WHILE the recent Community Art Project run by Inverloch fibre artist Meg Viney was all about giving participants the chance to explore their creative side in a friendly, pressure-free environment, its spectacular output is on show at Wonthaggi’s ArtSpace Gallery.
The success of the project was celebrated on Sunday, with people who enjoyed the various classes on offer coming to see each other’s work displayed and reflecting on the fun they had during the diverse sessions.
The exhibition includes examples of feltmaking, printmaking, ceramics, basketmaking, painting and papermaking.
Meg explained the laid-back approach to classes was adopted to appeal to those who may not normally have the confidence to attend an art class.
“The idea was that we would just dabble, toe in the water stuff, let’s have a go at all sorts of different things,” she said of the various artistic fields in which classes were offered.
ArtSpace Gallery auspiced Meg’s initiative and she succeeded in obtaining a grant through Bass Coast Shire Council to help with the costs of required materials.
She said everyone who joined the classes was keen to see what they could achieve and enjoyed watching what others were creating.
“Nobody was afraid and everybody just climbed in and had a wonderful time,” Meg remarked of the way the students took to their classes and enjoyed learning new skills.
She thanked those at ArtSpace for their support, also appreciative of the Community Grant from council.
While most things proceeded smoothly during the classes, one student was so excited about the challenge of papermaking that she forgot to put the lid on the vitamiser, creating a vibrant explosion of colour in the room and necessitating an extensive cleanup.
It’s sure to be a story shared with future students, given the high hopes of running a similar program down the track.
Cape Woolamai’s Roz Morris had a go at basketmaking and ceramics, the use of natural found materials such as seagrass and sticks to create baskets particularly appealing to her.
Susan Hall enjoyed teaching printmaking, remarking the students were all eager to learn and that they surprised themselves with what they achieved, some having never attempted printmaking before.