Showing posts with label National Portrait gallery. Show all posts
Showing posts with label National Portrait gallery. Show all posts

Friday, November 6, 2009

The Friday Report

This week's report comes to you from my new studio. I am still working with a temporary power connection but most of my equipment is in and I finally have a rack to store canvases.



I also have wonderful natural light even on an overcast day like today.




I am feeling very lucky and completely exhausted as my partner and I have spent the whole day moving things from the house.
I've not had much time to make work but I have worked on my exhibition plan for the next few years.
I have decided to exhibit at Depot Gallery at 2 Danks Street in Sydney next year. I am hoping to exhibit in June or July and I am waiting on advice of available dates before I make a final decision. I have been thinking about how to establish a profile in New South Wales since moving here and I think Danks Street will give me the exposure I need when I don't have a huge Sydney based mailing list.
I went to Canberra on Wednesday to look at galleries and rental spaces there and decided that it would be better to focus on Sydney for a while.
While in Canberra I visited the new National Portrait Gallery. It is a beautiful space and showed portraits from colonial to contemporary times in the 7 galleries. I was surprised at how much I enjoyed the colonial portraits. Each painting included details of the artist and a brief synopsis of the life of the subject. I'm looking forward to spending more time there. I also visited Helen Maxwell Gallery. The gallery is currently showing work from artists Patsy Hely, Dorte Conroy, Judy Horacek and Alison Alder. I loved  the delicate tracery and overlays of subtle colour in Alison Alder's papercut work Cutting History.
Finally, I stopped at M16 Artspace a complex of artist's studio and rental gallery spaces at Fyshwick. They were in the process of hanging a new exhibition but let me have a look at the two gallery spaces. The space reminded me a little of Doggett Street Studio where I have exhibited in Brisbane. I think that the adjacent artist studios make this a great place to exhibit and network with Canberra artists.
It's great living halfway between Sydney and Canberra. I'm spoilt for choice.