The Art of the Everyday

"How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives" Annie Dillard, Author

I have been pondering this statement of late as I prepare for my upcoming SALA festival exhibition 'Gathered'. It is a reminder that what makes life meaningful, is not grandiose successes but the simple ordinary things we do each day. Through my paintings, and the actual painting process itself, it is my intention to tune into and pay attention to these beautiful, meaningful moments.  

 I look forward to sharing more with you about the exhibition shortly, but I can share with you for now that it will be held between 28 July to 31 August at the gorgeous homewares store Best Wishes in Adelaide's Burnside Village.

In the meantime, here is a peek into some behind the scenes progress!

Posy - A Floral Exhibition

‘Posy’ a floral painting exhibition generously hosted by Adelaide florist, Flowers Everywhere, from 4 August to 3 September. Featuring over 50 artworks by myself and fellow SA artists Pia Kuykhoven, Nicole Black, Eliza Koch and Jessica Royans, it was a delight to be a part of this artist-led exhibition for SALA festival 2023.

Jessica Royans, Alice Tilley, Pia Kuykhoven, Eliza Koch and Nicole Black

The Abundance Collection

Like so many artists, my garden is a constant source of inspiration feeding into my painting practice. I began gardening in all earnest when we moved to our farmhouse over a decade ago and it quickly became deeply entrenched into my lifestyle giving so much joy and comfort.

The Abundance Collection is a still life painting series celebrating the early autumn vegetable garden and orchard harvest - gluts of tomatoes and zucchini; the last of the eggplants, basil and cucumbers; the welcome arrival of apples and pears. So much more than a means to feed my family, nurturing and attending to these plants in my garden is a grounding experience of observing and connecting with nature and the seasons, an opportunity to slow down, a humbling act of optimism and hope.

Places of Eight

The 'Places of Eight' exhibition at Burra Regional Gallery is the result of twelve months creative development inspired by the individual regional locations of the eight artist from the Country Arts SA 2021 Nebula Program. Guided by Dr Sue Michael utilising a lens of transdisciplinary study, the artists consider how homes, towns, environments and the 'clearly invisible’ meaningfully intersect and connect to create a feeling of place.

Located across SA the ‘Places of Eight’ artists include Janelle Amos (Barossa), Jenny Bourne (Port Augusta), Emma Fuss (Port Lincoln), April Hague (Mount Gambier), Julie Lloyd (Burra), Ruth Maggie Morris (Nairne), Sally O'Connor (Mount Gambier), and myself. The exhibition has been the most wonderful opportunity to combine skills, experiences and expression; building momentum from when we first met last August at the Nebula Program. Through frequent zoom calls and a workshop with Dr Sue Michael in March this initial connection and support network has further been enriched.

Showing from 4 August to 18 September 2023, 'Places of Eight' is curated by Kerry Youde and supported by the Burra Regional Art Gallery, The Regional Council of Goyder and the Australian Governments Regional Arts Fund.

Alice Tilley, Janelle Amos, Emma Fuss, April Hague, Julie Llyod, Ruth Maggie Morris, Sally O’Connor, and Jenny Bourne.

Finding Place

Through my 2021 Nebula network I have had the pleasure of undertaking studies into the concept of ‘place’ with SA artist and academic Dr Sue Michael. The Nebula group (consisting of eight regional SA female artists) were successful in receiving a grant from Country Arts SA to undertake the studies with Sue, working together towards a group exhibition at Burra Regional Art Gallery this August.

As a landscape painter the opportunity to further delve into concept of place has been extremely valuable. We have been encouraged by Sue to get curious and explore a chosen place through the framework of the interactions between its people; physicality (geography, landmarks etc); and genius loci (spirit of place). My place of residence, the family farm Invermay has been a source of inspiration in recent years, thus was an obvious choice for my ‘place’. Located on Ngadjuri country 8km north of Kapunda, Invermay is a broadacre cereal cropping and sheep farm dating back to the mid 1800s.

