Oct 105 min read

Studio News - October 2024

deatil of abstract landscape painting with leaves and plants

I think I'm going backwards.

But is it a bad thing?

I've stumbled into a pause.....

It's been a pretty hectic few months, culminating in Noosa Open Studios and I won't lie, I sat down on the Sunday afternoon and enjoyed the thought of having no particular deadlines to meet this side of the festive season - which someone reminded me the other day is only 12 weeks away (I've absolutely no idea how that can be possible, my brain is still in January).

And then the mini freak out arrived.

That moment when you think 'what's next?' and your mind goes resolutely blank.

And it stays that way in a fairly determined fashion for a day or so.

You find yourself thinking, 'how am I going to move forward?'.

So, I cleaned a few windows, did countless loads of washing and made a shopping list. And then went and actually did the shopping, which improved the fridge's prospects of providing sustenance beyond ketchup on toast.

And all the while I thought I wasn't thinking about art.

But actually I was.

My mind was wandering backwards.

Call it reflection or rumination or revisiting.

But subconsciously, doors were re-opening; to past work, past influences, ideas thought about but not yet tried, processes to play with, combinations of materials to put together, but most of all my 'imagery'.

What am I saying with my imagery?

Am I saying I love to paint landscapes?

That I love colour?

That I love shapes?

That I love pattern?

That I love complexity?

That I enjoy a process that creates lots of layers, that juxtaposes the organic with the structural, the nuanced with the bold, the details with space?

The answer is definitely yes. But do any of these things make my work particularly unique?

Probably not.

There are plenty of artists who think the similar thoughts I'm sure, even though they might put their ideas together in a different way, so that their visual language and overall aesthetic is very different to mine.

I followed these thoughts as I tasked myself with sweeping the floor.

And with every swish of the brush, another door opened in my mind. Until I was all the way back to my childhood; where my imagination roamed free and I was caught up in works of fiction and empty hours with no way to fill them except for the thoughts my mind could conjure, what my hands could draw or build and what I could see and feel in the world around me.

And there's a connection deep within me that still anchors me to that time, a yearning for that childlike purity of thought and action, unencumbered by expectation, judgement, opinion and comparison. It's a dwelling place of stories, and simplicity. And I feel drawn to contemplate these things as I go back to the studio, and think about connecting my imagery to these ideas more consciously.

Perhaps there are new narratives waiting to emerge, stories that only I can tell and maybe I feel that my creative knowledge and artistic skills are gaining in strength enough for me tell them in a way that makes the paintings I am making more unique to me.

Who knows...?

But as I re-potted my Fiddle Leaf Fig (in a last ditch bid to save it from expiring in a terminal fashion), I resolved to try and allow 'the backwards' into my work going forward, and see what happens.

This exciting exhibition will showcase a collection of 18 unique original artworks curated by Kevin Wilson, Co-ordinator of the Cooroy Butter Factory Arts Centre. The large, diverse centre piece paintings, by 18 different local artists are works that stand boldly in place, drawing the viewer in from a distance to explore surface, texture and colour, creating a high impact focal point in any space.

So, if you're looking to freshen up your place with bold new art ahead of the festive season, pop in and take a look!

The gallery is open:

Tuesday to Friday: 10am - 4pm

Saturday and Sunday: 9am - 1pm

11a Maple Street, Cooroy

'Flourish' runs until the 20th October at Brunswick Street Gallery, Melbourne. Don't miss your chance to enliven your senses with this spring themed exhibition of beautiful works by a diverse range of artists!

The gallery is open:

Tue–Sat 10am–5pm

Sun 11am–4pm

Closed Mondays

I'm excited to share that my work has been published in a recent issue of 'Virtues and Vocations' by the Centre for Social Concerns at the University of Notre Dame, Indiana USA; alongside an essay by Sarah A. Schnitker, Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience at Baylor University and Director of Baylor Research in the Growth and Human Thriving Centre. She has published over 100 peer-reviewed journal articles and runs the Science of Virtues Lab.

You can download a copy of the journal and enjoy thought provoking writings, poems and interviews, all illustrated with a beautifully curated collection of artworks.

magazine page titled the virtues of giving and receiving

Read Virtues and Vocations - Fall Issue 2024

New work heading north - very far north!

New paintings are wending their way up to the Far North Queensland city of Cairns to join the UnderArt Gallery at 12 Spence Street.

These new works are the final pieces in my Wayfinder Series.

You can call into the gallery if you find yourself up that way - it's open 6 days:

Monday to Wednesday 10 am to 4pm

Thursday to Saturday - 10 am to 6pm

I would never have imagined that my work would end up simultaneously at opposite ends of the Australian landmass, but there you go, I only wish I could have taken a road trip up there to deliver them in person!

abstract painting framed in oak on a white wall

Passage

Mixed Media on Board

60 cm x 60 cm

Framed in Natural Oak

Unhindered

Mixed Media on Board

60 cm x 60 cm

Framed in Natural Oak

abstract landscape painting framed in oak on a white wall

Hidden Valley

Mixed Media on Board

60 cm x 60 cm

Framed in Natural Oak

And last but not least this month, I've been updating my online shop - which now includes a range of paper and canvas prints, (with both framed or unframed options and in various standard sizes), as well as currently available originals. You can opt for studio collection or free local delivery to Sunshine Coast and surrounds including north Brisbane and the CBD.

You're welcome to call into the studio anytime to view work or chat about a commission or custom reproduction print for your home or workplace;

Monday to Saturday by appointment - just let me know when you'd like to drop in, either by email - hello@charlottewensley.com.au or phone - 0431 837 697.

Shop Art with a painting above a cabinet of books and vases

So until next month, embrace the pause if the universe sends you one, it might be just what your creative brain is waiting for and you'll probably get some housework done or maybe even save a pot plant from certain demise, if nothing else.....

Happy creating in the meantime!