Dream Cabinets Now In Melbourne

Installation view Precursor, Anita Traverso Gallery 

A selection of my works from the Dream Cabinets Series are currently on show as part of the exhibition Precursor: A foretaste of solo artists scheduled from now until December 2012 at Anita Traverso Gallery, 7 Albert Street, Richmond. VIC 3121. The exhibition continues until 11 June.

Home Town Advantage. Some thoughts about exhibiting.

Last Saturday my exhibition flight dreams opened at loft gallery in Bowral 20 kms from where I live.
The opening was a great success and I had fun. Fun is not something I usually associate with openings. I think most artists would agree that they are often hard work.
I have described openings in the area here before and always comment on the warm atmosphere of a 'country' art  opening and, this opening was no exception.
When I woke up feeling happy instead of a bit flat on Sunday morning I thought about where we chose to exhibit and why.
I am fortunate to show with a Anita Traverso Gallery in Melbourne where their professional approach builds a market and following for my work and  several years ago I exhibited in North Carolina and was invited to talk about my work. This was also an enjoyable experience and made me hungry to show overseas and interstate in Australia. These are definitely a good career moves but, for me, nothing compares with the fulfillment that I get from showing my work to friends and peers. I hope I always have a good gallery near by to show my work.

Dream Cabinets and life after the Sydney exhibition.

Top : Anita Traverso at Depot 11 Gallery.

Middle : Dream Cabinet #1. Interior. © Susan Buret

Bottom: Dream Cabinet #1. Exterior. © Susan Buret

A lot of artists agree that the time just after an exhibition is often a period of angst and instability but when my last exhibition closed in Sydney I really didn't have the luxury of thinking time.It was one week until Christmas and no matter how I try to avoid it I always end up being swept up in the last minute rush of cooking and shopping. Since then we have celebrated New Year and spent a few days at the beach.

And, there's still not much time to think as I am part of a group show , nice day!, which opens at Logan Gallery in two weeks and I am working on some new pieces for my exhibition at Loft Gallery, Bowral, in late March this year.

For the first week of the Sydney exhibition Anita Traverso (see top image) was at the gallery and I had the opportunity to watch her talk about my work to gallery visitors and in the second week I was alone in the gallery and was able to watch the reactions to my work at close quarters. I have to admit that I found it quite difficult but, it was during this time I came up with the idea for the dream cabinets. I am still not entirely sure what they are. (Maybe I should not be admitting this in print!) but I think they somehow portray a mix of my childhood dreams and what I imagine might be the less idyllic dreams of others. Ideas of exhilaration, liberation and escape .... all sorts of flight dreams.

Sydney Exhibition

If you are in Sydney I will be at Depot 11 with Anita and would love to see you and show you my new work

Networking, exposure etc.

My work And the River Looked at Siddhartha with 1000 Eyes, 2005, (far right) is currently in an exhibition at Anita Traverso Gallery, Melbourne.

On a negative day I wonder if I am babbling into a vast void but there are several good reasons for blogging. It provides an opportunity to communicate one's thoughts and ideas, it can be a diary or, as in the case of Queensland artist Nicola Moss it can serve as space to record information and observations which are later published as a book. Recently I wrote about the ideas that formed the basis of some new work and was amazed and delighted by the response. I have also been fortunate in the past few days to have my work featured on two blogs which I admire - The Design Files is Lucy Feagin's blog which features design, architecture and beautiful things and oh what a world, oh what a world , artist Lorraine Glessner's blog where she generously show cases the work of other artists. I really appreciate the mentions and the opportunity to widen my network. Thank you Lucy, Lorraine and Anita who has two of my works on show in Melbourne!

Artist Talk Anita Traverso Gallery

Stefan Gevers whose exhibition Forgotten Places runs concurrently with mine at Anita Traverso Gallery in Melbourne is giving an artist floor talk at 2:15pm on Saturday 22 May.

Installation Views

Sometimes blogging doesn't come easily. The past two weeks have been so busy and I have had lots to think about. Ask any artist and they will always say that the time after a new exhibition is often strange/difficult/disorienting after the frenzy and focus that leads up to a show. So I am posting some installation shots of my exhibition, Stolen Geometry from the Gardens of Love, and will get back to more serious blogging at a later date.

