Directly below is the elegant front entrance to the Art Vault at 43 Deakin Avenue, Mildura.
Directly inside are gallery spaces 1 and 2. The following view of staff members Sonja Hodge, Mia Kolpin and Robert Watson was taken on my last day. All are talented makers in their own right. Unfortunately it was the day off of the fourth member of the inestimable Art Vault team, Andrew Svrta. To see some of Andrew's work, go HERE.
The etchings on the wall directly behind them are by Michael Kempson and much of the hand made glass jewellery in the display case was made by Mia.
Productive though the residency was, it wasn't all work. I found time to attend several sessions at the renowned Mildura Writers' Festival and it's always a joy to catch up with artist/illustrator Anne Spudvilas. Anne is a previous Art Vault artist in residence. Formerly based in Melbourne, she so fell in love with the area, that in 2012 she moved there permanently. The two photos immediately following were taken at the bottom of the garden of her house in Wentworth. That's the mighty Murray River in the background.
No visit to Anne's is complete without a pre-dinner drink as the sun sets over the river:
Meanwhile, back at the Art Vault studio, this is what occupied most of my time. All drawings are ink and gouache on hand-made Khadi paper, approx. 15 x 11 cm.
As mentioned in my previous post, these are essentially working drawings for a project that I anticipate will occupy most of next year - and beyond. In the meantime, the work is already starting to hear fruit. Seven of the drawings feature in a zine that's currently under construction. Full details about the zine, which I'm making for a forthcoming event, will be posted shortly on our sister blog Moth Woman Press.