It’s showtime for the Wilderness Coast Artists (WCA).
The WCA is partnering with Landcare Expo at the Orbost Show inviting public participation to create a large artwork representing a Gippsland Water Dragon.
Colloquially known as ‘Snowy River Crocodiles’, these lizards are resident along the banks of the Snowy in Orbost and other rivers throughout Gippsland.
Everyone over the age of 15 is invited to create a small artwork with the Wilderness Coast Artists team.
Each artwork forms a piece of the large artwork. Participation is free.
Come and see the dragon emerging as small pieces are installed on the day.
Artist of the month
The artist of the month for March is well-known local artist, Ngaere Donald.
Ngaere has been making art since she was a young jillaroo on properties in outback Queensland and New South Wales.
Her paintings of horses have long been soughtafter at art exhibitions locally and in Melbourne.
“I seek to capture the movement of
the moment,” says Ngaere about her
painting practice.
Ngaere works across a number of media including watercolour, oil, acrylic and charcoal, her paintings have won many awards in exhibitions throughout Victoria.
These include Highly Commended at the Kenneth Jack Memorial Drawing Prize and several awards at Australian Guild of Realist Artists (AGRA) exhibitions.
A keen plein air painter, Ngaere is interested in landscape painting.
She often paints with a palette knife to capture the light and movement of the land both locally and far afield.
The has travelled widely with her painting kit always ready to seize the moment.
As a long time member of the Town and Country Painters, Ngaere looks forward to the annual paint away with the group, exploring new landscapes and talking, eating, sleeping, making art for eight to 10 days.
The local diversity of landscapes has been longterm inspiration for her paintings
but Ngaere’s sense of adventure in art have taken her to many remote and faraway
places to take art.
She shared an artist residency in Western Australia with another local artist.
Together they presented workshops and residences in WA towns in the Wheatbelt and Goldfields.
A founding member of the Wilderness Coast Artists, Ngaere connects with the wider art world as a member of the
AGRA, the Melbourne Society of Women Painters and Sculptors (MSWPS),
Watercolour Society of Victoria (WSV), Town and Country Painters.
Her paintings are featured on the wall at the Wilderness Coast Artists Studio in Orbost and can be viewed by the public on Tuesdays between 10am and 3pm.
Workshop news
Last weekend members of the WCA attended a watercolour workshop with tutor and bird painter Qing Zhang in the WCA Studio in Orbost.
Inspiration and instruction about painting birds using various watercolour techniques has fired up enthusiasm for further painting.
Watercolour is one of the favourite media for painting birds. The group includes several members who are keen bird painters.