Thank Goodness for Photographers

Beyond there Lies Nothing. 2010. Acrylic on Canvas. 150 cm x 210cm.

I've mentioned before that I was extremely lucky to have Carl Warner document my work while I was in Brisbane and I have been struggling to document my work since my move.

Today I received a disc with images of my work for my Melbourne Exhibition taken by Melbourne photographer John Bodin and they are fantastic!!!! Thank you John.

I have just uploaded images of most of my work to my website so please have a look at the new improved images.

Good news this week when Anita Traverso emailed to tell me that Beyond There Lies Nothing, pictured above and beautifully photographed, has sold pre exhibition.

Packed Up at Last

All that is left now is to print the labels. I have spent the last few days attaching D hooks, signing and labeling paintings and wrestling with metres of bubble wrap to get my work ready to send to Anita Traverso Gallery for my show Stolen Geometry from the Gardens of Love which opens on 5 May. Save the date if you are going to be in Melbourne.

Tanmaya Bingham

I first met Tanmaya Bingham when I was showing work in off the wall at Art Brisbane in 2008. Tanmaya was assisting Cash Brown in running the off the wall space and her energy and warm spirit were really infectious. Later I found out that we were represented by the same gallery in melbourne and this is how i came to know her work.
Tanmaya makes beautifully crafted intricately executed works which explore deeply personal and at the same time universal issues.
She recently had a solo show at Anita Traverso Gallery in Melbourne and was interviewed by the Age and National Times produced a video about how she works.

I love to hear how other artists work and look inside their studios and wanted to share the video. Be patient as the video takes a little while to upload.

The Late Report.

The last week was very busy and very rewarding.
On Wednesday I made the three and a half hour trip to Liverpool to pick up my work from the Liverpool Art Prize and finished work on a grant application.
I spent Thursday hanging some works from 2006 and 2007 at the Robertson Gallery. It was lovely to be reunited with the work. I have had a couple of them hanging in the house but most have been in my storage racks. Some of the works had to be delivered by ute (pickup) as they are too big for my car and we arrived at the gallery literally minutes before an enormous storm. Pi Wei Lim, who is director of the gallery, hung the works with a little help from me. I had never used a hanging system before and I was impressed with the ease of hanging.

The majority of the works are hanging in the front room of the gallery with three works in the back room that is painted a beautiful warm dark grey and looks wonderful with the colours of the work. More photos to come.

On Friday I cleaned and tidied my studio in preparation for my studio warming on Saturday night. I hung some of the new work I am making for my show at Anita Traverso in May. Getting the studio looking good was a mammoth task so I didn't get to hang the works until Friday evening. Screws in the wall - no fancy hanging system.

Saturday turned out to be misty and very wet so 'you are invited to drinks in the garden' turned into I hope they will all be comfortable in the studio.

This was transformed

into this

and, I had such a wonderful time I forgot to take any photos after the guests arrived. ***!!?

On Sunday we went to the opening of the Southern Highlands Printmaker's Association exhibition at the Sturt Gallery in Mittagong. A lovely buzzy opening and exhibition of some exciting work in a great space. I met several local artists and crafts people and have invites to visit studios.

The studio still looks tidy and now I get to spend some time with my new work.

Open Studio.

Susan Buret, mist 2, (detail),© 2010, acrylic on linen, 150 cm x 105 cm

I am opening my studio on Saturday evening to preview works for my exhibition at Anita Traverso Gallery in May. I am a little nervous as it will be the first time many of the people have seen my work. It's a different setting to having an opening in a gallery with a new studio, new work and new audience. I hope I am not so overwhelmed that I won't be able to observe and assimilate the reaction to the work. Stay tuned for a report and in the meantime have a look at Joanne Mattera's excellent report on the pros and cons of self marketing as opposed to using the gallery system. 

The ?Wednesday Report

I've had a busy few weeks making deadlines and new work.
I submitted images of work for inclusion in the Paper Works exhibition at Brenda May Gallery in March. I had to photograph some of the work myself, hopefully for the last time as I now have a contact for a photographer in the area.

Susan Buret, The Gardens of the Alhambra, © 2009, Mixed media on canvas,100 cm x 70 cm.

