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 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

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
😀

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.....

Peter Gore Gallery getting a lick of paint

Our brilliant Isabelle has volunteered to paint the Peter Gore and Aida Pottinger galleries and the Peter Gore gallery was first off the block. It is well on the way to looking the best it's ever looked

The amazing thing about white is how light just bounces around in a white room, this isn't our biggest gallery but being white it looks huge! Thank you so much Isabelle, for doing this all by yourself for the benefit of us all!

New Look

Just gave our site a spring clean and isn't it wonderful that the sun is out at last?
You might notice that we have additional pages, one for each of the events we open our doors for, let me know if it works for you or if I can make it better.

As the Treasurer and Publicity person it will take me a while to settle into a routine, but Phil assures me it's not insurmountable. But he is a believer that his glass is always full 😀
So I thought being Polish I might call myself the Polish Publicity Personage or the PPP from the CCC 😀

Have sent off our 'press release' and entered/updated our information in various online sites, also have placed us on Google as a 'business', all in the hope of getting more people through our gates to see how amazing you creatives are and take some of it home with them.
I'm so proud to be part of a group with such great talent, thank you.

All the artists who took on the challenge of the Mixed Dozen portrait exhibition are powering on.... including me. I have decided to do both Borry and Gaye from Borrodell as there are so many women working in the wine industry but it seems mostly the men are the figureheads.
Mine is a lino block print and I have started my carving, here's the piece so far.

Half the block carved, Gaye done, now for Borry :)

I've also decided to print on paper stained with Borrodell wine, as an extra little touch/link to the subject. This idea has proven more problematic than I thought. If you spill wine on a white tablecloth it's bright and red..... and hard to get out..... but on paper..... not the same.... I'll persevere and hope for happy accidents.

AGM Tonight, Thursday 1 September 5.30pm start

Our Annual General Meeting is on tonight, Thursday 1 September starting at 5.30pm. Judy, our secretary has sent all members the nomination form so do nominate someone for a job on the committee you think they are capable of doing. Sometimes when nominated is the first time the person realises that others think them capable and often do step up. You have a couple of hours left so go ahead and get involved, we'll see you this evening.
We're a great, creative, giving group of human variations so let's have a great start to a new committee and another year of artistic achievements!
See you at the Barracks!

"3 styles" - an exhibition of new works from three very different artists!

Hoping to kick start a series of exhibitions, three of CCC's talented artists have brought together a series of new works in pastel, crayon and photography in one fun and exciting exhibition titled "3 styles"!

This will be a show that ill open your eyes to the different ways that artists see the world and then create from the things that inspire them.

"3 styles"

Margot Huebner, Dennis Claydon, Jude Keogh

Opens on Friday evening 

22 July 2016 at 6 pm

Exhibition open daily on 

23 and 24 July 2016 from 10 am - 4 pm

Venue: The Barracks Galleries & Studios, 

East Fork, 2B Peisley Street, Orange 2800 NSW

So put the dates in your calendar to make sure you don't miss this colourful and vibrant show!

All welcome!

It would totally be amiss of us not to have some pictures and video of the Garratt Steam Engine visiting the district. More importantly passing right next to us.
President Phil is a closet steam engine driver and so he got his trusted camera and pointed as best he could in that direction.

The Canberra Railway Museum houses many a steam engine and it was wonderful to hear around town the toot toot toot of that whistle blowing. Reminds me of the Seekers song, you know the one - Morningtown Ride.

And who doesn't like a ride on an old fashion steam train? With the Lithgow Scenic Railway burnt to the ground we're left with these magnificent old engines to pay us visit. Thanks to the crew and whoever paid to bring this beautiful old iron beast to town.

It is vehicles like these that opened up this great brown land and made it the mighty nation that it is.
Why, without these piston pumping demons of strength the coal, cattle, wheat, barley, sugar cane, iron ore, gold, and many other fine farming and mineral products would never have seen the light of day.

Yes my friend it is the steam train and the sober crews that worked these trains - cleaned them, washed them. loaded them and generally took good care of them in their old age that the Country is where it is today.

I know what you're thinking, it's just steel and metal. But these engines have personality, charm, integrity and the need to survive the harsh environment of being neglected. Why think of the children who will never see a steam train except on youtube.

Look at that, that's Australian steel. You can't get better steel than Australian steel. It's stronger. Last longer, and has a smell all of its own. Matter-a-fact I'm off to but some now.

Gavin Coote goes West.

Hey everyone, guess what one of our exotic painters is doing. Yes, he's off to Broken Hill once again to show off the latest works.

Big bad Gavin has just completed a host of colour. Splashed it across the canvas like a mongrel dog on heat in the Sahara.

This fella has talent, buried somewhere in that emotional thick outer layer of his being. It oozes like the smell of raw garlic cloves hung around the neck to warn off the disciples of sport.

If you get the opportunity and consider travelling to Broken Hill to see this exhibition slap yourself across the left earhole and look to the Sun for inspiration and an excuse to bid young Gav a fond and pleasant trip. Instruct this wayward broadcaster of colour to adhere to the the speed limit, drink plenty of beer on arrival and greet the locals with a "gidday mate, how they ..... " At this point it is best to hold off further conversation as Gav only has the attention span of a antelope in the woods seeking a mate.

Bon Voyage.

Giovanni

Wow! Hanging out for FOOD Week.....

Today the Barracks is a beehive of activity with artists, sculptors and body painters all busy bringing the FOOD Week Exhibition into life! There's some amazing contemporary artworks and sculptures to be seen with many a decorated body part to be found hanging around.

There's drama as we get ready for live music at the Arty Party this Saturday night..... the disco balls are being hung in among the most lively of artworks, and everyone is happily working away to bring you, the art lover, a wonderful week of entertainment at Orange's most fun arts hub, the Barracks Galleries & Studios at the top end of Peisley Street..... just look for the orange flags on the road to the Orange Base Hospital just before the railway crossing.....

The Arty Party starts at 7 pm and will go till late on Saturday. The exhibition opens daily from 10 am - 4 pm from Friday 8 through to Sunday 17.... artist studios will be open when the artist is present or maybe you can just peek in when they're not!

With 2 galleries, 10 studios and over 100 artwoks from 40 or so of Orange's best contemporary artists, this is an event that you can't miss throughout FOOD Week.

Just some of the many studios will be open for you to check out artist's current works......

 Peter Marr

 Jola Nejman

 Jola Nejman

 Isabelle Mathieu

 Alsitair Drake

Aileen Francis

There's artworks, sculptures and weavings tucked around every corner in this fabulous 2 story building, so make sure you give yourself a good couple of hours to see it all......

 Mirka Mora by Bev Duncan

 Des Farr and Denis Claydon

 Subtle works by Ikuko Fujisawa

 Sculpture by Lanny MacKenzie

Girl in Pink - one of our decorated body parts....

Some of the many artworks and other intriguing bits and pieces on display..... but this is just a taster!

 Body by Judy Kich and artwork by Denis Claydon

 Isabelle Mathieu - artwork & body

 art by Jola Nejman and skulls by Isabelle Mathieu

 

 

Skulls by Isabelle Mathieu

 

Leg by Fayah Mackenzie

 

Small Halls Banner by Jola Nejman

 

And there's more upstairs......

 

and there's a gift shop!

So see you here at the Barracks!