Showing from the 30th May to 25th June at Kapunda cafe 2B Nourished, the Finding Place collection is a selection of landscape paintings resulting from my place studies observing the people, environs and essence of my immediate rural and agricultural landscape at Invermay. This landscape is not only the back-drop to my family’s daily life, it is at the core of our lifestyle and livelihoods as farmers and land custodians. Keenly in-tune and attentive, I am seeking to represent the seemingly ordinary and typically overlooked places and moments in this landscape.

The final outcome of the place studies is the earlier mentioned group exhibition titled ‘Places of Eight’ showing at Burra Regional Gallery from 4 August to 18 September. I have been working on a large scale triptych which will be joining the diverse works of the talented Nebula artist’s: Janelle Amos, Jenny Bourne, Emma Fuss, April Hague, Julie Lloyd, Ruth Maggie Morris and Sally O’Connor. Can’t wait!

My own creative space

I am still pinching myself that I have a studio to call my own. After many years of creating art from all corners of our family home - a challenging experience at times with active little children, poor lighting and lack of space - the studio space feels completely luxurious.

View of studio shed from house

Located a short stroll from our house, the studio is a converted disused workshop on our farm. The conversion was largely driven by my number one fan/ husband, Jarred from the many months of sorting through and removing 40+ years of farm stuff to liaising with the builders to make it happen. There is still a bit of work to be done, most pressing is to get the plumbing sorted in the bathroom and toilet therefore saving me many trips up to the house each day!

I've moved my 20+ years of accumulated art stuff in and have set myself up for some epic art making!! A bit of imposter syndrome has set in but mostly I am very excited - so fortunate to have such a large, functional space to call my own.

Reflecting on The 100 Day Project

The #100dayproject2021 creativity challenge is finally complete!! 100 days may have turned into 362... I did give myself the more realistic target of completing the 100 days over the calendar year. Got there in just the nick of time finishing on the 28 December!

The aim of the project is to simply commit to 100 days of creativity in whatever form you choose and share it on social media. I really enjoyed undertaking the project - the accountability and emphasis on play, especially trying new processes and tools were all positives.

I partly undertook this project to help define my ‘artistic voice’. Strong themes did emerge some of which I was already aware of such as my preference for bold colours and subject matter inspired by my day-to-day life, but others like the use of circles, black line and craft paper also showed-up.

As the year went on I definitely found myself loving collage combined with drawing - it has planted the seed to explore this combo further going forward. - stay tuned!

'Land & Sky' SALA exhibition

Taking place as part of the South Australian Living Artists (SALA) festival my first solo exhibition ‘Land & Sky’ was held during August ‘21.

The concept of the exhibition was driven by my desire to play and experiment with different mediums and processes while responding to my local landscape. Living in a regional area part of a farming family, my immediate rural and agricultural environs are integral to my wellbeing. Nature’s beauty provides constant inspiration as expressed in the mixed media paintings of a seen and experienced place or moment in the landscape. This awareness of nature and the complex relationship we have with the land and our environment for survival has only been heightened with the real threat of climate change already being felt by changing weather patterns and the frequency and severity of extreme weather. ·

I approached local cafe, 2B Nourished in Kapunda SA as I wanted an accessible, friendly venue and it felt appropriate to stay local seeing as the paintings were inspired by the surrounding landscape. I also exhibited the works online via my website for those further afield.

A huge thanks to Light Regional Council; Kylie at 2B Nourished; those who came to have a look; and those who purchased works from the show - it was very exciting to have all paintings find new homes apart from two of the small studies!!

Nebula

Nebula 2021 - three jammed packed days of workshops, forums, chats and gallery visits facilitated by Country Arts SA.

Meeting in Adelaide, myself and seven other regionally based SA visual artists where blown away and completely spoilt with the generous knowledge shared and inspiration gained from other artists, gallery directors and industry peers. Aiming to nurture and extend creative arts practices, and build skills and knowledge to help grow our artistic careers, Nebula did not disappoint.

Opportunities like this don’t come around often and I am so very thankful to be included. Even though the program itself has concluded, I have gained a lovely community of fellow artists and am very excited about what the ‘21 Nebula crew have install. Stay tuned!

