Christmas Greetings from all of us at Jayes Gallery!

It's been a fast paced and heady year till now! These last few weeks, everyone seems to be taking a deep breath just before the madness of the Christmas rush hits!

So if you have left your shopping till the last thing and you really want to make a big impression, then we have just the best range of individual gifts for you to impress with.

With a range of glass from Keith Rowe and Joe Shalhoub, from a neck piece to a plate to a full blown glass artwork, we have an amazing range!

We have recently added 2 regional potters to our stable, Cathy Saxby with whimsical works to make you smile and Loiuse Ranshaw with fabulous utility ware.

And our "Let's Celebrate Christmas" Exhibition is still on with an exciting range of affordable art from the Jayes stable!

We are celebrating every weekend with champagne and nibbles and a gift voucher for everyone who shops with us this year!

Here's a glimpse of Jayes Gallery and Sculpture Garden right now!

So join us in celebrating Christmas 2010! We look forward to continuing to bring you the best of the west throughout 2011!

Getting ready for Christmas at the Gallery!

Well, it's been an amazing year! Full of surprises and we don't know, but the year has just flown by here in Molong. With many new names in our stable, we are just bursting these days with art! All forms of art! Sculptures, pottery, glassware, jewellery and of course, paintings! Our calendar of solo shows were well attended throughout the year with most openings attracting up to 50 people.

We are thrilled with the response of the community to our shows and again we have filled our 2011 calendar with events, workshops and solo shows already! Just to recap...

Current show and such wonderful colours! Wanda Driscoll's works glow on the gallery walls. Her paintings have been inspired by her mid-year trip across the Tanami Desert in Central Australia. Wanda's freedom of brushwork and ability to use splashes to reference the desert landscape are central to her style and these works do not disappoint us. Once again, Wanda has risen to the demand of creating several works on a theme and her exhibition is well worth looking at! The show will finish on 14 November so hurry!

Along with Wanda, we have the photos of Janelle Bowler in Gallery 2. Janelle has a particular eye and her rural bits and pieces are very popular and well worth a visit. Two wonderful artists. 

Don't forget to pick up your calendar for 2011 when next in the gallery and we look forward to celebrating with you before Christmas! We are having champagne and nibbles each weekend from now till the end of year so come along and join the fun!

New additions to the gallery!

Jayes Gallery is pleased to announce that the works of potter Cathy Saxby are now available from the gallery shop. Cathy lives in Condobolin in the west of NSW and is an inspired and intriguing new artist. Her works are whimsical and different!

These wonderful small ceramic cups are called "Whimsies" and are a delight to behold! Cathy has brought us a smile or two as we unwrapped her works.

Her pit fired range of Raku pots created with fire and smoke are each produced lovingly and carefully with each displaying it's own intrinsic character and design. These will make a completely different and individual present for someone you would like to impress this Christmas!

We look forward to seeing you soon at Jayes in Molong.

The Spirit of Art!

Three wonderful shows opened last weekend at Jayes. Laughter was in the air as Spring sprung into being! This is the biggest show that Jayes has exhibited over recent years with over 36 new paintings and 50 sculptures, pots and 3D works for you to enjoy!

The sun is warmer here in Molong, the air is fresh and we are excited by the support of well known sculptors in this our 'first' ever "Sculpture in the Spring" show!

Jayes Gallery and Sculpture Gardens is like the Tardis of Dr Who fame! It justs gets bigger and bigger the further you go in! With our gallery shop at the front, then Gallery 2 and Gallery 1 and on out to the gardens, it's a wonderful way to while away a sunny afternoon. Have coffee next door, or grab a bite and sit in the gardens for a lazy and cultural afternoon.

Our monthly openings feature artist floor talks so you can get to know what inspires our artists first hand. Last Saturday evening, we were entertained by a wonderful glimpse into the life and work of Melissa Barber, well known for her celebrated "Poppy Series". Melissa explained where she was headed now that the Poppies are spent and life is taking her in a new direction.

Following on from melissa, Ada Clark, famous artist from Millthorpe talked about her travels overseas and the energies and inspiration for her series "The Spirit of Place". These delicate works feature the mosques and archways from her recent travels to the "Stans", Turkistan etc. Two portraits have captured the spirit of the women of the area and hold a special place in the exhibition. Other works from Ada feature the Australian bush land and are filled with strong colours and brush strokes in Ada's energetic  and abstracted style.

