Katherine Hine and Maxine Price. Places and people of interest. Lynne Flemons. Walking at Weereewa: Abandoned shorelines.
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Form Studio and Gallery, 1/30 Aurora Ave, Queanbeyan. Tuesday to Friday 10am to 4pm, weekends 10am to 4pm, until May 24.
In the two current exhibitions at Form, two of the artists (Hine and Flemons) are very much concerned with "place", while the third's (Maxine Price) interest lies with people. Each artist's work is resolved and holds individual stylistic strengths that in combination provide an enjoyable experience for the viewer.
Apart from three works (Cat's 23 – 25) Kate Hine's exhibition is devoted to collage. It is an impressive body of work and clearly demonstrates the artist's considerable understanding of the efficacy of torn paper in combination with a range of mediums that include charcoal, graphite, pastel and linocuts. Hine's technique as explained in her artist's statement is particularly interesting. The present paper works are made by tearing up old drawings and rearranging the torn pieces into a landscape format. As her titles suggest (Memory of a landscape, Country landscape 1 and 2, Where are the trees for example) the reborn images are about her memories and experiences, real and imaginative. The combination of these elements with her astute use of collage has resulted in some captivating and impressive works. I was particularly taken by the tonal density of By the sea and By the river where the artist's use of pastel is especially appealing. The ostensible simplicity of her compositions allied with the clever use of layering is also seen in Country landscape 1 and Country landscape 2.
Hine capitalises on the torn edges of the paper and its affinities with natural topographies. The insertion of splashes of ochres and browns adds further to the landscape references. The interspersion of collaged and graphic elements works very well in linocuts and collaged works (Cat. 19 22). These are also characterised by a marvellous use of dense black that is particularly striking in combination with the insistent line of the linocuts.
The works on canvas have a more open presentation than the works above. The pictorial elements move the viewer through the surface in a sort of whimsical narrative not unlike Ken Whisson's idiosyncratic Italian landscapes.
Hine's work is shown with seven ceramic sculptures by Maxine Price. These works, the Icebreakers, present becapped female figures in swimming costumes. The muted pastels of the caps and the costumes have a "vintage" feel that seems particularly apt when looked at in relation to the postures and interrogative intimations that each protagonist holds. There is an air of ambiguity in Price's figures. While they can be read as humorous there is an edge of seriousness invested in them. This is also present in the way the figures confront not only the viewer but also themselves. Vulnerability is underscored by an implicit apprehension. The immanent plunge into the icy water serves as a metaphor for confronting some of the (unstated) larger issues of life. Price's figures are simultaneously both attractive objects and philosophical statements requiring more than visual enjoyment. They require more than an initial look.
Lynne Flemon's Walking at Weereewa: Abandoned shorelines in Gallery 2 is a charming exhibition. Like Hine she also uses collage to great effect. Abandoned shoreline IV is a beautiful piece in which striking colour contrasts, excellent understanding of the efficacy of subtle layering and contrasting shapes and palette combine to evoke the mysterious landscape that is Lake George. In other works the use of muted tones and soft veils of pale colour capture the quietly insistent changes that give this place its special significance. In Flemons's watercolours (A different kind of space I and II) the spare forms almost dance across the equally sparse surface of the paper in ways that speak of the movement of light and shadow across the surface of the lake. There is a poetic elegance present in this exhibition and it and Places and People of Interest provide a stimulating visual and imaginative experience.