Congratulations to Lisa Lee who has made it as a finalist in the Clayton Utz Art Award 2011 with her painting 'Be There at One'. Lisa Lee's exciting new solo 'In The Fast Lane' is opening tonight Friday 16th September at 6pm in our Broadbeach gallery, so please come along and join us for a wine and tapas.

Click here to see the works in Lisa's exciting exhibition In The Fast Lane…

Click here to see the finalists...

Congratulations to Deb Mostert who has made it as a finalist in the Clayton Utz Art Award 2011 with her painting 'Tin Clown with Butter Knife'

Click here to see Deb's available works and artist profile..

Click here to see the finalists and read more about the award...

A Big congratulations to the Turner Twins who w0n two awards at the 2011 Border Art Prize last week.

Second prize was awarded to young Tallebudgera-based twins Christie and Kelly Turner and their entry Wintersun. The Turner sisters were also awarded the Pamela Rainger Stipend by the Gold Coast branch of the Australian Decorative and Fine Art Society.

ADFAS Judge Moreena Hull said she was intrigued to learn that two people were able to paint in unison, ‘Before our selection we did not know that the artists were twins, but when we found out we were fascinated. ADFAS continues to support young artists and we were delighted with the other younger entries this year.’

See their artist profile and available works here…

Gold Coast Photographer Mari Hirata, whose solo opens at our Broadbeach gallery on October the 14th, is featured in the very creative promotional pics for the Prize, see if you can spot her in the pic...

Read more about the Border Art Prize here...

Congratulations to Jan Van Dijk whose creative and powerful peice Le Fox was selected as a finalist in the 2011 maritime Art Prize. We are excited to announce that we have booked Jan in for a solo show at our Broadbeach gallery in March 2012.

See his artist profile and works here...

Since 2002 the Mission to Seafarers Victoria art prize has exhibited the work of over 700 artists and fast become recognized as Australia’s leading maritime art award. Prize money awarded to date has exceeded $119,000 and the organisation has raised approximately $180,000 toward the provision of seafarers’ welfare services in Victoria.

Now known as the ANL Maritime Art Prize & Exhibition, the award was introduced to promote excellence in maritime and seafaring subjects in art; to raise the profile of the 1.5 million merchant seafarers responsible for transporting more than 90 per cent of the products and produce traded globally and to attract support for the work of the Mission to Seafarers.

Read more about the Maritime art prize here...

Great to see Retrospect Galleries in an article on G&T online.  For those of you who don't know, G&T is an independently run Australian lifestyle magazine based in Brisbane, showcasing some of Australia’s best and brightest talent.  A great site and full of inspiration! 

A tiny piece from the story below...

...Just like the range of artists and styles, the gallery has a diverse range of work for sale to suit all budgets. The gallery supports emerging artists whose prices are very reasonable, meaning art lovers can purchase highly skilled original work at a great price. Additionally, Retrospect represent nationally recognised artists whose work sells at prices aimed toward the higher end of the contemporary market...

... The galleries don’t like to be fenced in and as a result, showcase a wide variety of works ranging from street/urban art, through to the finest of draughtsmanship and painterly works...

Click on link to view full article - http://giftedandtalented.net.au/2011/09/12/a-new-retrospective/

Q&A 45 questions with our Artist of the Month for September John Cottrell

Right now I am...
Thinking 

At the moment I am working on...
Some new work.. a bit unpredictable

My proudest moment this year was...
Nearly winning that trophy 

My biggest mistake this year was...
Going backhand instead of forehand 

Recently I’ve been inspired by the work of...
Mark Rothko

When I’m stuck for ideas I usually...
Do some drawing 

I have always been fascinated by artists that...
Have confidence, that shows in their work

If I were to try my hand at a new art form, it would be…
Animation

When I was a child I dreamt of...
My early years were full of dreams and in fact have been the main inspiration and starting point for my work, I have tried to capture the energy of theses dreams

My first job was...
A printer 

My first big love was...
Cricket 

The first piece of art I ever bought was...
Well i have swapped many paintings over the years, so have a bit of a collection 

My favourite record cover of all time is...
Little Feat - Down on the Farm

The best film I have seen this year is...
The Road 

If I could see any musician (past or present) performing live, it would be...
Bob Dylan
 
