Fat Tuesday Kloof

questions and answers with Coral and Di on Saturday the 17th December 2011 at 10.30am

 

Lifelines is a collaborative exhibition by Coral Spencer and Di van Wyk.

Both artists have drawn their inspiration from past photographs and memories to  form the two ribbons of artwork that run the length of the gallery.
The images are nostalgic and emotive.

What is also interesting is how the two dialogues compliment each other.Prices vary according to size.

The opening reception is at 6pm Monday the 5th of December 2011

Join us on Saturday the 19th of November 2011 at 10am for a walk about with artists's Sue Whitmore and Anne Cleveland. They will walk through the exhibition chatting about their technique and explaining the thoughts behind the artworks.

It is also Fat Tuesday's 4th birthday so we will be enjoying some cake and champagne too!

Opening Tuesday 15 November 2011 at 6pm with a walk about on Saturday 19 November 2011 at 10am

Sue Whitmore and Anne Cleveland are having a combined exhibition but with 2 titles.
Each artist will use a seperate wall to present their paintings.

 Carpe Diem by Sue Whitmore

Watching your child grow up brings with it a rollercoaster of emotions – emotions that are stronger and deeper than one would ever have imagined. It also opens your eyes to things that, we as adults, tend to forget as we prioritize, organize and structure our lives. As an only child, my son has always surrounded himself with friends, keeping our home alive with kids, noise and laughter. As I grow older and hopefully wiser, I have started to notice the incredible value of innocence, of seizing the moment and living it with the abandonment of pure unfettered enthusiasm. Hence the theme of this exhibition” Carpe Diem”.

It all started with a few random sketches of Matthew and his friends at the beach and progressed to more and more time filled with capturing moments in their lives. Thinking about “seizing the moment”, I started to notice so many more instances of this “joie de vivre” in life. People of all ages have times that lift them from the mundane and elevate the moment to one of uncomplicated happiness. Even the joy of inhaling the scents of the early morning in the garden and picking a random bunch of flowers to drench your home with that sweetness. I once read what I believe to be inspirational words on how to be an artist and I have kept these words to remind myself when I forget. I believe we should all live our lives like this so read on and consider freeing up your responsibilities to capture the moments out there.

“HOW TO BE AN ARTIST”

Stay loose, learn to watch snails, plant gardens, make friends with freedom and uncertainty, look forward to dreams, cry during movies, swing as high as you can on a swing by moonlight, refuse to be “responsible”, do it for love, smell the flowers, take lots of naps, give money away, do it now the money will follow, believe in magic, laugh a lot, celebrate every gorgeous moment, take moonbaths, have wild imaginings, giggle with children, listen to old people, open up, dive in, be free, bless yourself, drive away fear, play with everything, entertain your inner child, get wet, hug trees, write love letters and CARPE DIEM.

Painting for this exhibition has not only been an artistic journey, it has also been a journey of incredible awareness to those moments in life that make our souls sing and our hearts peaceful. I hope that you will enjoy the art as much as I enjoyed creating it.

 

CONSERVATION OF WETLANDS by Anne Cleveland

 

Habitat of Waterbirds

My deep interest in birds started when I was a child in England. Many people feed birds there, especially in the snowy winter months when food is scarce, and many varieties of bird become very tame. The different species have distinct characters and their antics fascinated me as a child.

Here in South Africa there are a much greater variety of species, ranging in nature from shy and retiring, to flamboyant players in the theatre of life.

Conservationists have in recent time started working closely with farmers to try to avoid the extinction of species through poisoning, and they are having some success.

A most noticeable example has been in the southern Drakensberg. Early this month I saw a very large flock of over 40 crowned cranes performing their mating dances in harvested maize land and it was evident that farmers in this area are using less pesticides and helping to re-establish the balance of nature. These Crowned Cranes, on the highly endangered list, are becoming far more prevalent in this area of the Drakensberg.

I have made a small collection of paintings of waterbirds, to share my interest and also to highlight certain characteristics.

 

 Into the Light

25 October 2011 - 12 November 2011

The works in this exhibition represent some of the best images of a number of years of doing work for the Ubuntu Community Chest, Durban. The Chest, 80 years old this year was founded in 1931 by the citizens of Durban, and spearheaded by then Mayor Greenacre.

