armidale NSW. New England Landscapes

2020 Christmas Exhibition, Gallery 126, Armidale. NSW

2018 Ceramics and Paintings. Gallery 126, Armidale. NSW

2017 Parallax Art Fair, London UK

2017 Christmas Exhibition, Gallery 126, Armidale.

AWARDS

2021 Armidale Art Prize, Armidale Art Gallery, Armidale NSW Sculpture Section 1st Prize

2019 Armidale Art Prize, Armidale NSW – Painting Section - 1st Prize.

2018 Pro Hart Art Prize, Broken Hill - Finalist

2018 The Armidale Art Prize, Painting Section – First Prize

2017 The Armidale Art Prize, Sculpture Section – First Prize.

2015 Frost over Barraba, Packing Room Prize, Ceramics, Highly Commended Sculpture, Highly Commended

Pro art Art Prize, Broken Hill - Finalist

Muswellbrook Art Prize Finalist

2014 Norvill Art Prize – Winner. Murrurundi NSW

Norvill Art Prize - Finalist

Frost over Barraba – Winner - Open Art Section.

Frost over Barraba – Winner – Hand built Pottery

2013 Artavita 4th Contest (On line 759 entries) Santa Barbara CA Honorable Mention

Calleen Art Award, Cowra NSW – selected finalist

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CONTACT

(02) 6779 7534
annaghenderson@gmail.com

Fiona McDonald

Fiona McDonald

CREATIVE PRACTICE

Mixed media in two and three dimensions.
Drawing predominately in graphite or pen, painting in acrylic and sculpture in mixed media

ARTIST STATEMENT

Fiona draws inspiration for her work from stories. The process of drawing forms the story, and the end product will form yet another story. Fiona is intrigued by multiple layers of meaning in a work which artist and audience will build between them from their individual knowledge and experience.

BIO

Trained at Julian Ashton Art School (Sydney), where she studied painting, drawing and etching. She also studied painting and composition with Sydney-based artist Nigel Thomson.

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CONTACT

grannyfi1@hotmail.com

Sandy Flett

Sandy Flett

CREATIVE PRACTICE

Drawing and painting/ Children’s illustrator

ARTIST STATEMENT

I have loved cartooning, painting and drawing books and comics since I was a very young child, very much enraptured by cartoonists and illustrators like Charles Shultz, Quentin Blake and Sandra Boynton. It was a natural progression for me become a children’s book illustrator and author, creating my own world of characters.

I have had thrill of illustrating two middle grade children’s book series, Juno Jones by Kate Gordon, published by Yellow Brick Books, and the Edie’s Experiments series by Puffin Books, an imprint of Penguin Random House Australia. I also have a short story published in the Spooktacular Anthology, edited by Michelle Worthington, and am working on other books as an ‘authorstrator’ (author and illustrator).

I love all kinds of media, including gouache and pastels but by far, my favourite media are Indian ink, water colour and digital art (using my iPad Pro and Procreate). I really love messing around with loose lines and vivid colours both with the paint and ink, and digitally, often combing all three media. As I love illustrating for children and have strong memories of always wanting to “be a better artist”, I decided to create my own a children’s drawing channel on Youtube - Sandy Flett Kids Art School, to encourage children (and their parents or carers!) have a go at drawing and learn to draw new things, as well as showcase their own artworks.

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CONTACT

0408 932 120
flettsandy28@gmail.com

Kristin Devine

Kristin Devine

CREATIVE PRACTICE

Drawing and painting.
Works predominately in soft pastels on paper, and on occasion, watercolours and oils.

ARTIST STATEMENT

I am inspired first and foremost by the natural world and have a great love of all things flora and fauna. Exploring and recreating specimens visually, I believe, opens up a new level of understanding and appreciation for form and function in the natural environment and creates a strong foundation from which new ideas can develop. In this way, I enjoy producing work which blurs the boundaries between apparently disparate objects and concepts, examines familiar objects from unexpected angles, and allows for the creation of new worlds, objects and anatomically plausible, if fantastical, creatures.

