Gloucester Arts and Cultural Council Inc

Habitat is presented by ec0centric, a collaborative group comprising five female artists from the Wallamba area of the Mid North Coast. Living mostly on acreage in rural settings, they are inspired by the beauty and diversity of the Australian landscape.    They are passionate about the environment and greatly concerned at the effects of natural disasters, climate change, pollution, human intervention, carelessness and ignorance that sees our valuable and irreplaceable flora and fauna threatened or facing extinction, often by the ongoing destruction of their habitats. Through drought, fire, flood and now the ubiquitous COVID-19, connecting more positively with our environment, each other and our imagination has become essential.    Via their diverse art-making, they seek to highlight the beauty, magic and spirit of the natural world that surrounds us, and to bring greater awareness and sense of urgency to our community for the need to protect its delicate balance. There is also the sense that what we do now is what we leave for future generations. Preserving our Habitat is a vital part of this process of legacy, and the emphasis of this exhibition.

A joint exhibition by Fred Bullen and Roger Speaight whose works are inspired by a common deep love of nature and the vast beauty of our local environment. Fred’s paintings, sculptures and framed prints encompass many different mediums. They feature a great diversity of subjects which reflect his broad, imaginative, artistic talent. Roger’s translucent watercolour landscapes capture the drama and atmosphere of our country in a contemporary realistic style. They are emotive and powerful in their simplicity.

This is a celebration of all the wonderful things that people in country towns like Gloucester believe in and do wholeheartedly. We are so lucky to live here during recent and current difficult times (drought, bushfires and pandemic).  Have a look at local events as you’ve never seen them before – such as cattle sales, farmers’ markets, bowls, kid’s soccer, open gardens, train repairs, feeding horses, having a cuppa downtown or simply a visit to the local “tip”. John has lovingly painted local identities as caricatures where body language defines their presentation, and cars utes and motorbikes have their own quirky personalities. John has had much success with his traditional and semi-abstract landscapes and is renowned for his wonderful representations of trees. He has been acknowledged with a HC by Lloyd Rees at the Festival of Fishers Ghost, won the Camden Haven Bicentenary Art Prize and exhibits every couple of years in between farm duties and bowls events. In this exhibition, he has made a radical change, but his love of country still shines through. Rachel has a passion for the country and creates beautiful art works in various media to reflect this love of country ways and the pace of country days. She has used composite photoart images to create double exposures of historic buildings juxtaposed on peaceful rural views. This reflects her journey through life from rural United Kingdom, through the fast pace of advertising and exhibiting in Sydney, and happily back to the peace of the country near Gloucester. More recently her artistic endeavours have flourished into acrylic painting, charcoal and ink drawings and printmaking.  Rachel states that the inspiration for this exhibition are her surroundings – the rural landscape and an enviable lifestyle that one encounters in Gloucester, or remembers from the past.

The show will go on!  Please note the new dates.     The gallery will be open on Monday, 29 March and Tuesday 30 March.  Everyone is welcome.  Entry is free.     The Circle is comprised of six female artists. The name symbolises the creative enjoyment that comes from putting their very different works together to experience their flow from one to another. They met as a group some years ago and now have moved on to regularly exhibiting together. Some reach for the ethereal or the transcendent, others’ work is dark and moody, and still others express themselves on an emotional level through quirky humour or the colour and rhythm evident in their work. In this exhibition, Debra Ansell splashes gorgeous colours about and her compositions are an indication of the lively and very individual person she is.   Dorothy Compton is an established Hunter Valley artist and art teacher whose wonderful work demonstrates her experience and skill. Dorothy plays with light and reflections in the landscape and has myriad expressions of her travels around Australia to explore in her painting.   Clare Felton is an experimental painter who likes to play with paint and allow the composition, shapes, lights and darks to emerge. In this exhibition, she presents oil on canvas and develops a love of the square format in landscape.   Judith Hill has continued to explore her mark making in her current paintings in a multitude of colours and patterns, always pushing the limits of imagination and an uncanny knowledge of being that little bit different as an oil painter.   Maryanne Ireland’s work varies from the ‘almost not there’ as she places feather light touches of pastel or charcoal on paper, to monochrome indoor scenes and colour and composition that are utterly reduced to the necessary. In these ways she produces an uncommon beauty of effect that gives us pause as we look.   Jacqui Immens McCoy is an artist with a singular style that shows in every piece of work she undertakes. Her work often speaks of finding the beauty in domesticity.  She always manages to present a quirky and lovable set of works that sing with their colour and vibrance.    If The Circle has a theme in this exhibition, it’s the undeniable pleasure its members take in making and presenting art for public display. If their work brings pleasure to the viewer, that’s a bonus that bodes well for their continued interaction as a group. The Circle is delighted to be in Gloucester and its members look forward to meeting locals and discussing their art.