These are fabulous shows, so we look forward to seeing you soon! Exhibition ends October 10.

Libby and Hugh Oldham, Directors and Melissa Barber, Artist

Setting up for 3 new shows for Spring!

It's always interesting to get new works through the gallery and a changeover from one show to another. This time though, we have a number of sculptures appearing for our sculpture event. These 3D artworks are adding a new dimension everywhere we look. They sit nicely with the works of Watson in the main gallery and work well with the theme of her work. We particularly like this sculpture by Norman Organ set against the cool canvas inspired by grassfire.

Out in the garden, 'Glimpse of the Moon' and 'Glimpse of the Rising Sun' invite you to stop and caress the smooth marble and granite surfaces of these two flames of stone which stand like sentinels, silent, watching.

New works from lively and much admired artists, Ada Clark and Melissa Barber will open along with Sculptures in the Spring on Saturday 18 September at 6.30 pm.

But  hurry as these are the last of Melissa's Poppy paintings....

The latest exhibition of renowned Canowindra artist Melissa Barber celebrates the finale of the original celebrated Poppies Series that quickly became her trademark within the Central West and soon after came to Canberra’s attention in 2004 at the Aarwun Gallery. Deeply influenced by Japanese and Chinese art for their use of negative space versus detail, flat colour and strong use of golds and silvers, Barber’s portrayal of poppies reflects an aesthetically decorative, yet spiritually meditative response to nature. This final Poppies exhibition features recent works and new works from the series. It also includes works that  reflect the artistic development of the Poppies into the latest series Glisten.

We'll see you then!

Watson Show a triumph!

 

The recent exhibition at Jayes of Sally Watson's clear and pure colours, sculpted fields and formed roads, gentle works that are calm in essence. Watson told us in her floor talk how the burning of the summer fields around her bush home brought fear and tears when she returned from work last summer. Her house, although safe, was surrounded by black ash and burnt paddocks.

Her photos showed the underlying sculptural form of the burnt world, a world that she wasn't able to return to for a while and the grief that she felt when surveying the damage. But her works, which were created from this chaos, have nothing of the darkness that she herself felt or described. Watson worked through the emotional content of that summer fire through these refined drawings and paintings.

It was an excellent introduction that Sally gave us to her work that evening as she spoke quietly of the moments of her returning 'home' and 'homeless'. She gave us generously an insight to her work and the thoughts behind the marks she has now made, a memory inscribed in time.

The exhibition runs to 12 September and is a beautiful show. Hurry, you still have some time left before we bring you the next exhibition, which is quite different from this one.

The freshness of Spring comes to the gallery

Opening on election day, 21 August at 6.30 pm, two women artists bring us new fresh works that will inspire you as we approach Spring. 'Burnt Hills" by Sally Watson and "Wild Woods" by Judy Whitlock are beautiful pared down works of burnt hills, trees and sand dunes. All these works are delicate and intricate with a zen quality that quietens the mind and absorbs the senses.

After the hurley burley of the elections, this is a great show to bring you back to your peaceful heart and most inner self.

All are welcome to attend the opening and we invite you take some time out for yourself and visit the gallery. We are open Wednesday through to Sunday of each week from 10 am - 4 pm.

"Line and Link" - Digital artists challenge the 'way we see'!

Digital art is only just beginning to make its mark in the halls of art here in Australia. Whilst it has been an accepted arts practice in other countries, we are still lagging behind here in our understanding of how important this art form is. Whilst digital art is represented at biennales and art fairs around the globe, Australians still find it hard to comprehend the exact nature of the work attributing it to the computer rather than to the operator artist who has found a new set of tools with which to create.


To take a look at the show, click here!

The two artists in this exhibition, Jolanta Nejman and Phil Salmon have however, been working within computer technology now for over 25 years and so have great skills that can translate now into beautiful and compelling artworks in the new media. They have taken graphic software and pushed it to its limits to produce images of great complexity and sophistication.

Phil shows the ability to push a photographic image to the limit where it crosses the boundary and becomes an artwork whilst Jolanta layers intricate images and develops stylised pictures that stretch our mind.

More....

