A sunlit valley sounds like a pleasant place to spend an afternoon. A pathway to madness, perhaps less so.
Both feature in the latest exhibition at Byron Bay’s Lone Goat Gallery, where Leah Thiessen and Steve Waller are bringing their different ways of seeing the world to the walls.
Opening with a gathering tomorrow (Friday, October 23) Explorations pairs Thiessen’s layered landscapes with Waller’s investigations of memory, time and things that refuse to disappear completely.
Thiessen draws inspiration from the waterways surrounding her studio on the edge of Terranora Broadwater. Her paintings develop through layers of paint, scraping back and reworking, capturing the feeling of a place rather than its precise geography.
Waller works with charcoal, graphite, oilstick and fragmented materials, exploring how the past lingers in the present.
His titles include A Series of Unfortunate Events and Ask and You Shall (For a Small Subscription) Receive!
‘In a culture often driven by speed and distraction, Explorations offers space for attention and contemplation,’ the gallery’s exhibition statement says.
The artists will also discuss the practical business of keeping their work going at a free gallery conversation on Saturday, November 14, from 10.30am to 11.30am.
They will talk about balancing art with work and everyday life, finding time to make, and their experiences as working artists. There will be time for audience questions, with refreshments supplied and no bookings required.
Tomorrow’s opening runs from 5.30pm to 7.30pm, with music by DJ Nat White.
The exhibition runs from October 24 to November 21 at 28 Lawson Street. Gallery hours are Wednesday to Saturday, 10am to 4pm.
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