In the film of my life I would like to be played by…
Robert de Niro

My Avatar would be...
Blue

My guiltiest pleasure this year has been...
My new camera 

If I am cooking for myself I...
Always make my own almond meal

My last meal would be...
Roast lamb, you silly

The last thing I do before I go to bed each night, is...
My eyes sort of start to close

I am currently reading...
Arthur Boyd - A Life

If I could be a mythical creature I would be...
Mr Curly 

The best gift I have ever received was...
A bike

If I was offered a billion dollars on the condition I had to give it all away, I would...
Do a lot of research first

If I was heading off around the world and could only take three things with me, I would pack...
iPod, camera, sketch books

If air travel was no longer possible I would...
Be very happy, because I wouldn't have to get into those pesky planes again

If I was a superhero I would be…
Kramer

If my art could work for a worthy cause, I would dedicate it to…
Médecins Sans Frontières

The thing I loved about the 20th Century was...
The music 

If I could live in any one period of time, I would choose...
Paris in the 1930s 

The most valuable lesson I have learned this year is...
Patience 

The craziest thing I have done this year was...
Well i haven't done it yet, but....... 

If I were to get a tattoo anytime soon, it would be...
A picture of lamby

When I think about the GEC, I...
Think they make the best fridges

The rise of graphic art makes me think...
Oh well

I found the Bill Henson debate...
Tragic 

If I wasn’t so busy making art I would like to...
Always be making art 

In the next year I hope to achieve…
45 questions

Click here to view John Cottrell's gallery of works

The Drawing Group is Rene Bolten, Michelle Dawson, Hilary Herrmann, Kellie O'Dempsey and James Cruickshank. As a group of practicing artists they are endlessly grateful for the casual collision of circumstances two years ago that conspired to bring them together on a fortnightly basis. Drawn Together is a cross section of the work they have produced within these meetings.

See images from the exhibition here...

The Drawing Group sees this exhibition as a great opportunity to share the creative fun and explorations had over this time. What has naturally evolved in these sessions is a propensity to work in turn on each others artwork or to work collectively on one piece of work. Their combined skills have coalsced in such a way that defies dissection into who did what and in this way the finished artworks have come to have their own identity.  It is as though the five very different ways of seeing and mark making have created a 6th artist, or as Rene puts it, " 5 is more than 5, 5 is one"

The diversity of their individual practices is perhaps the key to the success of their collaboration. Such a collaborative process is a fine blend of respect, trust, and let go, of not worrying about the outcome or being too attached to individual mark making.  They all concur that what they do in these meetings feeds back into their individual practice.  James, never one to mince words reflects " While there is the simple pleasure of their company and working without  expectation... but what I really love  about working with these seasoned campaigners is I get to see how they solve problems and then steal their ideas for my own." For Kellie "drawing together resets my compass." And for Hilary it is, "fun, inspiring and reassuring..." Michelle simply speaks of it as "a tonic'

Each meeting is facilitated by a different artist who sets the exercise, be it a still life of apples or fish or the old surrealist game of "the Exquisite Corpse." The element of chance has become an important factor. The works from the series "Lucky Dip Words" involved pulling a word out of a paper bag and drawing it before passing it to the next person who drew a new word out and had to incorporate an image of that word into the existing picture, this process was continued until the drawings had gone full circle. These are the most narrative of the works produced by the group.

Over Christmas when the group scattered across the globe, they hit upon a game to keep them connected until meetings could resume. Each artist sent out 4 postcards they had altered in some way. The recipients in turn responded to the change and sent the card on to a new recipient who did likewise. The results of this process are the small artworks in the show entitled "Missing You".

ABOUT THE ARTISTS

In keeping with the spirit of their fortnightly meetings the Drawing Group drew names out of a hat  and took on the task of encapsulating what each member brings to these fortnightly Wednesday meetings.
Of each other they have this to say:

Hilary Herrmann
" Intrinsic and instinctual with a complexity that belies their primal execution, Hilary paints a world , her world with a stroke that can break you heart..."

Rene Bolten
"Whether drawing on the heritage of Rembrandt or the honesty of scratching  shoe polish across paper Rene Bolten’s work is always considered , mercurial  and tender."

