Whereabouts - Closing Event

Here are few shots from yesterday afternoon’s delightful closing event for Whereabouts - Printmakers Respond at the Art Gallery of Ballarat. (See previous post).

Pictured top, L-R: myself with fellow Goldfields Printmakers and Whereabouts artists, Dianne Longley and Jimmy Pasakos. There was a terrific opening address by Cathy Leahy, Senior Curator of Prints and Drawings at the National Gallery of Victoria, acknowledging the long history and significance of exhibition curator Rona Green’s print portfolios. (Pictured below). 

It was great to catch up with the Whereabouts artists en masse - so many of them are old friends. There was a message from Rona Green, who wasn’t able to join us, in which she declared ‘Printmakers are the best!’ She has it the wrong way round - I reckon that’s what printmakers feel about Rona. 

As an added treat, Shane Jones and I spent some quality time afterwards with Whereabouts artists, Warrnambool-based Glenn Morgan and Matthew Clarke. I hope we can do it again soon.

Whereabouts - Final Days

Where has the time gone? Whereabouts: Printmakers Respond finishes its long and successful run at the Art Gallery of Ballarat this Sunday, 4 February. The exhibition was curated by Australian printmaking legend, Rona Green, who invited 56 established and emerging Victorian artists to create a print edition relating to their “whereabouts - the place where someone or something is”.

Whereabouts

Art Gallery of Ballarat

40 Lydiard Street North,

Wadawurrung Country, Ballarat VIC 3350

Artists: Sue Anderson, Elizabeth Banfield, Matthew Clarke, Paul Compton, Miranda Costa, Fiona Davey, Rachel Derum, Mark Dustin, Grace Eve, Philip Faulks, Kevin Foley, Eleanor Franks, David Frazer, Tyronne Gietzmann, Silvi Glattauer, Jackie Gorring, Rona Green, Gracia Haby & Louise Jennison, Greg Harrison, Bill Hay, Judy Horacek, Anita Iacovella, Kyoko Imazu, Deborah Klein, Gillian Kline, Anita Laurence, Dianne Longley, Michael Lye, Marion Manifold, Cassie May, Aaron McLoughlin, Glenn Morgan, Carnegie Muir, Angela Nagel, Billy Nye, James Pasakos, Jim Pavlidis, Catherine Pilgrim, Michael Reynolds, Cathy Ronalds, David Rosengrave, John Ryrie, Libby Schreiber, Gwen Scott, Heather Shimmen, Glen Smith, Ruth Stanton, Neale Stratford, Sophia Szilagyi, Helen Timbury, Clayton Tremlett, Peter Ward, Deborah Williams, Joel Wolter and Jessi Wong.

Whereabouts is best experienced up close and personal. Do pay it a visit, if you haven’t already - or even if you have. Sunday will be your last chance.  

Pictured top on the opening day of the exhibition, Saturday 18 November, 2023: selected Whereabouts artists with Art Gallery of Ballarat Director Louise Tegart. L-R back row and L-R front row: Louise Tegart, Deborah Klein, Sue Anderson, Jackie Gorring, Michael Reynolds, Kevin Foley, Neale Stratford, Miranda Costa, Silvi Glattauer, Rona Green, James Pasakos, Cathy Ronalds.

Directly following it are a series of installation views. Pictured below: works by Rona Green, myself, Miranda Costa and Gillian Kline.

Photo credit for first and final views: Cathy Ronalds. 

Official Endorsement of SWAN LAKE

Yesterday afternoon I delivered additional copies of the Special Edition of my linocut Swan Lake to the Art Gallery of Ballarat shop. Many thanks to those who have already acquired the work.

Directly afterwards Shane Jones and I drove to its source of inspiration, Lake Wendouree. Upon arrival, I was approached by two representatives of the local swan community. 

Their designated spokeswan eyeballed me and proceeded to deliver a brief but impassioned monologue, which I wish I’d videotaped. I don’t understand Swanese, but like to think the speech was in support of my humble print. 

Swan Lake is once again available through the AGB shop and (I choose to believe) comes with official endorsement from the Ballarat Swan Community. 

Pictured top: Swan Lake, 2023, linocut with collage and hand-colouring. Special Edition of 30. 

Swan Lake was initially created for Whereabouts - Printmakers Respond, an exhibition of works by 56 Victorian printmakers. Curated by Rona Green, it continues at the Art Gallery of Ballarat to Sunday, February 4, 2024. 

Swan Lake (Special Edition)

It seems that swans have always been connected to the places I’ve called home, from the black swans of the Royal Botanic Gardens in Melbourne to the white swans of Regents Park in London. 

Nowadays my Whereabouts (the title of the exhibition for which my linocut Swan Lake was initially created) is hereabouts. Ballarat is home, and for me, Lake Wendouree and its beloved black swans are where the heart is. 

