Robyn Kinsela

What a summer!

Bushfires, smoke, more bushfires, more smoke.

Packing, unpacking, repacking, unpacking.

Rain, floods, more rain.

Finally getting on track a bit….

Pre-bushfire works, below, are in the summer exhibition at the Milk Factory Gallery, Bowral.

The Last Day of March 2019 91 x 91 cm acrylic and oil on canvas

I am pleased to announce that I have been selected as a finalist for the 2020 John Villiers Outback Art Prize at the Waltzing Matilda Centre in Winton, Queensland (6 March to 8 May).

These 3 works are part of the 20(2020) exhibition at TACIT Galleries in Collingwood, Melbourne which celebrates the Gallery’s 20th anniversary!

Artists who have shown with TACIT were invited to show up to 3 works each measuring 20 x 20 inches (52 x 52 cm). Should be interesting.

Here are my 3 works which have resulted by the summer we should not have had. My thoughts and therefore my work this year, since December, have been underscored by bush fires, evacuations, smoke and many friends’ losses, stresses and survival.

Apprehension, Uncertainty and Trepidation all measure 52 x 52 cm and are all mixed media and collage on canvases.

The recent bush fire season and its ramifications keep creeping into my work at the moment:

Evacuated Campsite 2020 oil on canvas 61 x 61cm

A Summer on Edge 2020 mixed media on canvases 4 works each measuring 10 x 10cm

More …… Views from a Summer on Edge

My pictures have their roots in the real world, but are by no means images in the conventional sense. I don’t copy my subjects but interpret them. Sound, smell and touch play an important role.

Using collage and mixed media, I create rapidly at first, keeping up with my thoughts. Then I let the work rest for an hour, a day, a year or a decade, as if it needs an incubation period. I then re-see what has been created and finish the work.

“I work from memory of 10 minutes ago and 50 years ago”. (David Hockney)

Today’s Fire Painting 2020 mixed media on paper on canvas 36x28cm

The Southern Highlands Arts Festival Art Trail 2019 was, once again, an invigorating event for me!

My studio was open (Studio number 11) where you could view my work space, my tools of trade and the results of my mental and physical toil, some of which was for sale at studio prices.

This year I am in de-clutter mode, as difficult as it is, and there were some extraordinarily low prices for never-exhibited, demo and past glory works.

Chuffed to be, once again, a selected finalist in the Fisher’s Ghost Open Art Award.

Exhibition officially opens, and winner announced, at Campbelltown Arts Centre on Friday November 1.

Exhibition is open from October 26 and continues until December 5

Campbelltown Arts Centre One Art Gallery Rd, Campbelltown Open daily 10am – 4pm 4645 4100 | info@c-a-c.com.au | c-a-c.com.au

I am very happy to announce that I am a finalist in the Lyn McCrea Memorial Drawing Prize to be held at Noosa Regional Gallery from 1 November to 1 December 2019.

ALSO I have been selected to be a finalist in the NOW Contemporary Art Prize to be held at the Shoalhaven Regional Gallery from 5 October to 23 November 2019.

This is what I wrote when I finished the work earlier this year, and when Northern NSW was suffering major bushfires near Tabulum, among other places. Ironically, again this week, that same area is under bushfire attack again as are 60 something other areas in NSW and 67 in QLD, and it is only September!

“I work from my immediate responses, both tangible and intangible. I was thinking about my brother whose land in northern NSW was engulfed by bush fire earlier this year. My approach with the paint was rapid at first, as were my thoughts.

I often work in series and this, being no exception, is a follow up from an earlier one which I needed to leave for fear of overworking it. Most often, I need a sort of incubation period, after which I return to the work to assess it for changes or corrections. I was desperate to keep the freshness so I quickly photographed and varnished it to avoid any “tidying up” that I am so often succumb to.

My brother is a proud keeper of the land, and I knew that he would see this as part of its evolution. And with that, a new beauty would emerge.”

RECENT AWARDS

2019  WINNER Wingecarribee Landscape Award Bowral Art Galley.

2018  WINNER Inaugural Kangaroo Valley Art Award Kangaroo Valley NSW

2017  SECOND Prize Wingecarribee Landscape Award Bowral Art Gallery. 

2016  WINNER St George Art Award Hurstville Museum and Gallery, Sydney

          HIGHLY COMMENDED Wingecarribee Landscape Award  Bowral

          HIGHLY COMMENDED Lyn McCrea Memorial Drawing Prize Noosa Regional Art Gallery, QLD.