I have also sent off  the exhibition title, images for publicity and a new artist statement for my solo exhibition at Anita Traverso Gallery in Melbourne in May. Writing a new artist statement was once an angst ridden activity but is now a pleasure rather than a task as I condense and sharpen all the ideas and influences that have been milling around as I make work. 

Last week I worked with Brisbane Artist Nicola Moss on our collaborative project. The work went well and we managed to complete and package the video for exhibition later this year. Working with another artist is always good not only from the perspective of sharing the creative process and ideas but also because it gave me the opportunity to get valuable critical feedback about me new work and to discuss the business and promotion side of my practice.
As a result I have decided to apply for a couple of grants ...... more paperwork and deadlines but in the meantime I am off to Sydney to see Marianne Faithfull at the Sydney Opera House tonight as reward for all the hard work. Here's a little taste of Marianne in Paris last year courtesy of YouTube.

Nudges

Susan Buret ,Afterimage, 2009 ©, Acrylic and Pigmented Ink on 

Watercolour Paper, 76cm x56.5cm

Most artists spend a lot of time alone in their studio and in their dreams and since moving I have not had any opportunity to mix with my peers except for emails and facebook. This is my chosen career and I enjoy the solitude and the luxury of time to dream and create but, from time to time, I fell a bit 'flat' and thats when I am so grateful for a nudge from my peers. Without their support and suggestions I would not achieve half of what I do. Without an email/nudge from Nicola Moss I would not have thought about entering the Alice Art Prize. Without several reminders from Catherine I would not have  work in the Liverpool Art Prize.

So thank you Candy, Lyndal, Nicola, Deb, Maja and Uta  for staying in touch and to Catherine from Anita Traverso Gallery for forwarding details of opportunities on a regular basis.

The Friday Report

18 September 2009.

This is the first of a series of reports resulting from the blog triage class I have just completed.

I am hoping to summarize the highs and lows of my practice in the previous week so that I can feel proud of any achievements and prioritise or commit to the waste bin those jobs that didn’t get done.

This week has been really eventful –

• The slab for my studio has been poured and I have decided that I will seal the concrete floor. I am very excited about the amount of space I will have.

• My wonderful gallery in Melbourne sold Welcome to the Neighbourhood We hope You Fit In from my exhibition Portraits of the Unknown. Yipee cashflow!

Susan Buret. Welcome to the Neighbourhood. We Hope You Fit In.2009.

Acrylic, Shredded Passport Copy and Ink on Canvas. 1500mm x 1050mm

• I sent 4 of 5 works to Kick Arts Galleries in Cairns where Curator Sam Creyton has asked me to be part of an exhibition showing artists who work with paper.

• I sent Stargazzy off to Arteral Gallery in Sydney to be part of the Tickled Pink Exhibition.

• I started work on a series of postcard sized watercolour works.

• I resolved to enter the Liverpool Art Prize.

I didn’t get around to -

• Sending off CD’s of images from Diary Notes from a New World to several galleries.

• Working on my entry for the Chapman and Bailey Competition in Melbourne.

There have been lots of tradesmen and deliveries so it has been a bit of a disjointed week ……can’t wait to get a run at some work in my new studio.

Now that I review this it does seem like navel gazing. Don’t know if it should be a post (aired in public rather than in a journal if I managed to keep one) so dear readers let me know what you think.

Great News for Australian Artists and Australian Business

'The Australian Tax Office has confirmed that small businesses are eligible to receive an investment allowance of up to 50% on the purchase of art (over $1000, which includes multiple works regarded as a series, by artists with an ABN) for the 2009 income tax year. The ATO accepted that an art enhanced work environment can generate productivity and that there is a causal relationship between businesses displaying artwork and the income of their clients. Works must be purchased before the end of this year.'

I have known about this for several months but due to the time lag with publishing I am only beginning to see this in print. The above statement is an extract from Art Monthly Magazine Artnotes. More information can be obtained from the Australian Tax Office or your accountant.

We should be shouting this from the rooftops. So if you have a business and like my art work I have an ABN and you can view my works on my website or visit Anita Traverso Gallery in Melbourne

New Images

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Yesterday I received a CD of images of my exhibition at Anita Traverso gallery in October. So here are some.
Sorry can't work out how to get rid of the duplicate!