Exhibition shows artists at play

BelmontAWAY artists Gabrielle Bridges, Peter Frequin and Margaret Farmer. (Ivan Kemp) 520195_01

A group of Belmont artists are ready to share the whimsy and soul of the work at a special exhibition this December.

Art group BelmontAWAY will hold its second exhibition Artists at Play from 1 to 23 December at Eastern Hub’s Rachinger Gallery.

From painting to printmaking and sculpture to weaving and embroidery, the exhibition explores nature, playfulness and the fantastic.

Formed eight years ago by an eclectic group of artists, musicians and writers wanting to push the boundaries of their creative process, BelmontAWAY continues to foster inspiration between different kinds of creators.

“We were first inspired by a book by Julia Cameron called the Artist’s Way, which explores creativity, unblocking and challenging oneself,” member Gabrielle Bridges said.

“We worked through that book over a year, reading a chapter (at a time) and doing exercises and discussing it.

“At the end of the year, we found that we really enjoyed working together as a group. So we continued meeting monthly and we’d take turns to set tasks for the group for the next month.

“We come from a variety of different arts, so what we find is that this cross-fertilisation, as one person talks about something they might do, sparks something for another person working in a different discipline.”

Featuring nine different artists, the exhibition seeks to “engage the audience in a dialogue about joy, beauty and wonder”.

“Most of us get a lot of inspiration from nature, and then there’s the sense of play,” Ms Bridges said.

“We’re having fun with materials as well as with the end result.”

Artists at Play’s free official opening event is from 7pm to 8pm on Wednesday 3 December with catering provided by Dal Catering.