Stu Carpenter

Stu Carpenter

CREATIVE PRACTICE

Visual artist (traditional and digital), and amateur illustrator.

ARTIST STATEMENT

I like to chalk my reasons for doing what I do down to my disabilities, mostly because I think it’s funny. But in truth, it’s also precisely what has been one of my most consistent sources of inspiration and motivation.

When you’re autistic (if you ever decide to try it out), you often feel as though you’re looking in from the outside. As if there is always a thin gossamer film between yourself and everything else in life. It’s this point of view that I owe a lot of my inspiration to, and it’s given me a unique outlook to work from. Art has been one of my most reliable forms of expression, and I love trying to depict the indescribable sentiments and experiences in life through visual storytelling and abstraction of the mundane.

More recently, as I've been taking on commissioned work, I’ve been working at developing my illustrative style and character design as well.

BIO

Work experience at NIDA, and Armchair Productions (formerly The Magnificent Itch) animation studio in Sydney. (2017)

CONTACT

0459 511 222
stucarpstew@gmail.com

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Anne Bell/Anne Knight

Anne Bell (writer/poetry); Anne Knight (visual arts)

CREATIVE PRACTICE

Writing, poetry and visual arts.

ARTIST STATEMENT

Anne suspects that both writing and visual arts are a compulsive form of communication (even if she is only talking to herself!). She prefers to portray wonders rather than woes in both mediums, and values the remarkable wonder of individuality. "I went mushrooming over the hill on a morning clear as thrushes' song. I brought my bucket back empty, but my five senses were filled to the brim by the overflowing day."

Anne Bell: Has published various journals and some 30 anthologies. She began writing for The School Magazine (Department of Education) when her own children where young, and has happily continued. She has twice won the Henry Lawson Award and her book "Muster me a Song" was short-listed for the Premier's Prize and a CBA Notable Book. Commissions include "Corrugations", a poem for an artist's book with lino-cuts by Kate Clemson (UK) - with a copy in the National Library, Canberra, and libraries elsewhere. Anne Knight: Has exhibited widely throughout the north and northwest of NSW and elsewhere, including mixed exhibitions, group and two-person exhibitions with Pat Rowley. Her solo exhibitions have included exhibitions at Crisp Galleries (Yass). She has work in Artbank, Gunnedah, Somerset (UK) and various private collections, including a commission for Grace Brothers. She has conducted various workshops and tech classes and worked with Katie Clemson in the UK and Pat Rowley at Gunnedah. Her awards include Best in Show at Frost Over Barraba, the North-West Art Prize and Works on Paper, Narrabri. She is eternally grateful to Enid Dickson and Joy Ewart, inspired teachers during her school years.

CONTACT

bellknight@westnet.com
6742 1693

Brittany Riley

Brittany Riley

CREATIVE PRACTICE

Author, writer, poet

ARTIST STATEMENT

Brittany is a homegrown Gunnedah girl with a passion for writing and the arts. She self-published her debut YA urban fantasy novel, Enchantment, in the U.S in 2016 at just twenty-two. Amongst writing the other books in the series, she's working on a number of other creative projects and is studying writing and screenwriting through the University of New England. When she's not in front of her computer screen, she's drinking coffee or admiring her beautiful cats.

CONTACT

Brittany.riley19@hotmail.com
0467 869 184

Jade Punch

Jade Punch

CREATIVE PRACTICE

Watercolour, acrylic, mixed medium, sustainable art (waste art)

ARTIST STATEMENT

Jade Punch is a vibrant and versatile artist who loves a challenge. Her own business, Jade Punch Art, showcases her work in a variety of mediums from watercolour to oils, and printmaking to collage. You might enjoy her work on a traditional canvas, or on less traditional objects such as "found" items, creating something beautiful out of something that has been discarded. Jade enjoys sharing her knowledge through art workshops for children, teaching beginners knowledge, or running specially designed classes such as collaborative book making and mixed medium. She held the position of Vice-President of Arts Gunnedah in 2018 and 2019, and brightens the lives of Gunnedah people by gifting them with artworks.

BIO

Jade's work has won recognition at the Gunnedah Show and in Gunnedah's Annual Art and Ceramics Exhibition, as well as the 2017 Biannual Waste Into Art Exhibition. She participated in the planning and execution of the first annual Gunnedah Collective Carnival Day in 2017, encouraging community participation in a collective artwork. Jade is known for her bright and bubbly personality as well as her artworks, and is a keen supporter of community art.

CONTACT

jadepunchart@gmail.com
0422 170 476

Shirley Urquhart

Shirley Urquhart

CREATIVE PRACTICE

Watercolour artist and printmaker.