To this day, it relies on donor support from individuals, companies and trusts. Some organizations have been supporting the Chest for the full 80 years of its existence. The Chest in turn helps support nearly 100 charities across Durban, ranging from the young, to the old, to the mentally challenged and the terminally ill. It has a proud history of volunteerism and non-corruption and is one of Durban's most worthy causes.

The aim of this exhibition is to both celebrate the 80 years that the Ubuntu Community Chest, Durban has worked for the citizens of Durban, and also to create awareness of the valuable work it does.

Peter Bendheim is a documentary photographer from Durban, South Africa.

His work has been published in a number of books, magazines and other publications.

He has had several exhibitions, both solo and group. His solo exhibition, "Snaps" is part of the Durban Art Gallery's collection.

His interests lie in documenting people and places, with a preference for city life across the world, and for social issues, believing that images can alter our perceptions and drive us to our own social action, no matter how big or how small that may be.

Images are a limited series of 5 each printed on fine art paper. Unframed prints signed and numbered and are R1000 each. All proceeds are for charity and not for the photographer.

 All are invited to attend the opening tonight at 6pm

 Parking is on the Campus grounds and please remember there will be a cash bar.
 Bellevue Cafe is open for those wanting to stay for dinner but book a table to avoid
 disappointment.

 Jeff will be hosting a walk about on Saturday at 10am to discuss the work.

Artist’s Statement

My affair with Printmaking began as an art student in
Durban and the UK in the early 1970’s. It continues today at the Albatross
Studio, which I built next to my home on the East Cape coast, having settled
here in 1993.

In this place of thornbush, stunning beauty and
conflicted history, I’ve found myself working on woodcuts for 10 years or so,
because the medium relates to the place. The block is normally used to produce
print editions, but I’ve also enjoyed seeing the original block become the
artwork, a vessel to carry my subject, defined by the relief of the surface and
colours in mixed media.

I have also had the need to revisit my love of drawing.
As well as woodcut, this exhibition includes a mix of drawing and the lush inked
colours of monotype. Most of the works are small in scale; all of them are
vessels for the metaphors I use, for stories told in this peculiar paradise of
mind and place.

About the Artist:

Jeff’s work is in public and private collections in South Africa, Europe, North America and Asia.
In the past 2 years he has exhibited at ArtSpace Durban, Ann Bryant Gallery (East
London), and at the CoMix 2011 show at National Arts Fest (Grahamstown); after
the Fat Tuesday exhibition he will be sharing a show at the Ann Bryant Gallery
with his students from the Albatross Studio.

Greg Hayes qualified as a master print maker in Albequerque USA after studing fine art at Durban Tech.Here are some pictures of Greg at work on the press.

 

Clémence Kitching is a yarn jewellery designer. The pieces she creates are mostly inspired by South African flora. Each piece is unique and the produced from hand-dyed, natural yarns such as cotton, sheep’s wool, banana, bamboo, or recycled yarn from old jerseys. The jewellery also features beads, buttons, fresh water pearl and semi-precious stones.
Clémence was born in Paris and studied Performance Arts at Central Saint Martins in London. She made costumes, sets and miniature models for several theatre and film performances. Now settled in South Africa, she volunteers as a crochet teacher at Embo-craft. 

We are proud to host an exhibition of Clemence's work in the Fat Tuesday gallery. It opens on Tuesday 19 July and runs until 6 August 2011.

Elsbeth Eksteen, the artist from Pretoria, has left some of her work with us before heading back home after the ever popular "Art in the park" exhibition recently held in Pietermaritzburg.

Elsbeth's oil paintings are delicate and whimsical, capturing the romantic ideals we all treasure.

 

 

 

  

Love in many languages....we love how she has found that one characteristic or icon that descripes each nation and incorporated into each heart.

