Ephemeral Alchemy – the magic in art..
This collaborative exhibition entitled “Ephemeral Alchemy – the magic in art “ features the work of three distinctly different artists .
Ilona Lasmanis is a Canberra printmaker and mixed media artist. Robyn Diener, also from Canberra, is a well-known Textile Artist. Jan Ward, now based at the South Coast, is a watercolour and mixed media artist.
Ancient, classical elements such as Earth, Air, Fire and Water have been the inspirational base for creating artworks by all three artists.
For Ilona Lasmanis the process of creating a photo polymer etching is in itself an act of alchemy. The mere idea of a simple element such as sunlight having the power to transform a sliver of plastic into a permanent image is almost magical.
Although the final print is anything but ephemeral the light, time and water used to create it are all fleeting.
Robyn Diener uses textiles and related fibres to transform base materials into artworks that can cover walls, windows and the human form. She enjoys experimenting with a great variety of methods from complex cloth and dyeing to foiling and using embroidery techniques. In this exhibition Robyn has artworks built up from one layer, single image pieces to multi layered and textured complex creations.
Jan Ward’s veneration of nature is clearly evident in the beautifully crafted triptych icons celebrating the enduring power of trees. They are almost magical in their reminder of the ephemeral fragility of nature and what we can loose.
Jan has also turned her artist’s eye to the forest floor, a rich source of inspiration. Here nature presents her with the full story of life through the transmutation of the leaf litter and the “little critters” that work their magic.
The exhibition is at Strathnairn Arts Homestead Gallery from 13th Nov. to 30th Nov. with the opening Saturday 15th Nov. 4pm by Alaine King, president of Strathnairn Arts Assoc. Entry is free and open to all. For more information visit www.strathnairn.com.au