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Past Exhibitions

Small Things: Katie Kitchen

Small Things is the result of a challenge: draw thirty one-inch square drawings in thirty days.

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So, Katie Kitchen rose to the challenge and created a fantastic exhibition of delightful Small Things.

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I loved them when they appeared daily on Instagram and thought then they would make a fabulous exhibition. I was right!

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Some are comfy, homey things (like Katie’s cat family, one at a time). Others are confronting (like a bulldozer razing the much loved Hajek sculpture from the Festival Centre Plaza). And yet others might even be seen as everyday, or even a little mundane.

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But Katie has given each of them a life of its own – and given September 2018 a sense of life that it might not otherwise have had.

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We aren’t able to feature all of the pieces here, so, while you still can, drop in to Mrs Harris’ Shop and see them for yourself. A word of warning though . . . they’re selling like hotcakes, so you’ll need to be quick.

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If all else fails and you can’t check Small Things out ‘in the flesh’, go Katie’s website for a look. If there’s a favourite that’s still available, email the gallery with your details and we can arrange a remote transaction!

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Small Things is open on Saturdays and Sundays 11am – 3pm and closes on Sunday 28 July.

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Past Exhibitions

Through the looking glass: Emma Klau

Photographer: Michael Haynes

 

To brighten up our chilly winter days, vibrant Adelaide glass artist, Emma Klau brings a splash of colour and fantasy to Mrs Harris’ Shop, with her beautiful exhibition, Through the looking glass. . .

Photographer: Michael Haynes

 

Emma says, ‘My work is a playful juxtaposition of reality and fantasy’. These pieces are floating in the realm of imagination, exploring playful notions of the dream state.’

The work is inspired by the 1872 Lewis Carol novel, and the well-known and loved illustrations by John Tenniel.

 

Emma takes a utilitarian object like a coffee cup (to keep one foot in realty) and when she steps through the looking glass, the cup magically evolves into something of her imagination.

Photographer: Michael Haynes

 

‘My dreams often reflect childhood realities, letting go of the mundane constraints of daily life to view something magical or super real.

Both my artistic and design practice in glass utilize the surreal nature of the material. Molten glass moves and dances, and I feel the work I produce must move and dance as well, for each to form a story of its own.

 

My training as a production blower allows me to play with multiples, and my ideas play with the whimsical side of glass. I use rich bold colours to enhance the super realism of my work.’

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Past Exhibitions

Out of Context: Jorji Gardener

For her first solo exhibition, Jorji Gardener has created a ‘core sample’ of human existence.

During two archaeological digs, as artist in residence, she explored, collected, sketched and immersed herself in the lives of archaeologists and the mid-nineteenth century Irish settlers who populated an area at Bakers Flat, near Kapunda.

Don’t forget your shovel

The digs, led by Susan Arthure from Flinders University, were conducted in 2016 and 2017 and explored the narrative of this community.

And Mother sewed her own dress

Jorji has used printmaking, drawing, photocollage and installation to portray the lives of the Irish settlers, and the lot of the archaeologist.

Out of Context: installation – kitchen dresser, mixed media

Reflecting the centre of the Irish home, she has used an antique dresser to display aspects of life at the time. There is ‘china’ created from photographs of found remnants, a ‘doll’s house’ of furniture portraying family life, core samples of earth and rock from the site and, on the reverse, a huge sand timer constructed from the dresser drawers and the etching plates from some of the works. It is also decorated with maps of the site, created as work on the dig progressed.

Tea time pieces

Wall works include dry-point etchings, mixed media pieces, plus photographs and drawings of the archaeologists at work.

Stories from the kitchen drawer; drypoint etching

In addition, tools from the dig sit side-by-side with artist books: one features excerpts from Susan’s field journal, the other constructed with book-ends and prints of a sieve operator.

Frieze frame, artist book

Jorji has created a delightful exhibition, oozing history and expressing her commitment to, and love of fine detail.

Square one, drypoint etching, mixed media

Out of Context features in the program for South Australia’s History Festival and finishes on Sunday 26 May.

Metamorphosis, mixed media

 

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Past Exhibitions

End of the Night

End of the Night brings together four artists – three from Australia, and one from Nepal.

Ragini Upadhyay from Nepal, was the catalyst for the exhibition, shown recently in Victoria as part of the Castlemaine State Festival, and eventually to show in Nepal at Kathmandu’s Nepal Art Council Gallery and at the Pokhara Art Gallery in Pokhara.