I work in a range of areas including natural history illustration, children’s illustration and commissions, and in a variety of mediums including digital, however, my preferred medium is graphite. Increasingly, I am exploring the many possibilities of combining digital and traditional mediums.

BIO

Kristin Devine is an emerging artist and illustrator who lives in Armidale NSW, where she enjoys the region’s many spectacular national parks and unique ecosystems as sources of inspiration and subject matter for her work. She holds a Bachelor of Arts and a Graduate Diploma in Local, Family and Applied History from the University of New England and has a particular interest in the use of images as historical sources. Kristin is the illustrator of Jenny Blackford’s junior novel Fil and Harry (Christmas Press 2021), and winner of the 2019 NEWC Illustration Prize.

Education and training:

Bachelor of Arts, UNE, 2018

Graduate Diploma in Local, Family and Applied History, UNE 2019

Drawing Nature, Science and Culture: Natural History Illustration, University of Newcastle 2020

CONTACT

0434 611 269
kadevineillustration@gmail.com

Lucy Munro

Lucy Munro

CREATIVE PRACTICE

Writer, weaver, designer, digital media creator

ARTIST STATEMENT

Lucy Munro lives amongst the poplars and the pear trees in the rural highlands of Northern NSW; a pen in hand, and a cowboy and sausage dog by her side. She is deeply affected by the patterns, colours and changing faces of the landscape across the seasons, and her office is in a hilltop paddock with the cows. Lucy has an Honours in Graphic and Textile Design from UNSW and is currently studying a masters of writing.

BIO

Lucy graduated with Honours in Design (Graphics and Textiles) from UNSW in 2018, specialising in pattern creation and fibre weaving. She spent six months studying at the National Institute of Design in Ahmedabad, India during this time, and was exposed to the incredible world of colour and pattern that exists there. Her rug and fabric designs were selected by Master block printer, Sufiyan Khatri to be commissioned and printed at his studio in Bhuj. Lucy also interned with fibre artist Harriet Goodall in Robertson, learning intricate weaving techniques. Lucy worked at the online publication The Planthunter from 2017-2020, editing, creating digital content and penning essays, interviews and feature articles about the complexity of interactions between plants and people. In this role, she interviewed some of the best garden designers, creatives and thinkers from across Australia and the world, including Kate Cullity, Juan Grimm, Carolyn Robinson, Charles Massey, Lalage Snow and Alice Fox. She has also spoken on Radio National with David Astle and Casey Bennetto about some of these works. Lucy’s writing has appeared in Belle Magazine, The Planthunter, Smith Journal, New England Magazine, Art:Place exhibition, and most recently, amongst garden writer and historian Trisha Dixon’s book Spirit of the Garden, published by the National Library of Australia. Lucy is currently completing her Masters in Art (Writing) from the University of New England.

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CONTACT

lcmunro@gmail.com

Rosalie Rigby

Rosalie Rigby

CREATIVE PRACTICE

Visual Arts

I am a visual artist working as a painter. I also work with printmaking and ceramics.

ARTIST STATEMENT

My current work is abstract painting. These are non-objective, relating more to concepts than subjects in the world. I use geometric forms and linear elements. My work is process based. The work is the work. In terms of technique, I use paint on canvas or board. I am interested in layering and eliciting an ambiguity in reading the painting. My current work started with reflections from a trip to Ireland. There I was fascinated by the archaeology and more “modern” history as shown by remaining structures and images / written languages. I looked at the burial mounds, round forts and burial chambers. From this came reflections on the past as still being in the present and the strength of people’s belief systems. Layering became a device to reflect this.

