Natural Abstractions Opening

My heart is bursting with joy. Natural Abstractions, my solo exhibition, opened yesterday and I was joined by a multitude of friends  and followers to celebrate the occasion. Thank you to everyone who attended in person and in spirit. I positively floated through the day on your good vibes. I intentionally focussed on meeting and greeting as many people as possible – taking installation photos is for another day. Neverthless here are some images that convey something of the exhibition.

A video overview taken by the Laundry King gives you an idea of the relative scale of the various works. In addition to the 52, 6x6in/15x15cm textile sketches from my Weekly Art Project, there are 19 larger textile paintings. All works are for sale.

Here is proof that I was actually there too!

At 120x222cm (HxW), Abundance is the largest work in the exhibition – that’s a whopping 118 times the size of the Native Fuchsia textile sketch. From a technical, engineering perspective, it was challenging to piece and stitch such a large and heavy work on my domestic machine, especially after I pulled a back muscle coughing with a wretched cold. It waves a little but this complements the dancing fluted form of the fuchsias. (And I am slowly learning how to spell fuchsia correctly!)

The four row array of framed weekly art project Copa Abstractions textile sketches created an installation in and of itself. The sketches are hung in order of completion, row by row, left to right. I was thrilled to see viewers closely engaging with the work and discussing which ones caught their eyes. My first batch of catalogues arrived just in time for the opening. Order online or purchase at the gallery.

The array of red dots is cause for celebration too. Each work is priced at A$90 (excluding postage). Contact the gallery to arrange your purchase (612 4304 7550 or gallery@centralcoast.nsw.gov.au). I will endeavour to keep track of sales over on my Shop page but please check with the gallery for current status.

The third wall in the gallery space features 6 works in my Botanica series, four of which are on display for the first time. Clockwise from the top: Blossom!( 50x50cm), Karkalla (90x90cm), Flourish! (90x90cm), Bloom! (87x88cm), Persist! (91x89cm) and Resilience (50x50cm).

The remaining wall features a selection of works grouped by series. From the Marine series are Kelp Pods (106x84cm), Kelp Forest (54x58cm) and Neptune’s Necklace #2 (40x40cm).

Flying Colours:  Blue Mallee Ringneck (94x38cm),  Budgied Uncaged (125x125cm), Shake a Tailfeather-Kookaburras (62x84cm), Crimson Rosella (40x40cm), Lorikeet Circus (30x30cm – mounted on canvas) and King Parrot (30x30cm – mounted on canvas SOLD)

And the exhibition wraps up with Blue Delphiniums (89x98cm), High Country Lupins #5 (80×143) and a new textile painting Thrive!  (106x113cm). As I was working on my Weekly Art Project, Rachaeldaisy provided such encouraging comments on my Instagram account along the way, and generally brightens up the world with her infectious joyful spirit, so I was overjoyed when she agreed to open my exhibition. Her speech was incredibly warm and thoughtful. Here’s her conclusion, I couldn’t have put it better myself:

…following Brenda’s Copa Abstraction journey on social media a joy. It was fun to see what had caught her eye each week, and how she had interpreted the subject in fabric. As the weeks progressed I found I began to look at the world around me with fresh eyes,  admiring the dancing curves of the bromeliad flowers, the flash of colours as birds flew by, the simple shapes of banksias and other flowers.

So it’s my hope that, in turn, you all take inspiration from this exhibition with you as you go into the outside world. When you next go for a walk and or stop to admire a flower or a beautiful scene, think for a moment how would Brenda see it.

In addition to sharing a love of textiles and nature, Rachael and I both have exuberant hair and know how to rock a frock.

The Rainbow Jelly Square Delights (recipe here) and artfully iced gingerbread (Rachelle Denneny’s recipe) were a big hit and added to the festive atmosphere:I look forward to 11am Tuesday, 23 January when I present my artist talk Driven to Abstraction. In the meantime, if you are planning a trip to the gallery, let me know I and I might be able to meet you there!

PS: For another perspective on the opening, read Rachaeldaisy’s blog post.

Natural Abstractions

13 January – 14 February 2018
Gosford Regional Gallery: open daily 10am-4pm
Free admission – All welcome!

Artist Lecture: Driven to Abstraction: 11am Tuesday 23 January
RSVP: +612 4304 7550 or gallery@centralcoast.nsw.gov.au