Two women woo our hearts!

The opening of exhibitions by two very feminine artists, Lara Scolari and Jocelyn Moles was a resounding success. Lara spoke of her work in her inimitable style of waving her arms energetically while speaking brightly of female emotions and passions. Jocelyn also gave a floor talk although from a quieter perspective as is also shown in her work.

One artist is larger than life itself with abundant energy that pours out of her and into the bright bold energetic and large works on display, the other has developed her theme in tiny fragments of iconography and gilt that glow from gold frames in the smaller gallery - both are strong artists who have given a lot of thought to their respective works and painted from the well spring within.

There were over 60 people at the opening and many works were quickly sold on the night which is a testament to how valuable the insights of these two artists are. Some collectors were disappointed as their chosen works sold before they had a chance to get a red dot on them!

The night rolled on into the cafe next door and out into the sculpture garden. It was a heady night, successful for all.

“Occuló” & "Insomnia" - 18 June to 11 July

Lara Scolari and Jocelyn Moles

Two new and emerging artists

Opens Friday 18 June 2010 at 6.30 pm

"Assured" by Lara Scolari

"Insomnia" by Jocelyn Moles

This exhibition by two new and emerging artists will open in Gallery 1 and Gallery 2 on Friday evening with a floor talk from each of the artists. You are invited to join us for the opening.

Further explanation of the works can be found online in our press room.

The opening will be followed with a dinner in Jayes Cafe so should you wish to join the artists for dinner, please book your place by phoning 02 6366 8810.

We look forward to seeing you on the night!

"Of Birds and Things!" by Peter Mortimore and more...... 15 May - 13 June

15 May – 13 June - Peter Mortimore's “Of birds & things”

Often a finishing touch to a painting can involve placing a bird in just the right position.  Be it a white cockatoo on the wing. To place a splash of white against storm clouds.  A bright coloured parrot to add life to an area of a work.  It can also be simply painting silhouettes on the wing to take the loneliness out of an empty sky.

When working in the studio, I constantly have the sounds of sparrows, silvereyes and blue wrens, chattering away in the undergrowth and shrubs in the garden outside.  A glance out of the window always brings an encounter with a bird of some description.

I do wonder whether in our busy lives we are actually aware of their presence.  I started some paintings and drawings of birds last year, so when the invitation was forthcoming to be a part of this exhibition, the theme of birds came to mind.  I actually started painting horses and birds right at the beginning when first showing my work.

This body of work will be made up of works of many mediums, watercolour, acrylic, oil, mixed media collage, pencil/graphite drawings and etchings.

I intend it to be a visual celebration of these creatures who are ever present in our daily lives, whether we are aware of them or not.

Rebecca McGirr  “The Language of Autumn”

Studying art at school, I am constantly bombarded by the language or interpretation of works of art rather than reflecting on its physical presence.

As this exhibition is held in the last month of autumn, autumn became a theme for the exhibition.  Yet while coming up with ideas, even the word Autumn, which in its dictionary meaning is one of the four seasons, has become a symbol or language of its own with an immediate reference to colour.  Winter=cold, Spring=flowers, Summer=sun and heat, but Autumn=a Cascade of colour.

Birds are busy in autumn collecting berries; butterflies are busy finding a mate to reproduce so the young develop through winter to hatch in spring.  Butterflies seem to be far more present in autumn than any time of the year.  Autumn is a vibrant time of the year as life prepares for the bleakness of the winter months.

My work will of course be filed with the colours of autumn, but juxtaposed images of birds, butterflies and other objects of this wonderful season.

I will work in acrylic, oil, mixed media collage and etchings.

My aim is to have every painting possess a life of its own but with the colours blending in like fallen leaves upon the cooling ground. ‘’Autumn is the language of colour, colour is the language of Autumn’’

"PRIVATE COLLECTION" - 16 APRIL AT 6.30 PM

We are very excited at being able to bring to Jayes Gallery, a collection of fine artworks from private collections for sale for one month only and exclusive to our gallery.

This show will be a heart stopper with some works well over 100 years old. Some of the works made their way by ship to Australia when we were just a colony. One work by John Absolon , British watercolourist, painted in the late 1800's would have been brought over by his son, John de Mansield Absolon who took care of the families shipping interests.