Ebony Bennett is a wildlife and landscape artist. Painting in oils, she captures the light and colours of the Australian landscape and environments. Her focus is to depict the birds with life, colour and character. The large scale portrait works enable Ebony to bring their personalities to the forefront and her habitat works give her the chance to capture the subjects in their environment showing them interacting with each other or having a quiet moment.    This exhibition 'Larger than Life' brings together a suite of artworks in which she is able to express her love of nature and her desire to capture it on canvas.

Local artist, Christopher Steele, presents a compilation of abstract artwork which he has constructed using the female archetypes as a basis for this body of work.   Christopher combines drawing, painting and digital media employing ambiguous images in which the viewer is left with freedom to interpret, ironically, through their OWN INTROSPECTION. Throughout his work, the viewer can see the relevance of colour and other elements, the artist has woven into his artworks.   Christopher’s choice of colour and ambiguous forms in the imagery allows the viewer the ability to run with their imagination in an infinite number of personal directions.

RYAN ANDREW LEE - Artist Statement 'Wonnarua' is a contemplative moving image installation work that aims to provoke discussion around themes of Indigenous ways of living in juxtaposition with Western Settler-state system's unsustainable, damaging ways of using stolen lands. In today's current global state of environmental (and cultural, communal and spiritual) emergency, the need to embrace traditional Indigenous knowledge is now more crucial than ever before. The traditional custodians of these lands have sustainably looked after country for 90,000+ years, yet in the short 251 years since European arrival these lands have been abused and sold for profit while First Peoples and culture along with their vast knowledge for country and sustainable land management methods have been suppressed and put to the side.  The video diptych juxtaposes living portraits of five Aboriginal people from the Wonnarua Nation with drone shots of the vast Muswellbrook coal mines, which are situated in the heart of the Wonnarua Nation. The frame in which the video work sits is an 1820's antique Victorian era influenced design which correlates with the exact time period that European settlers first reached Muswellbrook, Wonnarua Country.  The symbolic frame also metaphorically acknowledges the paradox of living in and between the two worlds and addresses a subtle hypocrisy; the act of critiquing Western systems although at the same time living and breathing them.  This work advocates for inquiry into the events, and resulting cultural, environmental and spiritual impacts that have taken place in this country since colonisation began in Australia. The work is a push for cultural embracement, reconciliation, and change; for government and corporate systems to stop, listen, learn and implement the vast knowledge of First Nations people in the re-thinking of today's current systems that are clearly not working, in order for everyone to move forward inclusively, together as one.   RYAN ANDREW LEE - Artist Statement 'Wonnarua' is a contemplative moving image installation work that aims to provoke discussion around themes of Indigenous ways of living in juxtaposition with Western Settler-state system's unsustainable, damaging ways of using stolen lands. In today's current global state of environmental (and cultural, communal and spiritual) emergency, the need to embrace traditional Indigenous knowledge is now more crucial than ever before. The traditional custodians of these lands have sustainably looked after country for 90,000+ years, yet in the short 251 years since European arrival these lands have been abused and sold for profit while First Peoples and culture along with their vast knowledge for country and sustainable land management methods have been suppressed and put to the side.  The video diptych juxtaposes living portraits of five Aboriginal people from the Wonnarua Nation with drone shots of the vast Muswellbrook coal mines, which are situated in the heart of the Wonnarua Nation. The frame in which the video work sits is an 1820's antique Victorian era influenced design which correlates with the exact time period that European settlers first reached Muswellbrook, Wonnarua Country.  The symbolic frame also metaphorically acknowledges the paradox of living in and between the two worlds and addresses a subtle hypocrisy; the act of critiquing Western systems although at the same time living and breathing them.  This work advocates for inquiry into the events, and resulting cultural, environmental and spiritual impacts that have taken place in this country since colonisation began in Australia. The work is a push for cultural embracement, reconciliation, and change; for government and corporate systems to stop, listen, learn and implement the vast knowledge of First Nations people in the re-thinking of today's current systems that are clearly not working, in order for everyone to move forward inclusively, together as one.