Ragini Upadhyay – Heart in Nature

Ragini is the manager/owner of an artist’s residency, Ragini’s Art Village in Balkot in the Kathmandu Valley, where the three Australian printmakers, Jackie Gorring, Diana Orinda Burns (from Victoria) and Sandra Starkey Simon (from Adelaide) had stayed and worked.

Diana Orinda Burns – Vesica Piscis: The land down under

Keen to reach out and establish ties between her country and the rest of the world, Ragini contacted the three Australian artists in late 2017, with the idea of a group show to re-kindle a bond formed several years ago.

Jackie Gorring – They notice the pelican

The idea for End of the Night was sparked by the untimely death of her daughter, Shivata. Ragini formed the Shivata Love Foundation in her honour to assist young Nepalese girls otherwise unable to afford an education.

In the exhibition, the artists explore the themes of death and renewal through their works on paper, created using a variety of printmaking techniques.

Sandra Starkey Simon – Storm 4, featuring her grandmother, mother and self

Printmaking exhibitions have always been a favourite at Mrs Harris’ Shop. They’ve been well supported by the broad Adelaide printmaking community and the gallery-visiting public in general.

Don’t miss your chance to explore and enjoy this fabulous exhibition!

 

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Past Exhibitions

time to begin . . .

Welcome back to Figs and Cheese: Ros McDougall, Lindi Harris, Jenny Dupont and Jo Gilbert.

Jo Gilbert’s Mildred

This new exhibition is a happy/sad occasion. Two years ago, Figs and Cheese staged a very successful exhibition, Fragments, here at Mrs Harris’ Shop. At that stage, there were five Figgies.

Sadly, one of their number, Valerie Lewis died suddenly last year.

Ros’ Gum leaves

The remaining Figgies approached me to see if it would be possible to hold an exhibition in honour of Valerie.

By then, the calendar for 2019 was full – except for a two week hiatus between Fringe and getting back on track to our monthly exhibitions.

Jenny’s Canals of Venice

So, this rather beautiful exhibition can’t be around for long, but it goes a long way to acknowledge their friendship, interests shared with, and admiration for Valerie.

In the main, printmaking is the main medium, but you’ll also see some watercolour and textile work.  It’s worth taking the time to examine each and every one of them – from Jo Gilbert’s fabulous and just a little bit quirky Mildred, to Jenny’s watercolours, Ros’ delicate print and stitch textile works and Lindi’s gorgeous array of prints.

Lindi’s Pond

Each of the Figgies created a special piece in honour of Valerie, based on a poem delivered at her funeral. Interestingly, each of them chose to portray a common theme – and they are decidedly special!

 

 

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Past Exhibitions

Connected by thread: stitching the 1930s

Fringe time is always a time of plenty. Exhibitions abound, along with myriad events and performances clamouring for a slice of your time.

Allow yourself time to travel back to the 1930s and enjoy the works of Connected by Thread in their 2019 Fringe exhibition.

Connected by Thread is a group of six textile artists who share a passion for working with fabric and thread.

This exhibition reflects their diversity in styles and response to their chosen theme, inspired by the 1930s era of Mrs Harris’ Shop.

The seed for the exhibition was planted when one of their number, Christine Bowden, discovered a pristine set of Margery Pym’s cotton twill sheets, in an op shop and still in their original packaging from Manton’s Department Store (built in 1937) in Melbourne.

The artists, Sue Whittaker, Wendy Redden, Sue Buxton, Margaret Carberry, Victoria Pitcher and Chris each chose different approaches, including stitch, collage, found objects, textile paint, plant dyes and the like. They have incorporated vintage material and motifs, found fabric from the era, thread, paper and vintage notions to create a wide array of works, reflecting the era, and with a nod to art deco and art nouveau.

Chris Bowden sought to evoke the atmosphere of this era with its stylised advertising, musical evenings, pleasure of hand embroidery and the necessity to sew and repair. In using recycled materials throughout the pieces, she has upheld Manton’s motto It’s smart to be thrifty.

The perfect dive

Sue Buxton’s works include two pieces based on designs of the ticket booth in the Capri Cinema at Goodwood, a fine example of art deco. A third uses found objects to recall the era.

The black booth

Margaret Carberry used furnishing fabric in simple lines, shapes and stitch to portray the parties and fun of a lavish lifestyle – such a relief from Depression era restraint.

Free in my mind

Wendy Redden creates amazing vessels, using paper, hand-dyed fabric, colours and motifs of the era – including one from the stained glass door in Mrs Harris’ Shop. In general, the vessels are decorative, rather than utilitarian – so you can just enjoy looking at them!

