It's all in the detail
Burra resident Sharon Field is a versatile woman. Not only is she the captain of the Burra Bushfire Brigade, she's also a talented botanical artist. She's currently showing 18 exquisitely rendered watercolour paintings of artefacts typical of summer in the Australian bush: remnants of a Christmas Beetle; chewed and scarred eucalyptus leaves, a yellow-winged grasshopper.
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The exhibition entitled Dead Leaf Dreaming: Echoes explores the idea of echoes – of what was, of colour, of name, of sound. The works are also small, echoing the smallness of the plants, animals and insects that inhabit our bush.
Field pushes the boundaries of traditional botanical art. Her work has a minimalist quality to it, while at the same time giving the viewer detail, beauty and dramatic form in what many would consider quite ordinary subject matter.
Field's work has been recognised internationally by the Society of Botanical Artists in the United Kingdom and she was a finalist in the Waterhouse National Science Art Prize. She has been twice selected as an artist in residence at Bundanon, the home of Arthur and Yvonne Boyd.
The exhibition is at the Suki & Hugh Gallery, 38A Gibraltar Street, Bungendore, until May 7.
Bach odyssey
Acclaimed pianist Angela Hewitt is on a Bach odyssey, touring the world with the composer's complete solo keyboard works. She's in Canberra on May 11, pairing Bach with Beethoven, Ravel, Scarlatti and Chabrier, and the night will feature a performance of Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata.
The daughter of a church organist in Ottawa, Canada, Hewitt grew up listening to Bach.
"To play Bach well, you don't have to be a believer," she says, "but I think you must have a knowledge of polyphony and realise that for Bach, music was an expression of his faith. I was lucky that I grew up listening to Bach from the beginning."
The concert is at Llewellyn Hall on May 11, 7pm. For bookings and further details, please visit www.musicaviva.com.au/Angela.
Collections at Collector
Robbie Howard returns to the (former) Lynwood Cafe as part of an exhibition of local artists. The Jug Show is a collection of paintings, prints and ceramics by regional artists including Patsy Hely, Jen Bell, Luke Chiswell, Alicia Mozqueira, Kate McKay, and Ann Hegyi. Howard, and her husband Alan, ran the successful cafe from 1998 to 2007, with many people making a day trip to Collector to sample her wares. The exhibition is being held in the Helen Stephens Gallery in the gardens of Some Cafe, 39 Murray St, Collector, until the end of May. The gallery is open Sundays from 11-4. Make a day of it and check out the award-winning Collector Wines Cellar Door.
Magic carpet ride
A rare silk carpet from the Ottoman Empire, made to commemorate the Turkish victory at Çanakkale, has been acquired by the Australian War Memorial.
The carpet was woven for Ottoman Minister of War Ismail Enver Pasha to commemorate the empire's naval victory over a combined British and French attempt to breach the Dardanelles in March 1915. The repulse of the allied fleet led directly to the assault on the Gallipoli peninsula by British, Commonwealth, and French forces on 25 April, and the gruelling eight-month campaign that followed.
Woven entirely of silk, the carpet depicts Gallipoli's principal battle sites in an outstanding example of late Ottoman textile art. Memorial Director Dr Brendan Nelson said it would add to the extensive collection of items relating to the Gallipoli campaign, being one of the few held by the Memorial that speaks from the Turkish perspective.
Only two carpets of this design are said to have been commissioned. The carpet acquired by the Memorial was purchased by a private collector in the early 1980s from a person believed to be a descendant of Enver Pasha.
Hindmarsh Prize nominees
There's a stellar list of nominees for this year's Hindmarsh Prize, which recognises excellence and promotes appreciation of the world-class glass artists who live and practice in the ACT and region. Established in 2016 by arts patron John Hindmarsh, the prize offers the winner $5000, a four-week residency at the Canberra Glassworks and $2500 in-kind freight from IAS Fine Art Logistics. Last year's winner was Masahiro Asaka.
The 2017 nominees are: Annette Blair, Lisa Cahill, Alexandra Chambers, Scott Chaseling, Erin Conron, Brian Corr, Mel Douglas, Rose-Mary Faulkner, Hannah Gason, Jennifer Kemarre Martiniello, Jeremy Lepisto, Catherine Newton, Peter Nilsson, Kirstie Rea, Tom Rowney, Harriet Schwarzrock, Yusuke Takemura, John White and Richard Whiteley.
The winner will be announced on June 9.
