U3A Surf Coast gears up for term one

Sculptor and owner of Qdos Fine Arts Graeme Wilkie is one of five local artists to present to U3A SurfCoast members as part of its term one program, which begins on Monday.

Awesome Artists of the Surf Coast will see Wilkie share “Turning Tricks” – a two-part lecture on his “evolution into the art world”, with part one explaining his art journey.

Wilkie said breaking free from a career as a land surveyor when he was a young adult allowed him to channel his energy into art.

“I met a young painter when I was 18, he led my inquiry in Zen Buddhism, then I found the tea ceremony that followed onto ceramics, and that’s where I began.

“By 20-years-old I was working in England in a country pottery – it was my passion for those days and when I eventually exhausted that passion, which was some time another decade on, I realised it wasn’t as expressive as I was hoping.

“It made me money, but it didn’t give me satisfaction in an artistic aspect. I then chose to look at ceramics sculpture, which has for many years challenged the intellect.”

But Wilkie said independence led him to build Qdos, a place where he can celebrate fine art in all its forms.

He said part two of Turning Tricks delved into the “guts” of the presentation and challenges how people define art, particularly what the artist gains from their medium as opposed to the viewer.

“The second part is the stratification of the art scene – there’s a place for all but it’s very stratified and political,” he said.

“People use art for a lot of different reasons – as therapy, to make a living, to explore their own true self, while others use it to become a celebrity artist, a museum artist… which is another strata.

“Trying to define where we’re at within all that is challenging. A lot of people may not understand what I’m talking about, appreciate what I’m talking about or agree with what I’m talking about, but it’s really important that people understand where they find satisfaction and contentment in the broad field of the arts.”

Brian Alexander, Lorraine Archibald, Lyn Piggot and Barbara Roe Hebb will also present for Awesome Artists of the Surf Coast.

To become a member of U3A SurfCoast, head to the U3A office at 16 Price Street, Torquay tomorrow (Friday, February 7) between 10am-noon, or enrol online at u3asurfcoast.org.au.

For enquiries, phone 0435 374 139.