Silk Road

Victoria Pitcher has used stitches to contrast wealth and depression, luxury and making do, fear and hope, strength and determination – her pieces focus on the women of the time, their aspirations and hardships.

Evening bag

Sue Whittaker has stitched layers of fabric with hand-guided machine embroidery, using a layer of batiste to mute the underlying colours – much like the passage of time does to memories. Motifs for the works were taken from tiles, household item, ceiling plasters and pressed metal panels from the period.

Lamplight

Connected by Thread is on show until Sunday 17 March.

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Past Exhibitions

Insert: Sue Michael, Janette Gay, Gilbert Roe

What a terrific way to welcome you to our program for 2019!

 

This exhibition forwards undertakings that carry the lived experience of three Adelaide based artists. They are not big ‘showy’ pieces that carry provocation, nor works specifically made for a paying public to file past for its scrutiny (a somewhat brutal pastime), for they carry the essence of the private open-ended play of an artist. Many of these works are more akin to ‘kitchen table art’, where we have walked through the artists’ home to glean samples of their gentle explorations of the world around them.  Here, efforts have been extended to consider their own experiences with landscape, and the artworks simple forms may belie the decades of their travel through actual landscapes.

Janette Gay’s Street collage

For Janette Gay the perceived patterns and grids of the natural environment have inspired altered vistas that are now made permanent; a glance secured.  Her paper collages carry the heart-felt gaze of wide landscapes, whilst her etched glass pieces are inspired by the unlimited reflections and patterns of the sea and sky scapes, both with an abstracted and simplified essence.

Janette’s Ripples series (this one in context, showing its frame)
Ripples 1 (this one showing detail)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Gilbert’s Speculative Landscape series

Gilbert Roe has allowed himself the unbridled capacity to map imaginary landscapes. Experimentation with lumen prints carry their new marks to become a sort of speculative, personal universe. The careful details and view ‘from the clouds’ suggests an uncommon re-imagining of the lie of the land.

Another from Gilbert’s Speculative Landscape series

 

Sue’s favourite: Radish umbrellas

SueMichael has removed old book images of Australian landscape and collaged them into Northern Hemisphere scenes as a way to transfer a sort of symbolic ancient, earth energy back to Europe. Shapes are harmonious in their hues with the occasional addition of watercolour, all to prevent the ‘usual’ ruptures, jarring and potential contrasts of collage in the final scene.

The crowd favourite: Sunbath

Each body of work carries layered art materials, but also forwards the suggestion of further layered meanings. Small frayed edges lifted creases and contrasting objects all could be metaphorically seen as subtle new entry points that we can take to our own places of interest.  Above all, the heart as a sensory organ has been utilised and findings inserted into these interpretations of Australian landscape.

Janette Gay, Sue Michael, Gilbert Roe

January 2019

A big ‘thank you’, too, to Vivonne Thwaites from the fabulous artroom5, for opening Insert. What a fabulous evening we had!

Mrs Harris’ Shop is open on Saturdays and Sundays from 11am – 3pm. Drop in to see Insert until Sunday 10 February, or by appointment at other times.

 

 

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Past Exhibitions

The Reef and its Heroes: Alvena Hall

Alvena Hall’s name is synonymous with textile art in South Australia and her work is held in collections across the world.

Of dreams and memories . . .

In this, her second exhibition at Mrs Harris’ Shop, she pays tribute to the heroes of the Great Barrier Reef and their untiring efforts to preserve this natural wonder. (Her first exhibition was Landscape and Lace, dedicated to the Ediacara fossils of the Flinders Ranges.)

Eyes on the reef

The collection came about when she discovered the writings of William Saville-Kent from 1893.

Sea serpent

She set off for the Reef and was hooked!

After several visits, some to quite remote places, and many conversations with those devoted to the preservation of this amazing habitat, she set about recording her passions in her favourite medium: fabric. You’ll find quilting, applique, lace, embroidery, hand-dyed fabric . . . the list goes on.

Emma’s eye on the reef

She has captured the colours and complexities of the marine life in magnificent detail – and I apologise that the standard of photography here really does not do them justice.

Storm

My only suggestion is to visit the gallery and see these fabulous works ‘in the flesh’.

Portraits: Tim Winton (Patron, Australian Marine Conservation Society), Poet, Judith Wright, Ron and Valerie Taylor.

Along with underwater scenes featuring a huge variety of marine life, she has also created an array of portraits of the Reef’s heroes, including poet Judith Wright, author Tim Winton and a range of scientists who have dedicated their careers to the Reef.