BIO

Solo exhibitions

2021 Tamworth Regional Gallery, Tamworth

2019 Weswal Gallery, Tamworth

2017 Gallery 126, Armidale

2016 New England Regional Art Museum, Armidale

2009 Doggett Street Gallery, Brisbane

2009 Dubbo Regional Gallery, Dubbo

2007 Doggett Street Gallery, Brisbane

2001 New England Regional Art Museum, Armidale

1998 Focus Gallery, Tamworth

Two-person & three-person exhibitions

2015 Walcha Gallery of Art, Walcha

2014 Walcha Gallery of Art, Walcha

2012 Walcha Gallery of Art, Walcha

2009 GIG Gallery, Sydney

2006 Moree Gallery, Moree

2006 GIG Gallery, Sydney

2001 Moree Plains Regional Gallery, Moree

2000 Weswal Gallery, Tamworth

1996 New England Regional Art Gallery, Armidale

Group exhibitions

2019 Gallery 126, Armidale

2019 Gallery 126, Armidale

CONTACT

0427 608 332
rosrigby@gmail.com

Sophie Masson

Sophie Masson

CREATIVE PRACTICE

Literature

Award-winning and internationally-published author of over 70 books for children, young adults and adults. Also co-director of small locally-based publisher, Christmas Press.

ARTIST STATEMENT

I was born to be a writer, to tell stories. Born in Indonesia of French parents who are themselves of mixed ethnicity—Basque, Spanish, Portuguese and French-Canadian as well as French-- and brought up in France and Australia, all my childhood was a story of travelling between cultures, languages(I am still bilingual) and worlds. Stories have been vitally important to me for as long as I can remember, helping d me make sense of the world but also escape its confusions into a magical, immersive experience from which I’d emerge refreshed and inspired. I started to write my own from a very young age, and never really stopped! The magic, freedom and clarity of Story is still something I love and which I always put at the centre of my own work. I write across genres, often mixing them, and across age ranges, from picture books for the youngest listener through to middle grade fiction, young adult fiction and adult fiction. I’ve also written non-fiction on literary and publishing topics, as well as academic research papers around elements of creative practice. As co-director of small locally-based children’s books publisher Christmas Press, I bring my love of Story and industry experience into helping to bring to readers quality, beautiful and wide-ranging books by other authors and illustrators, and I love nurturing new talent through my work with the New England Writers’ Centre.
I’m available for talks, workshops, festivals and conferences, both in person and online: for details see www.sophiemassonpresents.com

BIO

Education:

B.A, M.Litt and PhD from the University of New England.

Awards:

AM award in the Order of Australia Honours list for significant service to literature, 2019

Patricia Wrightson Prize in the NSW Premier’s Literary Awards, 2011

Winner, Young Adult category, Aurealis Awards for Science Fiction and Fantasy, 2003

Numerous books shortlisted for major awards over the years..

Asia-Pacific Fellowship, Australia Council, 1995

Residencies:

Visiting Scholar, Children’s Literature Research Centre, University of Cambridge(UK) 2017

Keesing Studio Fellowship, Paris (Australia Council) 2010

Service in cultural organisations:

Current Chair of the New England Writers’ Centre

Current President of the Small Press Network

Current President of the New England and North West sub-branch of the Children’s Book Council of Australia, NSW branch.

Former Chair of the Australian Society of Authors.

CONTACT

https://firebirdfeathers.com/contact/
www.sophiemasson.org

Pastor & Purcell

Pastor & Purcell

CREATIVE PRACTICE

Music

Helena Pastor and Chris Purcell are a songwriting duo from Armidale and Uralla who love to create emotionally engaging songs that illuminate sensitive aspects of human life. The pair have been performing and writing together for the past six years and have an eclectic collection of songs. Before COVID-19, they regularly performed in Armidale, but they are now sharing their songs through online platforms to develop new audiences and broaden community engagement with the arts. Helena and Chris each bring specialised skills to their songwriting partnership. Helena’s background as a published author and postgraduate Creative Nonfiction scholar enables her to create quality lyrics that highlight the diversity and complexity of Regional lives; Chris’s experience in writing symphonic music (ballet scores/operas) and incidental music for theatre productions enables him to score for a variety of instrumental textures and voices. They are currently recording their catalogue of songs for an Arts project called ‘Stories in Song’ (funded by Arts North West and Regional Arts NSW).

