Get the appYoung artists aged 12 to 16 can explore drawing, painting, collage and visual journaling at The Line & Rail Artspace in Beenleigh. The Young Artists Studio runs from 3.30pm to 5pm on Thursdays in November. Sessions include Portraits and Identity on 5 November, Drawing Your World on 12 November and From Realism to Abstraction on 26 November. Each individual session costs $15. Bookings are made through the organiser on Eventbrite.
Penny, a two-year-old rescue miniature pony on the Surf Coast, has been painting for six months and is raising money for animal charities. Owner Madi Doyle, 23, taught her to hold a brush and apply paint, and Penny now creates abstract works with little input from her owner. One of Penny's paintings sold for more than $500 at a charity auction for the GAWS 70th Anniversary Celebration. A piece is also up for bidding in an auction supporting the Tripawds Foundation, which supports amputee pets, and that auction runs until noon on Monday 26 October.
Former Daylesford resident Jasmine Gruar, a ballet dancer, has been featured on the front page of The Local in a painting. Her grandmother, Irene Mooney, created the acrylic portrait to celebrate Jasmine's recent 21st birthday, and Jasmine was thrilled with the gift. Jasmine trained from a young age at Starz Dance Centre in Kyneton and later with Ballet Theatre Australia. She has performed in ballets including The Nutcracker and Giselle, and now teaches dance to pre-schoolers in Melbourne.
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Get the appCairns artist iefje Boissevain is showing her first Brisbane solo exhibition at La Trobe Artspace in Paddington. The show, titled Colour Has Consequences, features new works made over almost a year. Boissevain builds her abstract paintings from layers of texture, mixed media and colour, finished with several coats of high-gloss resin. Much of the work uses saturated corals and lagoon blues. The official opening night is Wednesday, October 21, from 5pm, and the exhibition runs until October 25.
Canberra artist Bridie O'Brien's painting Moonlighting as a Vagabond has been chosen as the hero image for this year's Affordable Art Fair Sydney. The fair runs from Thursday 5 November to Sunday 8 November at Carriageworks in Eveleigh. O'Brien said she was shocked by the news, and the image will appear on flags along George Street. The painting was inspired by a cove near Huskisson, reached by motorcycle rides from Canberra to Berry. O'Brien, a former professional guitarist, went full time as an artist in 2020.
Albany artist Colin Hanssen, who has cerebral palsy and is largely non-verbal, is preparing his first collection for Perth galleries. The 31-year-old paints with his right hand and wheelchair, combining performance with abstract work. He took up painting six months ago in an art therapy class, and his recent selection for the Southern Art and Craft Trail has drawn wide interest. Art therapist Serena McLaughlan says many of his paintings draw on his time living in Africa. Two Perth gallery artists have asked him to exhibit with them.
Melbourne-based artist Fiona O'Byrne has won the $50,000 Richard Lester Prize for Portraiture with an oil-on-linen painting of her 20-year-old daughter. Titled Luci, now, the work shows her daughter seated on a stool with a neutral expression. Judges praised the softness and tenderness of the portrait and its unlaboured handling of paint. Perth-based Yasamin Khadembashi won the $10,000 Ashurst Emerging Artist Prize for her two-metre self portrait Immoral Warrior. The prize received more than 1,100 submissions this year. The 40 finalist works are on display at WA Museum Boola Bardip until November 29.
Three-time Wynne Prize finalist Kathryn Ryan is showing her exhibition What the Light Holds at the Zenith Gallery in RACV Inverloch Resort. The free display of painting and drawing is open to the public and resort guests until December 2. Ryan, a Warrnambool artist, says the windswept coastlines and green hills of south-west Victoria shape her work and her outlook. RACV head of visual arts Mardi Nowak says the paintings show a deep connection to the region. Ryan will attend the exhibition on October 17 and October 18.
The Art Gallery of New South Wales currently features an exhibition showcasing Sidney Nolan's early works, including his renowned Ned Kelly series. Senior curator Denise Mimmocchi draws attention to a lesser-discussed piece, Kiata, which Nolan painted during his military service in Victoria's Wimmera region in 1943. Mimmocchi argues that this work marked a significant turning point in Nolan's career and contributed to the evolution of modern Australian art. The exhibition offers insights into the artist's formative years and his impact on the art world.