Another outstanding piece is a fine example of Ukiyo-e from Japan. This early woodblock on fine Japanese silk paper is over 100 years old.

This work is an early study for a European Master. The signature is hard to make out so it is a bit of a mystery but still a fine work of art and a beautiful example of what can be found still today on that rare occasion that collectors release their works for sale. This work was purchased from a convent at Perthville some 35 years ago by the collector.

Many of the works are in their original frames and haven't been changed so the patina of age is with them. These are stunning works that would make a statement in heritage houses or homes of antique collectors and discerning buyers.

There is more about this show in our Press Room .

"Where the Heart Is" - Exhibition by Josephine Jagger-Manners

Josephine Jagger-Manners is a multi-award winning restaurateur and wife of the celebrated Michael Manners. Having retired as a restaurateur, and from the highly acclaimed Selkirks Restaurant, in 2007, Josephine is now able to pursue a life long desire to paint pictures. Self-taught, Josephine enjoys painting what she sees as snippets of country life and domesticity.

Josephine’s first exhibition at her home in Molong NSW in 2009 was a great success. Viewers responded enthusiastically to her whimsical take on everyday life at home and in the garden. Josephine’s use of colour is always vibrant and reflects her lifestyle. For Josephine at present spending time painting from her home, surrounded by her large and prolific garden, truly is for her “Where the Heart Is!”

Although Josephine is a new artist coming to her passion late in life, she has had a fair grounding in art early. Josephine won a scholarship to attend the selective girl’s school in Hartlepool N E England. Art became her major subject and she achieved 98% for Art/Art History in her GCE Exam (top 1% in Britain). Josephine remembers being influenced at that time by Turner, Cezanne and Gaughin. 


We look forward to meeting you on the day! Libby - Director

Exhibition opening a huge success!

more photos 

"The Eye of the Eagle" opened to a large crowd last night at Jayes in Molong. Joy gave a floor talk to explain the thoughts behind many of the works which have focussed on climate change over recent years. Her works vary from small vignettes through to large canvases, with bright and coloured landscapes inspired by the outback.

It's not too late to catch the show as it goes to March 7. We invite you to come and enjoy this thought provoking exhibition.

Joy with Robert and Lorna Stephens of Aarwun Gallery, Canberra

for more

"The Eye of the Eagle" Exhibition by Joy Engelman

Climate Change impacts an artist’s vision!

Life couldn’t be hotter than it has been in Joy Engelman’s studio recently. Not only has Joy had the hottest summer on records beating down through the walls of the studio and making the air muggy, but the theme for her new artworks are also painted in the hottest of colours as she grapples with the ideas of climate change, desert landscapes and the outback.

Joy has spent several hours of her life staring from the windows of planes as her various trips have taken her high over the Australian desert and the exposed and extreme forms that make up this amazing and colourful place. The colours and abstract patterns have embedded themselves in her psyche and she calls on these time and time again to paint the place that she often calls “This Sacred Place”. Added to these experiences, her journeys into the desert regions to photograph and document at close range, have all left their impact. 

This new exhibition “The Eye of the Eagle” demonstrates this artist’s ability to capture and map out the outback from an aerial perspective through the laying down of washes and glazes, salts and inks in an abstract fashion with mixed media. Joy takes inspiration from the ancient landforms and a country that is the oldest on earth.

Joy states “I wanted to explore the way an eagle sees the landscape from 600 metres or more above. When reading eagle vision, I was amazed to learn that eagles have penta-chromatic vision. This gives them the ability to also see colours in the infra-red and ultra-violet ranges. They see less green than us and far more colour. This is more like the way I see for I am far more aware of colour than a lot of other people seem to be and so I felt quite at home working this way.”

Engelman believes we can all learn from this land if we take the time to look at the geology of the place and understand the forces over time that has formed the land. We might even come to terms with climate change and know that these forces that play a big part in our lives currently, have happened many times before.

Her strong works can form a warning to us in these hotter days or they can be seen as highly colourful abstracts that have a strong Australian flavour.

The exhibition runs from 5 February through to 7 March at Jayes Gallery, 31-33 Gidley Street, Molong in Central NSW.

Further details can be obtained from: Gallery Director - Libby Oldham on 0263669093 or Artist – Joy Engelman on 0427618953