 

please click here

Fat Tuesday has always been a proudly photographic gallery which is why we have our annual photographic competition, giving our local professional and amatuer photographers the opportunity to compete against one another. This year's entries are on exhibition until the end of May. Entrants were awarded individual scores for photography, poetry and concept (relevence - poem vs picture)

 

 

 

 

 

 One Eye by Samora Chapman - Winner Best Portrait

 

 

Kevin Parry, graphic designer and creative director of local design agency "In the beginning..." ,  explores the correlation between man and God in a cheerfully modest and quirky,  installation style, exhibition over the Easter period.

The exhibition opens on Tuesday the 19th of April 2011 and ends on Saturday the 7th of May 2011

DOMESTICS - a new exhibition by Lesley Magwood Fraser 29 March - 16 April 2011

 

Growing up in the 60’s with 3 sisters and a mother who cooked and sewed for us all has left me with a strong sense of domestic life. I have never sewed but two sisters followed in my mother’s footsteps, even making their own wedding dresses. Two of us love cooking. I prefer to express myself visually, combining drawing marks with collage for this body of work “Domestics”.

 

Mixed media is my favourite way of working. My work is concerned with mark making, using media such as graphite, lino prints, aquarelle crayon, collage, and ink washes. I enjoy exploring the element of chance with the methods used in my work, adding new meanings with each layer.

2 GOATS AND A DOG

 WALK AND TALK ABOUT

 This Saturday 19th March 2011@ 10:30

 with the artists and with Jeanette GilksFibre Artist and teacher of Art

An exhibition by

Maggie Strachan, Joan Martin and Lara Mellon

The title of this exhibition refers to three artists, who not very domesticated themselves; enjoy the quirky nature of domestic animals that have inhabited and still inhabit their familiar spaces.  Lara Mellon grew up on a farm and was familiar with goats, chickens and all sorts of domesticated farm animals.  Maggie Strachan and Joan Martin both love and over-indulge cats in their homes.

This exhibition is part of an on-going dialogue that takes place between these three artists.

They spend a fair amount of time in each other’s company and studios; and part of their working method is to exchange and respond to each other’s artwork. They swap small A5 artworks and make art in response to this specific stimulus.  Points of connection are apparent in the resulting artwork, whether it is colour choice, theme or mark making. Despite this connection each artist still retains identifiable characteristics that mark their personal style, whether it is Mellon’s love of landscape and texture, Strachan’s keenly observed and meticulous rendition of forms or Martin’s obsession with surface decoration and layering.

As the artistic “conversation” has progressed between these three artists some interesting themes and directions have emerged: A light hearted and often idiosyncratic examination of fairy tales;-  All three artists have made reference to the Three Billy Goats Gruff Norwegian Fairy tale, Strachan’s paintings often include the moon and this already suggests a dreamlike state.   The number 3 (Martin’s obsession) is used in an obvious manner in quite a few of the artworks and, makes in this particular exhibition, a connection to its use in many folktales, (three wishes, three guesses, three little pigs, three bears etc.) Strachan’s use of the colours indigo and Indian red has been adopted by Mellon in some works and she has also started introducing more decorative elements (influenced by Martin) in her brooding landscapes. The use of the animal (both domestic and wild) has persisted in many paintings perhaps alluding to the unconscious or sometimes, not so unconscious, concerns of these artists. The artist Beth Stitcher states: “There are primitive animal instincts lurking in our own depths, waiting for the chance to slide past a conscious moment.”   Martin has picked up more on conceptual links between the artworks but has started introducing more landscape elements (influenced by Mellon) into her work. The love of texture in both Martin & Mellon’s work is obvious and it is this textural quality that further links their pieces. As work on this exhibition has progressed, a departure from the initial swap of A5 artworks has occurred. The artists realized that they each worked at a different pace, so they often worked on artworks that were consistent in terms of the theme, style and intention of this exhibition but varied in terms of size. Although these pieces, were not involved in the “swap” the artists have on occasion viewed the independent works that they each have produced. The insight into each other’s working methods and thought processes and the support and advice exchanged during this period has been invaluable. All three artists through this experience would find truth in the following quote by John Madea, President of Rhode Island School of Design:  “When working with a talented colleague, feeling grateful to work with them (instead of awe) lets the learning in.”

 

This is Fat Tuesday’s first blog ever and we are thrilled that it coincides with our first solo exhibition of the year.