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Saturday 31 December 2016

It's all so quiet, it's all so lovely, it's almost over.... see you all next year :)

Wednesday 21 December 2016

Season's Greetings and Happy 2017 New Year

The CCC committee wish you the best of this Season and also a Merry Christmas and to top this year off, we hope the New Year of 2017 is a wonderful time for you.

Wednesday 7 December 2016

a little Arty Farty Christmas Party

Tomorrow's social meeting starting at 5.30 pm will also be our Christmas party.
Due to our deeply missed Denis Claydon, this one won't be the big knees up we've had previous years but let's still get together and celebrate our friendship and arty relationship and the creativity that is the glue that binds us together.
You know where, now you know when so bring some nibbles and smiles and lets have us a little Christmas party!

Friday 2 December 2016

Grant me a wish

I've been busy catching up with committee duties and haven't really posted much on here. But today is special.

Our wish has been granted!
If you don't go to our FaceBook page you might miss the news that we have got our very first grant.

We've applied for two with the hope of getting both but are so thrilled that we got the first one.
Wish we could take the glory for it all but we had very little to do with it, except do as our guide instructed. Tara Morales from dLux was the driving force behind this grant application and we went for the ride so we could learn as much as we could from the process and from her.
Next year CCC is going further down the path of giving and interacting even more with our community + learning as much as we can from how dLux and Tara work.
This is what the grant is for:
OrangeMakerSpace
A hub to engage young people in self-directed learning and collaboration through participation in art, science and environmental activities. As part of the activation of this new space, dLux MediaArts will run a program of community consultations, demonstrations and skill development workshops led by media artists. The program will culminate in an exhibition of works as part of the 2017 Orange Youth Arts Festival.


So congratulations to Tara and Phil for a successful collaboration!
Tara opening the ScanLines exhibition at the Orange Regional Gallery

Sunday 30 October 2016

Silent Movies and Orange Laneways - Wine Festival

Phil and I took 3 of the portraits to the Silent Movies and Orange Laneways, Pop Up event as part of the Orange Wine Festival yesterday. After a roster day at the barracks we packed lights, easels (thank you Heather and Aileen), made protective packaging for the transportation of the art, have to be ultra careful to keep our art safe after all, they were all sold pieces!
The lane was full of people as dusk fell and it's amazing that only a few of the faces were familiar, Orange has a lot of people now. Heather and Meredith turned up so Phil took a photo of the winners by their beautiful portraits. There was music, movies, food, liquid refreshments, friendly, happy people. A great event!
At the end, when all we could think of is going home, we packed up and went back to the Barracks to put the art back on our walls so on the last day all was as it was on the first, perfect :)
Today is the last day but we pushed ourselves just a little further to spread the word about our amazing, talented, bunch of local artists. Hopefully a few of the lookers from yesterday will come today to the Barracks and feel good about living in this beautiful area, filled with so much talent.










Friday 28 October 2016

Wine Festival 2016, only 2 days left to see the exhibition

This Wine Festival exhibition has been our most successful.
The concept of Mixed Dozen was a masterstroke by our president, Philip Salmon but also the Publicity done for this exhibition was a contributing factor to the visitors and sales we experienced.
Congratulations to all the artists not only for producing such exceptional art but also for all the sales!
If you haven't had time to visit the Barracks, click on the link to see some photos taken of the exhibition and studios. The photos are not perfection and suffer from inherent problems of the art being framed and hung, but you'll get the message that this was a very special exhibition. Click here to view the gallery.



Sunday 16 October 2016

Orange Wine Festival CCC Group Exhibition at the Barracks

After weeks of preparations by our small army of volunteers this Orange Wine Festival CCC Group Exhibition at the Barracks was super successful. Not only because we had almost 150 come to the 7pm opening on Saturday night but because as a group, the team work was exceptional.
If you're unaware of who from our group is the core that brought us the present success let me try to unwrap it for you.
What happens in the building is mostly supported by Joy and Susie, maybe it's because they spend the most time at the Barracks, they are seen as the go to people for any questions.  Not only that, but Joy will always be ready to assist when someone is in need or something requires actioning in the building. Helpful, giving, talented and nurturing, you can always count on Joy to share good artistic advice on practice or technique. Susie with her spiritual centre is not the person you'd associate with our database but without her data input the hundreds of lables next to the artwork would not be. She might deny it but her constant presence is always accompanied by little acts of kindness to the building and to us.
Margot, Bev and Gaye did most of the exhibition hanging for this festival and did it with giggles and guffaws where you wondered if in fact they were having just too much fun.
The curating was also a group effort, Jola, Judy, Aileen, Denis and Aida, who popped in for a catch up but as our founder could not help, help. All collaborated to put unity and story to the art on the walls and Joy with her vast knowledge added the cherry on what is a beautiful visual confection of CCC talent.
The shop was also team nurtured by Jaq, Judy and Jola.
The kitchen had the domestos treatement by Patricia who scrubbed and tidied it almost beyond recodnition.
Our 3 bathrooms, which consist of 5 toilets and 5 sinks were transformed from grubby to gorgeous by Maggie who added a gentle touch of flowers to make a sweet statement.
Outside Les, Des, David, Michael and Phil tamed the wild grass, the result of too much rain and still questionable spring weather.
As always everyone who could, brought food for the opening which was consumed with relish bar for 8 olives and two slivers of cheese. A good sign that we not only make good art but good food too. Fayah and Liam with the help of Phil served liquid refreshments and with the donations of wine from our paragon local wineries for the first time our guests were treated to a top drop. James Sweetapple's Cargo Road Wines sparkling was a big feature as a welcome glass was handed at entry.
Phil, our president, is a man of ideas, vision, talent and ability. Approachable, giving, and always doing, he not only steers our motley creatives but makes sure our building is functional, safe and when needed pumping with music and a stunning show of light. Unfortunately not well at this moment he who loves people and a good chat forced himself out of bed to at least attend the opening though unable to give a speech. May I add that the effort and obvious success of the opening has resulted in him feeling better today. There is magic in good deeds and good people.
At the end, when all had left Heather, Isabelle, Liam, Jola and Phil stayed back a little longer to finish the cleaning and to put everything back as the following day was another open day for our exhibition in this 16 day festival.
So let's give ourselves a pat on the back for the cooperation and group learning we present in every show being better than the last.
Aida Pottinger opening the exhibition