Kellie O'Dempsey
 "a visual collision of line and energy."

Michelle Dawson
 "Michelle the artist is as Michelle the person, gentle, concerned, amusing." 

James Cruickshank
By emoting every mark he makes, be it with frustration, doubt, passion or pure joy, James constantly reminds us of the vulnerability, excitement and struggle of what we do.

The simple truth and affection of their responses perhaps best illustrates why they work so well together and why Rene Bolten sums up what The Drawing Group means to him by saying 'wish it was Wednesday."

At Retrospect we're very excited to announce that three of our artists have been selected as finalists in the Portia Geach Memorial Award. A Big Congratulations to Michelle Dawson, Jessica Geron and Maryanne Wick. It’s Australia’s most prestigious portrait prize for female artists and has greatly contributed to the development of female artists in this country. It was established by Florence Kate Geach in 1961 in memory of her sister, Portia Geach and is awarded each year to the best portrait painted from life of some man or woman distinguished in Art, Letters or the Sciences.

To find out more about the Portia Geach Memorial Award click here...

Maryanne Wick's painting,  Self Portrait (Reflection of a Night Painter)

Maryanne Wick draws attention to the incidental but often poignant moments we miss in our hectic day to day lives. Through painting, drawing and creating visual diaries, her subject matter focuses primarily on still life and figurative composition to convey - a sense of place - in quiet, unassuming ways. She has been described by art critic John McDonald (Sydney Morning Herald, 16 February 2008) as - an emerging painter with a subtle, distinctive touch.

See Maryanne Wick's profile here...

Michelle Dawson had an unheard of two entries selected as finalists in the prize her works are titled Sparrow Man and The Visitation shown below.

Born in New Zealand, Michelle moved to Australia in 1985. She has been working as a professional artist since 1996 and has studied both in Australia and the UK at the UCL Slade Art School. Michelle has been shortlisted for several major art prizes including the Bendigo drawing Prize and the Waterhouse Natural History Art Prize. She has twice represented Australia at the Intercontinental Biennale of Small Graphics in Romania and was shortlisted for the CBCA 2009 Crichton Award for Best New Illustrator.

See Michelle Dawson's artist profile here...

This is Jessica Geron's painting, Our Time

Jessica Geron graduated from the College of Fine Arts Sydney (MFA) and is currently working out of Brisbane. She has had numerous solo shows in the last decade as well as exhibiting extensively in NSW, QLD and VIC. Her works draw heavily upon iconography and grabbed moments of pop culture. She is a compulsive hoarder of imagery, cut outs, obscure film and discarded postcards. Her bold and colourful canvases are a buzzing reflection of this obsessive compulsion.

See her artist profile here...

Byron Bay artist Rene Bolton was profiled in Coast Living Magazine this month...

"Much like his art, Rene Bolten is gentle, humble and unassuming. But while his paintings are dark and sombre, he is friendly and quick to laugh - there's humour and kindness in his eyes. He was born in The Netherlands in 1954 and studied art at the Academy Reitveld in Amsterdam..." Rene is one of the five artists who is part of The Drawing Groups exhibition opening 6pm Friday at Byron Bay.

See The Drawing Group Show here...

Read this wonderful feature on one of our special artists Michelle Dawson in Coast Living Magazine.

"Living and working in an old church in Bangalow, Michelle Dawson is becoming known not only for her beautiful drawings of mythical creatures but for her talents as an illustrator of children's books... Michelle has a number of exhibitions lined up for the rest of the year, including a group show called Drawn Together at Retrospect Galleries in Byron Bay in September, and a solo exhibition- Snowing Down South at Retrospect Galleries Broadbeach in November."

What started with a Kodamatic camera in Alberto Sanchez's native Spain when he was a child has morphed into a multitude of awards, critical acclaim and, on Friday night an exhibition at Boradbeach's Retrospect Galleries. Check out the photos of some of our guests who attented the opening night.

Gold Coast art lovers are flocking to see a series of brightly coloured paintings at a Broadbeach gallery, but casing even more of a stir is the identity of the artists. Artslave is made up of two collaberators who have been producing bright synthetic resin artworks for years. But no one knows who they are. The two wear balaclavas and gas masks during the creation and exhibition of their work...