CONTACT

0447 334 665
helenapastor2@gmail.com
chris.purcell@outlook.com
https://soundcloud.com/pastor_purcell

Michael Evans

Michael Evans

CREATIVE PRACTICE

Crafts, Visual Arts

Michael is a ceramic artist making wash basins, bowls, dishes, water features, vases and mugs. He specializes in crystalline glazes. He also holds classes for pottery students at Chaucer on Bridge Street gallery in Uralla.

ARTIST STATEMENT

Michael Evans is a ceramic artist with a passion for crystalline glazes which began when he lived near John Payne, a renowned thrower, in Robertson in the Southern Highlands of New South Wales.  With some advice from Evan Davis on firing cycles, and the refinement of glaze formulation, both Michael and John have achieved some spectacular results. Michael moved to Invergowrie in 2015 and has developed his studio at the family gallery, Chaucer on Bridge Street, in Uralla where his ceramic pieces are displayed and sold. He conducts popular pottery classes on Saturdays. He currently fires with electric kilns but has been building a gas kiln and has plans for a wood fired kiln as well.

BIO

Michael Evans grew up and was educated in Armidale. He became interested in ceramics while attending Duval High School. His interest developed further when he took a college night class under Mark Loving in Texas USA, where he had gone on a tennis scholarship.

Michael returned to Armidale to complete a B.A. Dip Ed. at the University of New England. He began his teaching career at Airds High School in Western Sydney and later was Head Teacher of the History Faculty at Kiera High School in Wollongong for a number of years.

While teaching he was also able to study with Cameron Williams at the National Art School in Sydney. With assistance from Neil Boughton, he became enthusiastic about the Raku process. With a Raku urn, he won the 2001 Open Ceramics Section at the Fisher’s Ghost Festival in Campbelltown. He has participated in a number of joint exhibitions at Chaucer on Bridge Street Gallery. In 2015 he returned to Armidale and is currently teaching at Guyra Central School. Michael and his wife Farzana, have one daughter.

CONTACT

0410 101 266
mevans29702@hotmail.com
www.evansgalleryuralla.com

Helen Evans

Helen Evans

CREATIVE PRACTICE

Crafts, Visual Arts

Helen makes textile pictures and tactile books for
children from a variety of fabrics

ARTIST STATEMENT

Helen Evans worked for many years as Director of Minimbah Preschool in Armidale and then as a teacher at Armidale campus of TAFE in the Early Childhood sector. During her time at TAFE, she became very interested in the power of storytelling in education. As a storyteller, she became well known and was beloved by children at many early childhood centres in Armidale and nearby areas where she told stories every week for 24 years. Helen used toys, puppets, natural materials, music and drama and involved the children actively in the storytelling. After completing a writing course from the Australian College of Journalism, she also began to write stories for children and to make tactile books to illustrate her works. In retirement, Helen continues to make tactile books for babies and busy books for preschoolers. Many of her books can be seen at the family gallery, Chaucer on Bridge Street, in Uralla.

CONTACT

0458 783 806
mhevans@tpg.com.au
www.helenevanswriter.com.au www.evansgalleryuralla.com
www.helenevans-storyteller.com

