The end of 2021 has been an exciting time for our Painting and Drawing Group.
After a second year of Zooming through lockdowns, we’re finally back at Eltham Guide Hall enjoying face-to-face sessions. Now, we’re planning, painting and presenting our work, we’re organising exhibitions and installing another street-art project. It’s been a busy time and one where we have seen a convergence of art and literature – our venues include a library and a bookshop and our output includes written, printed and visual art.
So what’s happening?
Eltham Bookshop
Leanne Ipsen took on the task of ‘dressing’ the entrance to the back of the Eltham Bookshop. With the help of Anthony Guilfoyle, Sue Bowles and Judy Vizzari, she designed and painted a mural depicting an enchanted forest and, with Adam Skipper’s assistance, it has now been erected at the bookshop back entrance.
A series of plaques painted by our artists, and based on popular children’s literature, have been attached by Leanne and Dennis Smedley and they provide a forest theme with ‘tree trunk’ collages and familiar book characters. This project has been further enhanced by the creation of tree trunks in the forest and further landscaping is to be carried out by local author and artist, Vicky Shukuroglou, who is greening the space with indigenous plants.
Art exhibition, Eltham Library
Between 17th December and 16th January, there will be an exhibition at Eltham Library based on our PANArt range of work created during 2020 and 2021. It will be the culmination of our artwork, film, print and 3-dimensional material produced during the Covid-19 pandemic. We were invited to display this work by the gallery and we’re proud to be doing so. Our tutor, Leanne Ipsen, has devoted many hours to facilitating the organisation of the exhibition and encouraging our members to produce artworks for it. She is working closely with Nillumbik Yarra Plenty Regional Library (YPRL) Curator, Renee Cosgrove. We welcome our U3A community to drop by to see the work.
Earthbound cafe exhibition
We have far more art than can fit into the Eltham Library exhibition so further examples of our work will be on show at the Earthbound cafe in Bolton Street, Eltham, in an ongoing display over the next few months.
More classes in 2022
Our class is substantially over-subscribed and so we have decided to offer an additional session next year (details still to be finalised).