Friday 13 January to Wednesday 25 January
Opening 6pm Friday January 13

If anyone is in Singapore or knows someone who is, come and visit us at Stand J2 - F1 Pit Building, No. 1 Republic Boulevard, Singapore 038975

Friday 18th - Sunday 20th November, 2011

If anyone is in Singapore or knows someone who is, come and visit us at Stand J2 - F1 Pit Building, No. 1 Republic Boulevard, Singapore 038975

Friday 18th - Sunday 20th November, 2011

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."

Let’s simply start by saying two words, Bob Dylan - the revolutionary man that has changed minds & inspired millions. This legendary songwriter and musician arrived on the music scene back in the 1960’s and for almost half a century, has released an album each year shadowing the preoccupations of generations.

See from images of the exhibition here...

Bob Dylan's contributions to the music industry cannot be compressed into a single page much less a short paragraph. His song writing is often held as his highest accomplishment, blending textural visual images, a stream-of-consciousness lyrical attack, and time-honoured folk traditions to create a sound and sense that strike listeners as somehow new and ancient simultaneously. Dylan has shown steadfast devotion to traditions of American song, from folk and country/blues to rock 'n' roll and rockabilly, to Gaelic balladry, even jazz, swing and Broadway.

Retrospect Galleries thought it only fitting that this legend be honoured and celebrated with an exhibition that ponders, reflects and portrays Dylan in all of his glory. In this group show, Dirt Road Blues, artists respond to the legacy of his incredible lyrics and music.The multifarious works range from lyric interpretations right through to portraits of the great man in performance mode.

The Dirt Road Blues exhibition opens as the legend himself flies into town, ready to headline a powerhouse line-up at the 2011 Bluesfest.  This Byron Bay event won a swag of awards in 2010 including 2010 Australian Event of the Year, Best Cultural or Arts Event and the 2010 The International ‘A Greener Festival ‘Award. 

Interestingly, participating artists have commented that they actually enjoy painting or art making to Bob Dylan music! Contributing artists include Lisa Lee, Donna Malone, Craig Martin, Luke Hallam, Simon McLean, Sarah Crawford, Susan Gourley and Shane Martin.

Lisa Lee’s enigmatic and faceless portraits show a bluesy figure masterfully playing his apparatus. The fluid movement and intensity of the works capture the gestures of this musician faultlessly. Lee has also created an arresting image of Dylan, Man in the long black coat, walking soulfully with cigarette in mouth (pondering a lyrical creation?) – while the world rushes by.

Craig Martin’s delightful watercolour work The beautiful blues, shows a solitary figure, seated in a mystical forest, communing with his instrument – formulating notes that morph into flowers that make their way to a higher plane.

It could be said that Luke Hallam’s staring portrait in blue, titled Just Bob, reflects the intense spirituality of the man. Of all matters religious, Dylan once said “This is the flat-out truth: I find the religiosity and philosophy in the music. I don't find it anywhere else.”

The loose, energetic work of Sarah Crawford, The One you Love, features a combination of portrait and lyrical text – translating in image the fact that truly superior music does not date and that Dylan’s work holds a place that spans generations.

In 2008, Bob Dylan’s unique contributions to American arts and letters received acknowledgement in the form of a Pulitzer Prize. His is the first popular musician to receive the honour. The citation from the Pulitzer committee recognized his “profound impact on popular music and American culture, marked by lyrical compositions of extraordinary poetic power.”
Dare I say that this wide-ranging body of works reflects the depth of variation in Dylan’s own musical career?

Decide for yourself! Retrospect Galleries Byron Bay proudly and humbly honour this man with beautiful, humourous, enigmatic and energetic works on show from Thursday April 21 to May 10. Opening night Thursday April 21, 6pm.

Friday 2 December to Wednesday 21 December

Opening 6pm Friday December 2

At the end of each year we look forward to presenting our annual Petits Travaux, ‘smalls’ show, featuring over 300 unique artworks from 34 artists, each measuring 25cm x 25cm.  This is our chance to showcase some of our most popular artists from the year in miniature form and at matching miniature cost, and introduce you to some new faces.  This year people loved Simon McLean’s quirky illustrations and humourous text, which sold out within a few hours.  Other favourites included Craig Martin’s whimsical paintings, Mia Taninaka’s works on wood and Susan Gorley’s retro inspired screenprints.