Fovndlings

Fovndlings

CREATIVE PRACTICE

Music

ARTIST STATEMENT

Fovndlings—who first formed in the gorge country east of Walcha NSW—have been working on their own lyrical form of cowpunk for the past five years. The band consists of Hugh Cook (drums), Steve Tafra (guitar and piano accordion), Tom Walsh (bass), Brendan Passey (guitar) and Adrian Walsh (guitar and vocals). Fovndlings write original music that explores themes of friendship, loss, landscape as lived on the ragged edges of our cities and provincial towns – reminiscent of the Australia evoked by bands like the Triffids. Their debut album, which was released late in 2019 and was produced in Norway by the Australian musician and producer Mark Axiak, showcases nine songs that merge poetry with driving beats. The album highlights the diverse influences on their musicianship and songwriting and includes anthemic songs such as Bitumen Roads, Old Mate, Hank Williams’ Funeral Sonnet and The Quiet Room, as well as the song with which they began their journey Going Home (The Great Dividing Range). They are currently working on new material with the songs One Road In, Her Son the Arsonist, The Epic and Talking Like a Coin. A video for The Arsonist is currently being finished by Sydney film-maker and musician Matt Syres. Look out for it when it hits the waves.

BIO

Fovndlings have been playing as a live band for over four years. We have played live in Melbourne, Sydney, festivals and, of course locally in Armidale, Uralla and Walcha. At the beginning of 2020—before the onset of the restrictions imposed by COVID—we played extensively, including a successful tour of Melbourne in which we played in the heart of the city at a range of venues., During that time, our album was featured on RRR and we were interviewed by Neil Rogers on his Australian Mood program. Songs from the debut album have been on rotation in various radio stations, most notably in Melbourne and Canberra. We are currently working on a new album which will build on the body of work created so far.

CONTACT

0429 686 285
fovndlings@gmail.com
https://fovndlings.bandcamp.com/

Dave Robinson

Dave Robinson

CREATIVE PRACTICE

Digital Media/Visual Arts

Photography of all kinds; landscape, the natural world, close ups, fine art, people and portraiture, families, weddings and functions. Just about anything and always happy to try something new.

ARTIST STATEMENT

I love photography. I love capturing moments in time, whether it be landscapes and nature or people just where they are at, right here right now. I love using my camera and lenses to isolate, to focus on, to highlight, to hone in on something from a scene or person that may not be evident to a casual observer. I love capturing people in candid moments where some of their true self can be glimpsed. I love trying to capture the real essence of someone, their moods, their feelings, who they really are and how they interact with those around them, their connections and connectivity. I love trying to create an image that allows the viewer to feel as if they are there, in that place, in that moment or part of what the people pictured are experiencing. I love capturing live music and often do so to help promote the artists performing and music in general. Always looking to see what catches my eye and how can I capture something that will mean something, appeal to someone, to move them in a world swamped and bombarded in billions of images everywhere. I love creative problem solving, “How can I capture this scene/person/occasion in this light, in this situation?” And then there is also, “What can I learn from this? How can I do it better? What’s next?”

BIO

I have a trades and engineering background, being an automotive mechanic running my own workshop in a small country town last century, where I learnt a lot about people and dealing with and connecting with them. I have a tendency towards perfectionism, doing whatever I do properly and to the best of my ability. I have been called ‘meticulous’. I have worked on the land and in shearing sheds, in offices and in customer service. Construction, carpentry and other skills I have also collected along the way. I am a father to five with the associated life experience that brings. I am self-taught in numerous skills, being fortunate to be able to turn my hands and eyes to just about anything. I came to photography 17 years ago as an outlet, then a hobby that became more serious, devouring just about anything I could read on the subject and trying a vast range of techniques to see what worked and didn’t work. Early on, I was mentored by a full-time professional who specialised in weddings and then branched out on my own. I have covered just about every genre of photography to some degree and learnt much along the way. My trades and technical background has enabled me to gain a good grasp of the technical aspects of photography and my life experience and being willing to experiment and learn has me more latterly trying to capture images that move or touch people or at least get them to take a second look. I continue to learn and hone the skills of my artform guided by my own curiosity and also my subjects and the world around me.

