Mosman Park’s Gallows Gallery is a-glitter with gorgeous creations from five of Western Australia’s finest female jewellery artists. The effect is a triumph of design and creative skill.
The Syncopation exhibition features the works of Dorothy Erickson, Christel Van Der Laan, Bethamy Linton, Gillian Rainer and Brenda Ridgewell.
Syncopation was opened by Catriona Gregg who provided a rundown of each creator’s unique skills, materials, techniques and inspirations.
The combination of five different, yet highly complementary, styles make for a fascinating wander through each respective section in Gallows space.
“Syncopation refers to the introduction of something unpredictable, that has the capacity to change our perceptions and shift expectations,” says gallery director Kathryn Stafford.
“Rather than detracting from the work, it enhances it, creating a dynamic tension that challenges and encourages the viewer to experience the artwork in new ways.
“Like music, visual language can be understood by design principles such as rhythm and repetition that work together to create harmonious relationships and unity between the compositional elements in an artwork.”
The artists provided descriptions of their motivations and why they create the works in their distinctive styles and uses of materials.
Dorothy Erickson
This collection is called Hesperia honouring Loui Benham, the Creeth sisters, Kate O’Connor and Marie Tuck.
Hesperia is the name of the Evening Star. It is also used to denote a western land, and I have created a new collection of jewellery and bodyworks inspired by and a tribute to the women who were among the first to make art their profession in Western Australia, a land the founding father wished to call Hesperian.
Many of these women were also stars in their own time but are now forgotten.
Gillian Rainer
The intricacies of seeds, nuts and flowers of our coastal plane, the plants, the dunes, and all that can be found at shore’s edge inform the work.
Drawing as a daily ritual provides the rhythm and genesis of the jewellery. Observation of natural forms and domestic artefacts are her window into a quest for meaning.
Pattern and repetition are used as methods to construct and embellish her complex, and frequently witty jewellery.
Christel van der Laan
My search is for carefully considered relationships between often disparate elements in jewellery, with the intrinsic qualities of the materials as a starting point.
There are two facets to this approach: The precise carving of ceramic honeycomb components, a material from the jeweller’s soldering bench, and the use of found materials.
Placed together, the mundane, the discarded, the overlooked and the precious, create new poetic possibilities and enable jewellery to be viewed in a different way.
Bethamy Linton
I’m captivated by the natural landscape of the Western Australian Darling Scarp and at present is exploring notions of Gaia the earth and Uranus the sky and their troubled lives in Greek mythology.
Semi-precious stones with myriad markings are used to create jewels that encapsulate my analogous experiences of earth and sky.
Brenda Ridgewell
In the late 1990s she won many awards with her powerful and expressive steel and silver bodyworks that explored the personal space, the subject of her master’s degree. By 2006 much of her work was being made solely in sterling silver with 9 ct. gold touches and cubic zirconia as highlights. Articulation with small amounts of movement in the pieces has become a major feature.
The artists will be giving talks about their work during the exhibition. For more information about the show go to www.gallowsgallery.com or email contact@gallowsgallery.com
Gallery opening hours
Monday: Closed
Tuesday to Thursday: 10am – 4pm
Friday: 10am – 3pm
Saturday: 11am – 3pm
Sunday: 2 – 4:30pm
53 Glyde St, Mosman Park