Jenna-Rose Orcher (Tamworth, NSW) is a Gamilaraay woman who paints traditional Aboriginal artworks that reflect her exploration of identity and place within her culture. Every stroke within these paintings confirms the strength of Indigenous culture’s past, present, and future. They are largely inspired by themes of the natural environment and the political injustices of Indigenous people. Jenna uses earthy tones as a method of connecting herself to traditional styles of Aboriginal art. This is in contrast with artworks where the artist uses bright paints to explore story-telling.  The artist uses poetry in accompaniment with her paintings to extend the story-telling process. This is the intended viewing of the artworks as it completes the exploration and delivery of her message. These artworks are incredibly special to the artist, revealing her own identity as an Indigenous person living in this country. The artist believes these pieces are extremely important for white Australia to see. As they are insights into the original story-telling and connections being shared from the oldest living culture that we all stand on today. It is essential for the artist to reflect that as a culture, Indigenous people are still here and thriving. As this always was and always will be Aboriginal land. Jenna-Rose Orcher has just recently assisted Tony Albert (Sydney Biennale) with a commission from UQ Art Museum (QLD) and is working with Digi Youth Arts (Brisbane) on upcoming projects.

GACCI's annual photography competition

Due to the current government imposed lockdown the Gloucester High School HSC Body of Work 2021 exhibition has to be cancelled at the Gloucester Gallery.

“I developed this exhibition especially using the body as the principal figure, together with fashion, photography and the woman as inspiration.  The pose in front of the camera is taken as one’s attitude towards life.  The construction of the posture reveals rigidity, fluidity, distraction, sensuality, coldness, daring, indifference, sensitivity and even absence.  Sometimes I omit details and use colour to focus on the attitude of the subject - attitude that represents us in every mount of life. “  Samantha Coronel    Samantha was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina. From an early age, she showed interest and inclination for the arts and dance. She was accepted to study at the Manuel Belgrano National School of Fine Arts where she first immersed herself in the world of art.  Samantha has been a practicing artist ever since, not only as a visual artist. But also as an accomplished dancer.  Colour is central to Samantha’s art, together with the human figure and elements of drawing.

Members of the Gloucester Art Society once again showcase their new work in a range of mediums.  The Society was formed in the early 1960’s and has been active continuously since when 29 members had their first exhibition in the Gloucester RSL, then on Church Street, with a 1st prize awarded by Gloucester Shire Council for five pounds! Membership is currently strong and has remained fairly constant over the years, with the group meeting weekly (until COVID-19 interrupted things) with quarterly workshops being held by visiting artists. These workshops are held in the School of Arts workroom above the Gloucester Gallery and are hoped will resume once the COVID outbreak is under control. The Society has enjoyed exhibiting annually in the Gloucester Gallery since its establishment by GACCI in the School of Arts building in 1999.

Beryl Moriarty and Christine Long's Celebration of Colour An eclectic collection of artworks capturing the picturesque landscapes of the Manning Valley’s hinterland and beyond...alongside colourful renditions of your favourite flowers, still lifes as well as some of our feathered friends. Artist Christine Long will be in the gallery all day on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, plus Saturday mornings. A Celebration of Colour is open Tuesday to Saturday from 10am to 4pm and Sunday 10am to 1pm.