CONTACT

0435 171 509
dave@daverobinsonphotography.com
www.daverobinsonphotography.com

Brigitte Brummell

Brigitte Brummell

CREATIVE PRACTICE

Pottery and ceramics

ARTIST STATEMENT

For as long as I can remember I have craved and explored creative outlets in many forms and mediums. My most recent love affair and favourite so far is with pottery. I love the process of creating pieces for the home and garden that can be practical or purely decorative. I love how raw and organic pottery is in every aspect, from beginning to end. I love how deeply satisfying it is to share the creative practice and the finished pieces with others. Late nights at pottery have become a regular part of my life now and have allowed me to play, learn and truly enjoy the time I have with my hands in the clay..

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CONTACT

brig.spencer@hotmail.com
0431 056 177

Trudie Gough

Trudie Gough

CREATIVE PRACTICE

Chainmailling

Using fencing wire, craft wire, & a pair of pliers, I create a range of dark age inspired garments and jewellery. Out of the 19 different chaining practices I find Byzantine Weave and Sweetpea are fun to do, 4-1 is more versatile. I create and perfect my craft into pieces that I love. I welcome commissions.

ARTIST STATEMENT

I am Welsh with Anglo-Indian origins, raised in a gypsy inspired lifestyle. Origins alone should explain my passion for chaining, plus it was an easy to cart around. My inspiration is my historical link with my heritage. From the heaviest chain shirt, the neck chain, your trouser chain, to the piece on your finger, I find focus, passion and a creative mediative quality associated with the practice of chain mailing.
I sometimes believe I was born in the wrong century!

CONTACT

shantitru@hotmail.com
0413 032 353

Tony Grant

Tony Grant

CREATIVE PRACTICE

Digital media

When taking photos I strive to include elements which are relevant to the premise of the picture so that, as much as is possible, the picture speaks for itself. By careful choice of location, lens and composition, I try to only include what is desirable while excluding what is not. I always consider my subject in relation to its background and the quality of light that falls onto it.

For ambient light portraiture, I first look for the best light and then the background, only then do I place the subject. When shooting Landscapes I like a strong foreground element. Using a very wide lens and getting in close achieves this. I photograph many other subjects.

ARTIST STATEMENT

It was 1983 when I first peered through the lens of an SLR. I loved the way you could selectively focus on an object and isolate it from its surroundings. I fell in love with photography in that very first moment.

In 1986, employed as a Lab Technician and Printer in a photolab. I had access to a full colour lab as well as my own B&W darkroom. During this period, I devoured and inhaled photography, teaching myself the art of taking and producing pictures. By 1988 I was working as a press photographer. In the 1990s I went freelance. I am still learning the art.

BIO

I am self-taught. I have had over 30 years of photographic experience firstly as a Lab Technician and Printer, then a press photographer, and now a freelance photographer.

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CONTACT

tonygrantpix@gmail.com

Christopher Purcell

Christopher Purcell

CREATIVE PRACTICE

Music

Composer, Musician & Music Educator. Alongside my own creative pursuits, I have been involved with community music in Armidale since 1990. At the New England Conservatorium of Music, I have taught guitar to individual students for over a decade, directed the Armidale Youth Guitar Ensemble, and as part of my commitment to accessible music education, I have also directed a community choir for over twenty years.

ARTIST STATEMENT

I am a composer, musician and music educator from Invergowrie, NSW. As a composer, my main interest is in the marriage of words and music and I love the voice’s ability to express emotion in an immediate and intimate setting. Ongoing influences on my work include Baroque and classical music, show tune composers, folk melodies, pop writers such as Lennon and McCartney, and blues and rock & roll. My experience in writing symphonic music (ballet scores/operas) and incidental music for theatre productions enables me to score for a variety of instrumental textures and voices. In 2005 & 2006, I collaborated with librettist James Scanlon on ‘Phoenix: A Ballet With Songs’, which featured a symphony orchestra, a choir, vocal soloists and a dance troupe – and ‘Dunbar: A Folk Opera’, which featured six musicians, four soloists and a chorus. In 2014, I collaborated with playwright Ian Purcell on a work-in-progress music theatre piece ‘Urania or Love Conquers All: A Colonial Melodrama’, my composition incorporating a range of popular 19th century song styles. Since 2015, I have been collaborating with Armidale lyricist Helena Pastor and together we have created an eclectic collection of emotionally engaging songs that illuminate sensitive aspects of human life. We are currently recording this catalogue of songs as part of an Arts project called ‘Stories in Song’ (funded by Arts North West and Regional Arts NSW), collaborating with a number of different vocalists including mezzo-soprano Ruth Strutt, a Principal Artist with Opera Australia, and Georgie Chorley, a Jazz vocalist and musician from Bellingen.