one part of the large crowd in the Pottinger Gallery

some more of the crowd in the Pottinger Gallery

The rest of the crowd at the opening speech

Joy filling the dishwasher and Fayeah disposing of another empty

Liam testing a vintage for freshness and Jola competing with the dishwasher

Friday 7 October 2016

Preparation in Progress... Wine Festival approaches

Wine Festival preparations are progressing, today Judy, Phil, Jola and Aileen sorted chains as we'll be hanging soon. Those pesky chains have always been a problem and it turned out it's because we had chains made by two different makers. So it was out with one of them and while we're waiting for a delivery of some new stock we cleared the decks of the old ones.
Also the panels in the Aida Pottinger gallery windows got a lick of paint. We want the gallery to hold all the amazing art our creatives have brought in and the panels once place in the window reveals allow for more art! Joy, Susie and David as always present, willing and able, so the Barracks was yet again filled with art and full of fun :)
art in position, waiting for hanging

Phil, our president preparing the panels

Joy and Judy taking a little break

Judy and Jola, the painting team

matching painting smocks, matching panels, painting twins!

getting hungry

Aileen, supervising the quality of the brushwork :)

Tuesday 4 October 2016

Flyer art

and this is how our flyer looks like
front
and
back

Wine Week Exhibition art

Before leaving for a family wedding the art for the flyers and posters was finished and sent to the printer.
I haven't seen it printed.... gosh I hope it turned out all right..... too late now, Judy has picked them up already!

😬


Tuesday 20 September 2016

Tuesday art @ the Barracks

Our art on Tuesday was a great day. Aileen joined us towards the end but Phil, Iku and Jola spend the day doing their thing. We come together to do whatever we want to, creative in some way but if you just feel like hanging out, well, that's cool too. We talk, we art, we heart what we do.
Phil computerising and Iku painting

Jola with her Mixed Dozen portrait framed

Iku and her hand.... now which is which?

The palette for today

our favourite plate of the day!

Tuesday 13 September 2016

Tuesday at the Barracks

Tuesday at the Barracks is the weekly exchange of ideas and general communal art activity. Today Iku and Jola had fun, Phil mean time was getting the room ready for Isabelle to paint white. She's finished the Peter Gore gallery and now it's the Aida Pottinger gallery's turn for a new coat of paint. The place will look amazing for the Wine Festival group exhibition!
While Phil was climbing the walls behind us, Iku started a project that's been tickling her mind for a few months now and I put a few more lines in the lino.
Iku fleshing out her project :)

Jola's lino block ever so close for a test print

defined Borry's beard a bit today

Iku and her spare hand :)

Phil removing wires and other items before the paint job begins

Sunday 11 September 2016

Open Day

Yesterday was our monthly Open Day.
The day was pretty much miserable with temperatures hovering around 7ºC, with intermittent drizzle to add texture to the day. Phil and Jola were on the morning roster and Iku with Ken in the afternoon.
Actually it was a lovely day for us, as we all mostly huddled in the Aida Pottinger gallery where the heater kept us happy, Susie and David dropped in as did Catherine and Isabelle. Thought we only had 2 visitors they loved what we do and will come back to see our progress and changes in our exhibitions. One lady from Woolongong bought 3 of Joy's beautiful cards and thought coming to see us was a lovely way to complete her visit to Orange.
Phil kept working on our new sign writer machine and finally managed to wrestle it into submission, now we'll be able to create some professional looking and long lasting signage around the Barracks.
I mostly stayed outside and carved away on my block, until a cut to my finger put a stop to it. The cold weather made the block hard and what I needed was the warmth of my studio or a source of heat to make the tools cut rather than chip at the surface
😀



Friday 9 September 2016

Demonstration of art equipment

Our social meeting yesterday, 8 Sept, was taken over by an art demonstration Joy organised for the members.
I don't know why but myself and a few others sitting at the back of the room were overcome by the urge to behave like little children in school.... maybe it was the format, maybe the devil made us do it.....