VISUAL artist Emily Van Der Molen calls herself a sponge.<\/p>\n
\u201cI take in all the energy from the world around me, and I can transform it into artworks,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
That idea was the premise for the works she\u2019s presenting as part of Neuroalchemy<\/em>, her exhibition at Art Space Ballarat on Lydiard Street.<\/p>\n Van Der Molen also has a \u201chuge garden\u201d which inspired the \u201cfloral vibe\u201d of the mixed media pieces throughout the show, made in recent months. Each of these features all the vibrant colours of the rainbow, bar brown.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019d describe myself as a visual sensory-seeker, so when it comes to colour, I can\u2019t get enough of it.<\/p>\n \u201cSometimes I challenge myself to be subtle, but I just have to keep adding more and more, making a piece brighter and brighter, and adding sparkle through glitter and shiny things. I\u2019m a bit of a magpie,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n \u201cColour makes me feel alive and calms me. It\u2019s good for my soul, and I hope when people come into the exhibition, they get a similar sensory experience.\u201d<\/p>\n Recycling and repurposing materials, including dried paint on palettes leftover from the creation of other works, is a staple of Van Der Molen\u2019s process.<\/p>\n \u201cAnything that feels like it could work, I hoard. There\u2019s probably six or seven layers within a work, with craft materials like polystyrene balls, and bits of rubbish like soft drink bottles, for example.\u201d<\/p>\n