BIO

Selected Compositions:
https://soundcloud.com/pastor_purcell

Theatre:

1997: Incidental music for Womb Loom by Dr. W. McDonald (Armidale).

1998: Incidental music for True Sex by Dr. W. McDonald (Armidale).

2003: Incidental music for Macbeth by W. Shakespeare (Armidale).

Other:

2006: 3 Serenades for 2 Guitars. Commissioned and recorded by Armidale classical guitar duo EphenStephen.

1980-2020: Approximately 200 songs in a wide range of genres.

Major Works:

2005: Phoenix - A Ballet With Songs. Libretto by Jim Scanlan. Staged in Armidale 2005.

2006: Dunbar - A Folk Opera. Libretto by J. Scanlan. Staged in Armidale 2006 & 2007, in Sydney 2007 and Uralla 2015.

2015: Urania: A melodrama with songs. Libretto by Ian Purcell.

2016: Lullaby and Lament - A Song Cycle. Lyrics by Helena Pastor. Performed in 2016 by Ruth Strutt in Armidale.

2018-2020: Work in progress, Tattoo Songs, Lyrics by Helena Pastor.

2018-2020: Miscellaneous songs, Lyrics by Helena Pastor.

CONTACT

chris.purcell@outlook.com
0428 625 685

Andrew Parker

Andrew Parker

CREATIVE PRACTICE/ARTIST STATEMENT

Visual Arts

My practice developed around ceramics, training and developing my skills initially in New Zealand before continuing further training and study in Australia prior to locating in Uralla in 1984. My work developed largely around functional and one off exhibition ware which sold in thriving gallery venues up and down the eastern sea board of Australia through the eighties and nineties. During this period I participated in many group and solo exhibitions in Australia and overseas in Indonesia, New Zealand, USA and Japan.

I took a break from my ceramics career in the late nineties to pursue interests in community and cultural development, returning to creative practice in recent years. On returning to creative practice, opportunities have afforded me licence to, on occasions, depart from conventional ceramic processes to explore unfired clay and seed in decomposing clay forms placed in nature and to depart completely from clay to work with sticks, building willow bowers. The later projects have informed a departure from my previous function focus to a more whimsical and sculptural path explored in a recent solo show in New Zealand.

Over the past year I have built a new studio and will resume my clay practice and offer classes from spring 2021.

BIO

I started my clay career in the mid seventies in New Zealand. I initially studied at the Otago Polytech School of Art and relocated to Australia in 1979 establishing a small studio in Sydney. I completed post graduate ceramics studies at East Sydney Tech (now the National Arts School).

In 1984 I relocated to Uralla and established a studio. In the late 80s I moved to my current location re-establishing another studio. I remained a full-time practitioner until the late 90s when I moved into arts administration and community development.

Qualifications include:

·       Certificate of Ceramics – Otago Polytech School of Art, Dunedin NZ

·       Post graduate diploma of ceramics – East Sydney Tech, Sydney NSW

·       Post graduate diploma of community cultural development – Community Arts Network of South Australia.