ARTIST STATEMENT

Relatively new as an art practitioner, I began watercolour lessons 16 years ago. Realising this was a difficult medium to master, I had always admired the glow, freshness and spontaneity of watercolour painting. Immediately, I took advantage of Winter and Summer Art schools held at Charles Sturt University in Bathurst and participated in, and was inspired by, workshops conducted by some of Australia’s leading watercolourists as well as international artists. My inspiration for painting landscapes is taken from the local environment, using strong colour and tone and a variety of subject matter and technique, dry brush and wet into wet. Still lifes and Interiors, featuring red chairs, are fun subjects and I enjoy the challenge of creating eye-catching compositions. I have endeavoured to pass on my love of watercolour in the district by conducting Saturday classes over many years and have also been asked to conduct workshops in neighbouring areas. I am now exploring and learning all the different approaches to printmaking with its endless creative possibilities. I have attended printmaking workshops to improve my skills and share these skills one day a month in the studio room at the Creative Art Centre Gunnedah for those who wish to learn printmaking. I have participated, successfully, in local shows and art exhibitions and have been fortunate to win many ribbons and awards. I have demonstrated at some of these exhibitions, and been asked to judge. I organise many workshops with professional artists in all mediums for our local community to provide instruction, encouragement, and inspiration, and help the artists build on their skills.

Shirley has attended Winter and Summer Art schools held at Charles Sturt University in Bathurst, various workshops. Shirley has won a number of awards and ribbons at Shows and Exhibitions, and has also been invited to judge shows.

CONTACT

s.urquhart28@hotmail.com
0407 945 123

JMB Metal Art

JMB Metal Art

CREATIVE PRACTICE

Metal Art using plasma cutting and welding.

ARTIST STATEMENT

Ness Bemet is a self-taught metal artist who uses the plasma cut technique to create artworks out of "found" metal. She describes metal art as similar to drawing but using air and an electric arch. Her art includes both her own designs and custom work, and she is passionate about crafting discarded metals into new and creative objects.

BIO

Ness Bemet completed a welding course at TAFE about 20 years ago that helped spark her creativity with metal.

CONTACT

jmbmetalart@gmail.com
0458 522 599

Anthony Blake

Anthony Blake

CREATIVE PRACTICE

Tony is a creative artist working with watercolour, acrylics, alcohol ink, acrylic ink , tiles and glass on a wide variety of media. His style is “Impressionistic” interpretations of various themes and subjects.

ARTIST STATEMENT

Tony was a late starter in the art world. At the age of 78, he decided to explore

a lifelong urge to be creative and to see if there was any underlying talent within. He started watercolour painting under Shirley Urquhart, attended a number of workshops and met weekly with a group of like-minded artists under the guidance of Helen Stanley experimenting with various media and techniques. His overall style is colourful “impressionistic” interpretations of whatever subject or theme presents. He has become enthralled in working with alcohol inks, largely self-taught and forever learning, and particularly likes the strong, vivid colours and the unpredictable results that come from working with this very difficult medium. As well as paintings, he produces a range of artifacts such as coasters, coloured glass pendants and mirrors. Tony enjoys the challenge of experimenting with various media in different formats.

Tony has had no formal art training, but has benefitted from informal classes. He learns a lot from following Pinterest online. Tony has exhibited regularly at the Arts Gunnedah Gallery, the Work of Art Gallery, Gunnedah, and the Gunnedah Show Society Art exhibition. His works have been commended on a number of occasions and he has sold a number of works and artifacts.

CONTACT

antblake@bigpond.net.au
0428 426 867

Kristie Farquhar

Kristie Farquhar

CREATIVE PRACTICE

Painter, printmaker, and illustrator

ARTIST STATEMENT

My aim is to make a connection. I want to tell a story, arouse an interest, a feeling, a memory, or simply a sense of pleasure and charm. I certainly create for my own enjoyment but hope to pass the feeling and energy of a piece on to the viewer. Watercolour, drawing, and printmaking are predominantly the areas I work in. Each for different reasons although loved equally. Watercolour for its unpredictability and “life”. It can be a challenging medium and there are many techniques involved, but this is precisely why I enjoy it so much. Drawing or just mark making is something I have loved since childhood. Ink, pen, pencil, charcoal, pastel, I enjoy it all. I was introduced to printmaking many years ago by one of Australia’s great printmakers, Bernhardine Mueller. Working mainly on collagraphs and intaglio plates, I find the process of printmaking captivating. The exactness, the time invested to get it “just right” and the excitement of revealing a piece after running it through the press after many proofs. You need patience to be a printmaker. My inspiration can come from a view, object, poetry, songs, even a split-second glance at something, as I am driving, that may ruminate in my mind for weeks before I can translate it in 2D in some way. Obviously, residing in Gunnedah, I love the country. Nature in its many forms is a constant source of delight, whether it be a large landscape or a tiny wildflower. Creating memories of a view, a property, the family homestead, or similar meaningful scene is a rewarding part of the creative process.

CONTACT

kristiefarquhar@gmail.com
0417 421 507