Wednesday, September 22, 2010

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

Wednesday, September 8, 2010

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!

Wednesday, September 1, 2010

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.