Isobel Bennett, Len Zell and Emma Camp

The Reef and its Heroes is on show at Mrs Harris’ Shop on Saturdays and Sundays (11am – 3pm) until Sunday 16 December.

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Past Exhibitions

At Home on Yorke Peninsula

Each year, we celebrate the artists of regional South Australia. Without fail, it is a celebration to delight.

This year, on my behalf, Edithburgh resident and artist Rick Hutchinson approached several Yorke Peninsula artists to take part in this year’s event.

The result is a vibrant exhibition featuring five artists from southern Yorke Peninsula: Rick, Harry Koch, Jess McDonald, Antoinette McLean and Terry Braund.

The artists have given us a terrific assortment of works within their own contributions – and this in turn has created a diverse and fun exhibition. It’s replete with the colours and sights we all associate with Yorke Peninsula.

The exhibition is reminiscent of a visit to the Peninsula, without the three hour drive!

Tidal Zone

Think of the rock pools and beaches that are so much a part of these visits – Rick has captured them to a ‘T’ in his bursting-with-colour paintings. Then, to give us an added taste of fun, he’s created a zany (prize-winning) sculpture that’s standing sentinel over the gallery.

 

Maid of Honour

For fans of printmaking, Jess has served up several delightful prints and the most delicate watercolour. These really are a ‘must’ to see!

After the Surf

Terry has transported us to the beaches of the Peninsula with his selection of water colours. He’s definitely struck a chord with our visitors – swimmers, fishermen and surfers alike.

Roses

And, Antoinette’s garden is clearly a winner! This beautiful rose is from that garden and her still life of produce clearly demonstrates its productivity!

With so much coastline on Yorke Peninsula, it’s a given that the sea and the beach should have a strong presence in the work of these artists.

Rimple

Photographer Harry is no exception. But no rolling waves or vast expanses of beach for Harry – his micro-views are full of texture and movement and I can almost feel the sand and the water as they tumble around.

Don’t miss this opportunity to visit At home on Yorke Peninsula – we don’t always get to see the fabulous work that our talented regional artists produce.

PS Don’t forget that Christmas is coming – now is a great time to start shopping for a gift that is not only different, it supports local artists. It’s a way of giving twice!

 

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Past Exhibitions

A Private Voice: Nazli Jianfar

My advice to you for October: make a determined effort to visit Mrs Harris’ Shop to see A Private Voice, a striking collection of paintings and life drawings, and the first solo exhibition for artist Nazli Jianfar.

United Isolation (Photograpy: Grant Hancock)

 

For Nazli, a work of visual art expresses more than words can convey. She believes that the complexities of her life experience are best seen, rather than heard, or read about. Rather than expressing her inner world verbally, or emotionally, she presents her memories, feelings and experiences on canvas.

Nazli was born in Iran and experienced subsequent war, revolution, famine and disaster. Her family was subjected to political imprisonment and the consequent shame, separation and social upheaval.

It was in this environment that she studied graphic design at the University of Art and Architecture in Tehran, and worked for one unsatisfying year as a graphic designer. It was clear that she needed to follow her heart and her passion.

Peace seeks a Home (photography: Grant Hancock)

Over several years, she worked with teachers and mentors, Gholamhossein Nami and Pooya Aryanpour, two of Iran’s best known and highly regarded artists.

It was Nami’s assistant who encouraged her to attend life drawing classes – an activity unavailable to anyone, male or female. She was not even aware of this area of art practice but she now acknowledges its important part in her development as an artist.

Life drawing (photography: Grant Hancock)

‘At this time’, says Nazli, ‘the very act of life drawing was dangerous. It had to be done in secret and we were constantly in fear of incarceration.’

Then, Aryanpour encouraged her to ‘push the limits of composition’, to look inside, to take time and to explore. She worked hard at finding her own voice in her drawing and painting.

Life drawing (photography: Grant Hancock)

This advice manifests itself in her life drawing . . . She says, ‘Life drawing slows down my looking, while I’m taking my time to connect and record the essence of the moment.’

Life drawing (photography: Grant Hancock)

The series of six acrylic works on canvas, created since her move to Australia, reveals a chronological sequence of experiences.

Connection in Solitude (photography: Grant Hancock)

‘The process of creating them has gifted me a sense of meaning and peace that increasingly shone through my work as time progressed,’ Nazli says.

Her art tells of these memories and experiences, expressing dark and light, and offering to the viewer the hope of beauty where there appears to be none, positivity within the negative and growth within adversity.

To add to your experience of this powerful exhibition, set aside time for a chat with Nazli.

A Private Voice is showing on Saturdays and Sundays, 11am – 3pm until the end of October.