MEMBERS of Golden Plains Arts Inc\u2019s Hidden Gems open artists\u2019 studios are presenting a group exhibition at Beaufort.<\/p>\n
Shire-based creatives including painters Kate Wise and Stella Clarke, ceramicists Barry Wemyss and Myra Romeril, and printmaker Vida Pearson are showcasing pieces at the railway station\u2019s Art Trax Gallery.<\/p>\n
Wise said the works will be displayed throughout the space\u2019s three light-filled rooms.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs you enter, there is Vida\u2019s work, including a special limited-edition print, Carmine Bee-eaters<\/em>, which has been purchased by a prestigious gallery in the US, the Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n \u201cMyra and Barry\u2019s ceramics are in first room. Myra makes handcrafted and hand painted ceramic earrings, and Barry\u2019s ceramics reflect his love of his local environment, with his signature celadon green, earthy browns, and simple shapes.<\/p>\n \u201cIn the second room are Stella\u2019s beautiful, large, richly-coloured landscapes about the coast, the bush and dam near her studio.\u201d<\/p>\n Clarke is pleased to show her paintings in the exhibition space which she said is historic and \u201ccharming.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s nice to take our artwork out of town and make it accessible to people who might not think of going to a gallery, or can\u2019t get into town. It\u2019s nice to have that reach, she said.<\/p>\n \u201cPreviously, I\u2019ve shown work mainly in Melbourne, Geelong and Ballarat, but am all in favour of doing things out of town in regional places, having a different audience and different types of feedback.\u201d<\/p>\n The paintings Wise is exhibiting were created during lockdown. She chose bright colours to uplift herself during that time, and the pieces each have \u201cstrong environmental messages.\u201d<\/p>\n