Photos: Supplied.
BY JAN NARY
“The moment one gives close attention to anything, even a blade of grass, it becomes a mysterious, awesome, indescribably magnificent world in itself.” (Henry Miller, author).
Seeing beauty in simple, natural things is a quality shared by the four contributing artists at the Redland Coast Museum’s Little Gems October/November exhibition. All are committed to honouring the beauty and mystery of nature in a collection that encompasses a wide range of media.
Rhyl Henzell, whose contribution is a collection of cyanotype, eco-print, water colour and gold leaf, has explored the interconnectedness of life forms.
“It’s about connections between the cosmos, trees, birds, mycelium – I’m trying to put that into a visual form,” she says. “It’s quite a challenge to tell a story like that, to make people aware of the miracles that are all around us, fall in love with it and want to preserve it. That’s my message to the world.”
Rhyl’s paintings are of birds (including her favourite, the wren) and she has created silk and linen scarves patterned with complex layered colours and overlapping stencils.
A sturdier art form is found in Louise Saunders’ garden sculptures; free-standing metre-high totem poles comprising several handmade individual stoneware pieces that slide onto a central pole in whatever order the user pleases – one topped by a dolphin, one by a barn owl. There’s also a flock of stoneware guinea fowl that would add a dash of whimsy to any garden. It’s a reawakening for Louise to be working with clay again.
“My audience knows me best for my botanical and natural history paintings, eco-printing and finely-detailed water colours. All of the work is nature-themed; ‘Drawing from Nature’ is my tag line,” she says. “There’ll be everything from big pieces to little knick-knacks, a range of gifts including artists’ cards, bookmarks, prints and very special bi-fold artist’s books.”
A committed conservationist, Louise was awarded an OAM for service to conservation and the arts.
The softer side of art is Jen Henzell’s specialty.
“Most of it is handstitched work; wall hangings featuring fish I found in a vintage book of tropical aquarium fish, a few little square canvases covered with fabric and embroidery, and a crown sculpture covered in fabric and handstitched Australian native flowers,” says Jen. “I’ve also made little mosaic moths and beetles out of ceramic and glass pieces.”
Conversations with silver, hammer and flame are goldsmith Emma Dusting’s specialty and she loves the demands of concentration that the craft demands.
“You have to give total focus to goldsmithing to be at one with the metal that you’re working with, you have to listen to it talking back to you,” she says. “New students sometimes expect it to be easier than it is but even basic things can be a surprise – how to saw metal, tightening the saw blade so that it gives the right note, then using it like a violin bow…
“It’s a primitive craft that essentially still works the same way as it did hundreds of years ago. Something as simple as making little silver balls is a miracle to me. The early smiths were regarded as magicians – turning a rock into a liquid then into a piece of art. My favourite subjects are natural – I love flowing lines, flowers and leaves – I think they’re delicious.”
As well as the glow of metal and gemstones, Emma will display imaginative leadlight pieces, more lustre and light and flowing lines.
The artists will give floor talks during the exhibition and there will be a range of artistic creations to suit every taste and every pocket. For more details, visit https://redlandscoastmuseum.org.au/exhibitions/little-gems/
