Trying to make lemonade

INTERDISCIPLINARY studio creative Madeleine Cruise was recently named a successful applicant in the 2023 Rising Talent Artist Search.

One of 10 Australian and New Zealander artists accepted to take part in major a Melbourne exhibition, Cruise’s work was selected from a pool of hundreds of submissions.

While the established painter and drawer has had some commercial opportunities, she has predominantly been self-represented for the last 14 years and said she was excited to be included in the showcase, which was set to draw art-lovers from across the country.

“I’ve had to continually market myself and find opportunities to show my work, improve my profile, build my audience, and that’s an ongoing challenge,” she said.

“It’s a lot of knocking on doors, a lot of rejection, and it can be incredibly disheartening. To keep going over a solid 10-year period, that’s started to take its toll a little bit.

“So, to get this exhibition and to be showing with other likeminded artists, and in a space where the brand was about connecting artists with a broad audience, buyers, and collectors, that was what was exciting; what could come from it.

“A lot of artists rely on endorsement like this from galleries to sell their work. Buyers need this encouragement.”

But the host brand was Fenton & Fenton, the high-profile Australian interiors boutique and gallery which went into liquidation last week.

In recent days, that’s left the 10 Rising Talent show participants in limbo; another “stressful” and “disappointing” hit to independent creators like Cruise, who would have opened their exhibition this weekend.

“They’ve still got nine of my paintings,” she said. “They’re valuable works, and they’re my works. When do I get them back?

“This week, I’ve done a sketch of an interiors scene, with some lemons in there, and I’ve called it Trying to make lemonade. I haven’t found the lemonade yet.

“I wish it could have gone further, but having the conversations with other artists, putting myself out there, and letting people know about the accolade is all helpful.”

Cruise said the current competitive art world, alongside the broader economic climate, is a strange one for a makers to navigate, particularly those in regional areas.

“Regional artists that aren’t in metro areas need bolstering behind them,” she said. “Sure, we have social media, but sometimes we can feel disconnected.

“There needs to be more opportunities to sell work, more local art prizes, competitions, and grants.

“There are a lot of artists that work here, but we don’t have a lot of galleries in Ballarat, and there are waiting lists of over a year for the independent spaces we do have.

“There have been efforts forward with Creative Ballarat, and there is productivity, but more opportunities to showcase and celebrate what we do locally would be great.”

Cruise encourages individuals to embrace art in their home, and consider saving up some money to purchase a special piece they love, made by a local artist.

“Everyone has a budget, but even the practice of valuing what artists do, having an attitude of collecting small things, or frequenting a gallery helps,” she said.