'Emergence' - Barossa Vintage Festival art prize

The biannual Barossa Vintage Festival art prize hosted by Barossa Regional Gallery is a rare opportunity for artists from across the region to exhibit together. It was wonderful to see a diverse range of works in various mediums responding to the theme ‘emergence’ as described by the gallery as "the process of becoming visible after being concealed – into existence, into prominence… As our lives unfurl across unexpected times, we are launched into a regenerative space of creation and renewal… Emergence can be physical or deeply emotional, where what was inside is now outside. A connection between past and future. It can spell hope or catastrophe.”

I had a bit of fun with the theme, and used it as an opportunity to push myself outside of my comfort zone playing with mediums, techniques and subject matter. The final piece featured a single stem of the agapanthus flower that was in abundance in my garden at the time. The agapanthus flower was symbolic of the emergence of beauty in a harsh and hostile environment (my very hot, dry summer garden!).

‘Flourish’ was also a reflection of my journey as an artist expressed through the exploration and layering of mediums and techniques. As an artist ultimately I am seeking an authentic creative expression that reflects my core values, identity and aesthetic. It is through maintaining a dedicated artistic practice that explores and develops skills and ideas that my own artistic voice will emerge.

I am delighted to hear that the painting struck a connection with a viewer and will be soon heading off to its new home in Sydney.

100 days of creativity

Towards the end of 2020 I was feeling in a bit of a rut. Unable to pin down whether I had grown stale of the still life genre; working in oils; or if the more technical aspects of painting (composition, colour etc) were causing me grief (or a combination of all three!). So this year I have decided to put a concerted effort into being more playful and developing my skills. To give me some motivation and accountability I have jumped on board the the100dayproject - simply put its a commitment of 100 days of creating. For me the aim of the project is to play and experiment without the pressure of producing a finished, polished artwork.

Anyone can participate (1,000s are involved globally) and you set your own parameters. Mine are:
- keep it simple, 5-10 min drawings/ sketches
- experiment with mediums, specifically focusing on collage
- do it when I can (I know there is no chance of completing 100 days consecutively, so aiming for 100 semi-consecutive days - however long that takes!)

Officially starting on Jan 31 I cheated and got cracking at the start of the year, here are some pics from my journal thus far.

Covid 19

To tell you the truth our household has not been hugely affected by the changes brought on by the COVID 19 pandemic. Apart from a stint of home-schooling and a quieter social life, our lifestyle choices, occupations and rural location have smoothed the transition. For this I am largely thankful for.

Our lifestyle choices compliment our desire for living a relatively simple lifestyle. I have long been unimpressed by our society’s glorification of being ‘busy’. It has been intriguing to see people during this period rediscovering simple pleasures such as being in nature, baking, growing food, being creative… all things they were too ’busy’ to do prior. For me all these things are non-negotiable must-dos bringing so much sustenance and joy. Hence my artworks often reflecting these themes.

Yet again I am reminded of why I love living on the land. We are blessed with plenty of space all to ourselves. We are not cooped up on a suburban block and can walk/ run/ ride/ explore to our hearts content. Our out-of-town location has seen our home long double as our local café/ pub/ gym.

Despite the current challenges, something about this strange time, has awakened a personal confidence and acceptance of my artistic practice. I work from home, usually in isolation. I am use to spending large amounts of time on my own and have a largely introverted personality that is very ok with that. Online tools, especially social media allow and empower artist’s to share and make a living from their work beyond brick-and-mortar galleries. Overall I feel positive about the future of the visual arts as perhaps people are steering towards more nurturing values and interests.

I am missing the comfort and love of being with family; a good laugh over dinner and drinks out with friends; the escapism and inspiration found when travelling. However overwhelmingly I am truly grateful that my immediate family is in a position to continue to live largely unaffected and that I can continue to paint and create. 

‘Sign of the times’ acrylic on canvas
Stealing moments to sneak into the studio while home-schooling in April I had a lot of fun creating this expressive abstract painting utilising an used toilet paper roll for the final touches!