Today marks the beginning of a busy couple of weeks at the Ridge Artspace.
Zoe King from Hebel will open her first solo exhibition tonight, which will run until July 14. Meanwhile, seasoned exhibitor, Roslyn Brasier from the Blue Mountains will open her show on Saturday July 17.
Ms King has been experimenting with art since she studied it at high school.
During these early years Ms King also worked at the local markets making art and craft items including candles, dream catchers, small drawings and beadwork, to sell.
With her family’s encouragement Ms King enrolled in Studied Design Fundamentals at Orange TAFE where she honed her skills in a more formal environment.
Ms King began her artistic career as an inker and comic book artist. The popularity of her pen and ink illustrations lead to her being hired as an illustrator for a small, private publication, where she illustrated stories, articles and reader contributions for a number of years.
After successfully exhibiting her work in conjunction with artists from the Artist Directions Co-Op, Ms King began studying a Bachelor of Arts at the Australian Catholic University before eventually transferring to Griffith University and completing a degree in education. During this time she also worked as a studio photographer in a busy photographic studio on the Gold Coast.
Since completing her studies Ms King has taught students in schools across Queensland for the last five years.
The French impressionist and the surrealist Salvador Dali heavily influence Ms King’s artistic style. She uses bold colours to create strong emotive works which reflect her deep spirituality and affinity with her subject matter.
Like Ms King, Roslyn Brasier has been an enthusiastic artist from an early age. She drew frequently as a young child and painted or sketched whenever she could find some spare time growing up.
The quality of Ms Brasier’s work has been widely recognised. She has sold her work both nationally and internationally and has won various local prizes for her work.
Ms Brasier prefers to do traditional landscapes in oil but she uses other mediums as well.
Her inspiration comes from the places she has visited when travelling with her husband Frank by caravan all over Australia, which she describes as “a beautiful and diverse country.”
The main subjects of her work are old homes, tumble-down sheds, rickety fences and gum trees - lots of them in all their different shapes and colours.
Ms Brasier has been coming to visit Lightning Ridge for more than 20 years. She has many friends and relations who live here and has seen some great changes take place over the years - “some for the better,” she says, “but a little of the town’s old character has been replaced by modern lifestyles.”
Ms Brasier currently works as a casual nurse and midwife as well as teaching art, watercolour and oil painting, drawing and sketching at the Nepean Community College, which she loves.
Ms Brasier says she is willing to assist anyone who would like some instruction in any of these subjects whilst her exhibition is showing at the Ridge Artspace.
“Maybe you would like some help or even advice on how to get started on your artwork,” she said.
Ms Brasier encouraged residents to “just bring a favourite photo or work you have already done along (to the gallery) to have a chat.”
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