The Northern Rivers Echo
Chooks head to Melbourne art fair
Andy Parks | 22nd April 2010
The night washes away what the day has soaped (detail) by Katka Adams.
"Eleven Northern Rivers artists will be represented at Art Melbourne 2010, one of the largest and most exciting art fairs in the country.
The night washes away what the day has soaped (detail) by Katka Adams.
Eleven Northern Rivers artists will be represented at Art Melbourne 2010, one of the largest and most exciting art fairs in the country.
Among them is Clunes-based artist Katka Adams, who will have 29 of her works on display.
“It’s such a great opportunity because it exposes you to a new audience. There are a lot of art dealers and galleries from Melbourne there, so it’s great exposure,” she said.
Katka has previously had one piece in a group exhibition in Melbourne, but this time she will have 15 still life drawings and her whole chicken series.
“I was doing a series for the Tweed Gallery and I had one picture that had a bed in it and I was trying different things to go on bed... I tried a kitten but that wasn’t working and I saw an image of a rooster and drew it on the bed and it looked great. I sold it straight away and I really enjoyed drawing it,” she said.
From there she drew a Sumatran rooster that won first prize in the North Coast National Tursa Art Prize and has now completed a series of 14 pastel drawings involving various breeds of chickens in various domestic situations.
“I’m fascinated by the different shapes and sizes and colours of the different breeds... They have so much character and people seem to relate to them as humans... The titles all come from proverbs, it’s like passing on little snippets of advice to the next generation,” she said.
Other Northern Rivers artists to be represented at Art Melbourne include John Cottrell, Hilary Hermann, Michelle Dawson, Rodney Black, Shane Martin, Kellie O’Dempsey, Nikky Morgan, Rick Shearman, Alberto Sanchez and Ross Tamlin.
The North Coast entourage is being organised by Bree Delian, Director of Retrospect Galleries in Byron Bay.
“I am incredibly pleased at the standard of works that have submitted by these local artists and suspect that many of the visitors to Arts Melbourne will be similarly impressed,” she said."
