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.

Susan Buret, Dream Cabinet #7 Bees, © 2011, Mixed Media on Beech Panels, approx 20 cm 31 cm x 16 cm.

Steve Gray recently interviewed me about my art practice and upcoming exhibition on his blog Art-Resource.

The blog is a place where students, artists, art workers and enthusiasts could find information on how to do things, who does things, and how it all comes together. "Ideas, thoughts, theories, exploration, views, process, people, galleries, etc." The site includes interviews from artists working in a wide range of medium and style and provides insights to the inspiration and studio practices of artists which adds immensely to my appreciation of the artworks.

Thank you Steve for your interest in my work and for publishing the interview.

Opening flight dreams

You are warmly invited to my exhibition flight dreams in Bowral to be opened by Andrew Ford, writer, composer and presenter of The Music Show on ABC Radio National, at 3:30 pm on 2 April 2011. Apologies to those on facebook who may already have received an invitation. Now that most of the hard work is done I am really looking forward to seeing my work installed at loft gallery. I have made a series of small to medium sized works which I think will look really good in the space. Images of all the works have now been posted to my website.

Five Coats of Matt Acrylic Varnish.

Susan Buret, More with Honey, © 2011, Mixed media on Linen, (diptych) 100 cm x 140 cm.

Yes, five coats of Atelier archival matt acrylic varnish! Now that all the work is ready for my exhibition I have to get down to the hard slog of making sure the works have an archival finish, naming any that haven't named themselves, labeling and attaching D hooks. This is when I wish I was successful enough to have an assistant. And, while I'm dreaming a secretary to look after mailing lists would be lovely too.

Four weeks to go!

Susan Buret, Painted and collaged hinged boxes. © 2011. 20 cmx 15 cm x12 cm.

Susan Buret. Do You Wanna Dance. © 2011. Mixed media on Linen. 80 cm x 80 cm.

It's four weeks until my exhibition Flight Dreams opens at Loft Gallery in Bowral. I always have a last minute rush of ideas at exhibition time draws close. I think it's because ideas gel when a significant body of work comes together. I suddenly want to be in the studio 24 hours a day when I should be devoting more time to PR, mailing lists etc.

Above are some images of works for the exhibition.

It's also the time when unnamed works have to be titled. The green work above has a pattern made from dragonflies cut from a map of the Ukraine. I think the pattern is 'dancelike' and I was listening to Dvorak's Slovakian dances as I completed it so I have titled it Do You Wanna Dance.

The painted and collaged boxes are still largely untitled and I am unsure how to describe them. They remind me of those leather bound photo frames/folios and perhaps little containers to hold memories of home when one takes flight.

Flight Dreams opens at 3:30pm Saturday 2 April 2011 at Loft Gallery, 8 Banyette Street (upstairs), Bowral. Ph 4861 3214.

The work of Louise Boscacci at Rex Irwin Gallery

When I last showed my work in Sydney one piece was purchased by another artist (a sculptor). After first seeing my work she returned several days later and said that she kept thinking about my work and then bought a piece.

I was immensely flattered as I have always named respect from my peers as my major professional goal.

Yesterday I went to Sydney and visited Rex Irwin Gallery in Woollahra. The gallery occupies some beautifully proportioned rooms on the first floor of a building in Queen Street. When I entered the gallery I was immediately greeted and offered a room sheet and catalogue for the exhibition. I often talk to other artists about how important it is to feel welcome in a gallery. Despite being rather 'plainly' dressed for a visit to Woolahra I was treated with respect and made to feel comfortable to look at the work on exhibition. To often one is surveyed and dismissed, as I was earlier in the day, on arrival at a gallery which considers itself to be important.

The exhibition of ceramics and photography by Louise Boscacci was really beautiful and I am still thinking about it. Beautifully crafted ceramic bowls and vessels had soft silken glazes. Some works were printed with photographs and others were covered with illegible poetic texts. The photographs were of Far North Queensland's cane growing areas in the 60s and I was powerfully transported to childhood holidays in my fathers home town of Ingham. The works also reminded me of old chinese ceramics which somehow held precious memories. Several works were multiple pieces displayed with the quiet stillness of the works of Morandi.

These really strong evocative works are still very much on my mind.

No images here as you should visit the gallery or the websites.

Open Studio

The last few days have been perfect late summer weather so I have been leaving the doors to the studio open. As a result birds have been visiting. I am working on my next exhibition Flight Dreams, which opens on 2 April at Loft Gallery in Bowral, so maybe I am on the right track.