CONTACT

andrew.parker6@bigpond.com.au
0427 141 482

Adele Chapman-Burgess

Adele Chapman-Burgess

CREATIVE PRACTICE

Visual arts

To provide an awareness and interest to revive traditional values and cultural practices through workshops

ARTIST STATEMENT

I have always had an interest in art and I have been painting on and off all my life. My paintings are about my many journeys and the many hats I wear – it is my spiritual strength and learning more about my family connections to the places, we visit. My spirit has grown stronger and wiser over time (55 plus years) as I continue to gain more knowledge of my Aboriginal cultural heritage.

‘Connection to country is inherent, we are born to it, it is how we identify ourselves, and it is our family, our laws/lore, and our legacy’ …My art/weaving takes on many forms. I bring a modern expression to an ancient custom. Despite significant change and diversity, art retains an underlying unity of inspiration—the land and the peoples’ relationships with it. It is simultaneously connected to the past whilst engaged with the present. My art/weaving is engaging with the world through actions which are lively, positive, political, social and creative. I love the way tasks overlap with memories. I enjoy painting and weaving for healing, to feel good and to connect to my unique Aboriginal culture. My paintings and weaves are merely a new form incorporating the classic elements of Aboriginal Life. They state a person's relationship to those around them, to the land and to the Dreaming. They also represent a new context of interaction between Aboriginal and western societies – as a First Nation artist I need to be able to ‘walk in two worlds’, I need to be two ways strong, strong in traditional culture and strong in the new ways – contemporary ways.

Through modern art and the knowledge holder of cultural practices of weaving I am able to introduce and pass on my culture to my community and the world beyond. I am an artist who loves to use contemporary colours in my artworks and weaving. I love to share my cultural practices with friends and family it keeps my spirit strong to see the joy my art/weaving brings to them. I use a wide range of modern materials and techniques to create contemporary works of art. My inspiration comes from creation, the old people, the inner spirit, my family connections, my life journey and what makes me happy.

BIO

A proud Ngarrabul/Gamilaraay/Yuwaalaraay/Kooma yinaar from the New England area of NSW with 30 years in Aboriginal Education

EDUCATION

• Masters in Indigenous Language Education (MILE) University of Sydney • University of Sydney B.A.(Hons). Dip. Ed • University of Sydney. Assoc Dip (Early Child Care Studies

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

Creative Practice

• Partner in Quindalup Aboriginal Art and Photograph • Aboriginal Creative Workshops for schools and communities

Teaching

Current

• TAFE NSW Department of Education and Training – Glen Innes/Inverell

Aboriginal arts and Cultural Practices, Aboriginal Family & Kinship, Aboriginal Cultural Values, Aboriginal Art, History 1, Aboriginal Art History 2

Previous

• TAFE NSW Department of Education and Training - Aboriginal Health and Education • Emmaville Central School • Glen Innes High School • Glen Innes Public School • St. Josephs Convent School - Aboriginal Educational Aide (4 year)

EXHIBITIONS

Group Exhibitions

2018
New England Regional Art Museum, Armidale Myall Creek and Beyond

Aboriginal Cultural Centre and Keeping Place, Armidale Bulaar Yinaa’s Gimabi-li -Two Women to Make

2017
Inverell Art Gallery NAIDOC exhibition Our Languages Matter

Aboriginal Cultural Centre and Keeping Place, Armidale For the Love of Culture and Country

Inland Café, Tamworth Ngaya-gal Gimubi-Li -Our Mob Creates

2016
Aboriginal Cultural Centre and Keeping Place, Armidale Making Old Markings New

Art on the Corner, Glen Innes Recognition

COLLABORATIVE PROJECTS AND WORKSHOPS

2019
Artmaking and stallholder Lift Off! Festival of the Wind, Glen Innes

2015
Glen Innes Town Mural – working with students from the Glen Innes High School

COMMISSIONS

• Glen Innes Lands Services • Armidale Police Department • Inverell Child Care • Glen Innes Aussie Kindies • Glen Innes High School

CONTACT

0412 923 500