At the invitation of the splendid Art Gallery of Ballarat shop, I’ve created a special limited edition of Swan Lake to coincide with the current exhibition. Numbered I - XXX (1- 30), the work is available exclusively through the gallery shop. It’s pictured below alongside a striking inkjet pigment print (open edition) by fellow Whereabouts artist, Miranda Costa.

Whereabouts, an exhibition of 56 Victorian-based printmakers was curated by Rona Green. But before making your way to Whereabouts, don’t forget to pick up a free, fully illustrated exhibition catalogue at the front desk of the AGB. 

Pictured from top: Swan Lake, 2023, (Special Edition), linocut with collage and hand-colouring, Edition: 30. Photo credit: Tim Gresham;
Images 2-4: Black swans in the wetlands area across from Lake Wendouree;

Images 5-6: Special edition of Swan Lake on display in the AGB shop, along with an archival pigment print by fellow Whereabouts artist Miranda Costa;

Images 7–8: Front and back views of the fold-out poster-sized Whereabouts catalogue, an essential exhibition guide;

Image 9 below: Whereabouts installation view. Pictured L-R: Rona Green, Petal, 2023, hand-coloured linocut, Deborah Klein, Swan Lake, 2023, hand-coloured linocut, printed by Bill Young, Miranda Costa, Thinking, 2023, inkjet pigment print, Gillian Kline, Inward Goods, 2023, linocut. 

Click on images to enlarge.

Whereabouts opened on 18 November, 2023 and runs to 4 February, 2024.

Interview at ABC Ballarat and WHEREABOUTS Curator’s Talk

At ABC Ballarat early this morning I chatted with morning presenter Matt Tribe about books, film, the visual arts, travel and numerous other interests and influences on my work - in particular on my linocut Swan Lake, part of the new exhibition Whereabouts: Printmakers Respond at the Art Gallery of Ballarat. 

Thanks to the warm welcome I received from Matt and his technical assistant, Gav, I had such a good time, I completely forgot to feel nervous. 

The link to the program is here:

https://www.abc.net.au/listen/programs/saturday-breakfast/deborah-klein/103121864

Whereabouts, an exhibition comprising works by 56 Victorian printmakers, opened today. 

In the afternoon from 2 - 3 pm we attended Whereabouts curator Rona Green’s engaging and informative talk about the background to the exhibition, the artists involved and the various techniques employed in their works. 

The exhibition is superb, a celebration of printmaking in all its forms. 

Installation views will follow shortly. 

Pictured above L-R: Whereabouts artists Miranda Costa, Rona Green and myself. The works behind us from L-R are Rona’s, mine and Miranda’s.

Whereabouts: Printmakers Respond runs from 18 November 2023 - 4 February 2024. 

See my previous post for further details, including a complete list of artists.

WHEREABOUTS: Printmakers Respond

I’m delighted to be part of the much anticipated group exhibition Whereabouts: Printmakers Respond at the Art Gallery of Ballarat, opening to the public tomorrow, Saturday 18 November.

From 2pm – 3pm on the same day, curator and participating artist Rona Green will present a talk about the show. It is a ticketed event; booking information is on the AGB website:

https://www.artgalleryofballarat.com.au/event/curator-talk-rona-green-on-whereabouts

The lead-up to an exhibition of this scale is necessarily a long one. Work on my own contribution, the linocut Swan Lake, was begun in May 2022 when I was artist-in-residence at Geelong Grammar School. A couple of early progress views, snapped in the Corio Campus studio, are pictured top and directly below. The completed work will be discussed more fully in a forthcoming post, along with some exciting news.

It’s a privilege to be exhibiting with such a stellar lineup of artists. Warmest thanks to Rona for inviting me to join them and for her tireless work in bringing the exhibition together. 

Artists: Sue Anderson, Elizabeth Banfield, Matthew Clarke, Paul Compton, Miranda Costa, Fiona Davey, Rachel Derum, Mark Dustin, Grace Eve, Philip Faulks, Kevin Foley, Eleanor Franks, David Frazer, Tyronne Gietzmann, Silvi Glattauer, Jackie Gorring, Rona Green, Gracia Haby & Louise Jennison, Greg Harrison, Bill Hay, Judy Horacek, Anita Iacovella, Kyoko Imazu, Deborah Klein, Gillian Kline, Anita Laurence, Dianne Longley, Michael Lye, Marion Manifold, Cassie May, Aaron McLoughlin, Glenn Morgan, Carnegie Muir, Angela Nagel, Billy Nye, James Pasakos, Jim Pavlidis, Catherine Pilgrim, Michael Reynolds, Cathy Ronalds, David Rosengrave, John Ryrie, Libby Schreiber, Gwen Scott, Heather Shimmen, Glen Smith, Ruth Stanton, Neale Stratford, Sophia Szilagyi, Helen Timbury, Clayton Tremlett, Peter Ward, Deborah Williams, Joel Wolter and Jessi Wong.

Whereabouts: Printmakers Respond

18 November 2023 - 4 February 2024

Art Gallery of Ballarat

40 Lydiard Street North,

Wadawurrung Country, Ballarat VIC 3350