Art & Artefact Exhibition

19th – 25th April, 2020

Richard Randall Art Studio in the Brisbane Botanic Gardens, Mt Coot-tha

 

A four day show and tell by two women Artists, Helen McIntosh, and Linda Murray. This collection from three Brisbane Artist breaks rules in a joyful  Irreverent stand against trends and accepted norms… no landscapes.  We agreed to make objects and make pictures , one each of the objects, and display them together. 

See Linda Murray’s work here … lindastorytelling.com

Art And Artefact for me is an exploration in fine detail watercolour painting and a reason to make things. Artists have always made “stuff”. Often it’s been disregarded. Sometimes it’s used to get the creative juices going, sometimes it made just for fun. It’s always informative . Sometimes the skills used are expert. Always these asides from painting are undervalued. 

Artefacts crowd our homes and everyday life and I wanted to take a closer look at the meanings of objects. Our fast paced throw away society does not place the same  sentiments on objects we have around us. This has happened in my life time, artefacts have become fashion objects to be discarded at will. Note to demise of Antique traders. Also the precious things sent to Opportunity Shops by the house load, all those memories gone. 

Will the painting last longer? Will the painting mean more, carry more feeling? Is the painting more valuable? Will people want the objects or the pictures? 

The pictures I have made have been painstaking but full of emotion for me. I felt an overpowering need to be truthfully representing the objects. Because I know the artefacts every layer, painting them became an act of great intimacy. 

Click on an image in the gallery below to view in more detail:

Rabbity

RABBITY belongs to my Granddaughter, Rose. Is is an IKEA toy. As a small girl she would make her Mother carry Rabbity stuffed down  her top. Rose carried him everywhere and slept with him. One day at IKEA, Rose was  playing in The – kids pen, with her Rabbity and there were about 20 other Rabbitys there for the public to play with too. When it came home time Rose couldn’t find her Rabbity and was BEREFT!!!!! Her mother made the teenage attendant get all the rabbit toys out of the ball pit and line them up. Rose sniffed each one  until  she found hers and went home happy. 

I can tell you, that Rabbit still smells and has that damp feel of old loved toys. AND! He is not for sale! 

The Caravan

While I was painting these I was thinking about all of the people jammed against the wall in Mexico.

Mosaic Icon Lady’s

I  drew up the design on timber and cut the shapes with a jig saw. I figured if a man could do, I could. After some advice, like use clamps, I managed to cut the shapes I wanted from the ply. Then I had a lot of fun glueing down the broken China and tiles. These Icon Lady’s do not have grout, it makes them heavy. I very carefully painted around each piece of crockery. They are then sealed , backs painted and made ready to hang. 

I hope you’ve enjoyed reading about my upcoming exhibition in 2020 – if you have any questions or would like to know more, I’d love to hear from you.

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love from Helen!