2015  SHORTLISTED for the Australian Book Design Awards (ABDA);

          SECOND Prize Wingecarribee Art Award Bowral art Gallery

2013  Veolia Mulwarree Scholarship for Arts Practice

2010  WINNER Portrait of Local Indentity (Ann Judell) BDAS,Bowral

2009  PEOPLE’S CHOICE Meroogal Women’s Art Prize NSW Historic Houses Trust

2008  HIGHLY COMMENDED Adelaide Perry Prize for Drawing PLC Croydon, Sydney

2007  HIGHLY COMMENDED Wingecarribee Print Prize BDAS Gallery, Bowral

2006  HIGHLY COMMENDED Arc Yinnar Drawing Prize Yinnar Vic,

2005  HIGHLY COMMENDED Works on Paper (Digital Print) BDAS Gallery, Bowral

2004  WINNER Photographic Exhibition National Year of the Built Environment SHRG Bowral

2003  WINNER Alvaro Open Painting BDAS Bowral,

          WINNER Nick Scali Portrait Prize Southern Highlands Regional 

2002  WINNER Works on Paper BDAS Bowral

2001  WINNER  Traditional Liverpool City Arts Festival,

            COMMENDED Work on Paper BDAS                               

2000  HIGHLY COMMENDED Alvaro Painting Prize BDAS

SOLO EXHIBITIONS

2019   FORM Studio and Gallery, Queanbeyan   Distractions

2018  TACIT Galleries, Collingwood, Melbourne  Dirt Tree Rock

2017  TACIT Contemporay Art, Abbortsford, Melbourne   Levels of Landscape

           10K Paces Gallery, Bowral   Layers of Landscape

2013&14  Artroomers Art Space, Mittagong

2012   DEPOT II Gallery, Danks St, Sydney, Beyond Eye Level

2011   FORM Studio and Gallery, Queanbeyan West of Wilcannia

2009-10  Sturt Gallery, Mittagong  Seen and Unseen  

2006  Sturt Gallery, Mittagong  Paintings and Prints  

2005  Foyer Gallery, Canberra School of Art ,ANU Through the Door  

          CTC Gallery, Robertson   Digital Artworks 

2003  Embleton & Kuzemko Fine Art Gallery, Bowral   New Works

            Finishing Room Gallery, Canberra School of Art,  ANU   Inform

2002  Harris Courtin Gallery, Paddington, Sydney Painting

2001  Sturt Gallery, Mittagong   Small Works

2000  Albert Street Gallery, Mittagong   Full Circle

1996  Southern Highlands Regional Gallery, Moss Vale   Domestic Life: A Survey

1991  Bowral Art Gallery, Bowral   Landscape pastels  

1986  Sturt Gallery, Mittagong   Collages

SELECTED EXHIBITION FINALIST

2019  NOW Contempoary Art Award Shoalhaven Art Gallery, Nowra; Fisher’s Ghost Open Art Award Campbelltown Arts Centre, Sydney; Lyn McCrea Memorial Drawing Award Noosa Art Gallery, QLD; SeeChange Jervis Bay Arts Festival; Wingecarribee Landscape Prize Bowral; Pirtek Still Life Award Bowral;

2018  Blacktown Art Prize Leo Kelly Blacktown Arts Centre, Sydney; Fisher’s Ghost Open & Contemporary Art Prizes Campbelltown Art Centre; Kangaroo Valley Art Award NSW; Wyndham Art Award Werribee, Victoria; Bayside Art Prize Melbourne; Wingecarribee Drawing Prize Bowral Art Gallery, NSW. Goulburn Art Prize Goulburn Regional Art Gallery; My Highland Property Belle Home Landscape Prize Bowral Art Gallery; Pirek Still Life Prize Bowral Art Gallery;

2017  Bayside Art Prize Melbourne; Wingecarribee Landscape Prize Bowral; Pirtek Still Life Award Bowral; Calleen Art Award Cowra; NOW Contemporary Art Prize Nowra; Fisher’s Ghost Open & Works on paper Campbelltown City  

2016  Fisher’s Ghost Open & Works on paper Campbelltown Arts Centre; St George Art Award Hurstville Museum and Gallery, Sydney; Heysen Landscape Prize Hahndorf, SA; Pleinair Painting Prize Parliament House Sydney; Pirtek Still Life Award Bowral Art Gallery; Gallipoli Art Award Sydney; Open Art Award Goulburn Regional Art Gallery; Lyn McCrea Memorial Drawing Prize Noosa Regional Art Gallery, QLD; Wingecarribee Art Award Bowral Art Gallery; 40 year Anniversary Art Award Kirribili Centre; KIWI Watercolour Traditional Art Award Wollongong Art Gallery;  

2015  NOW Shoalhaven Contemporary Art Award Shoalhaven Arts Centre, Nowra; Emsla Eutick Still Life Coffs Harbour Regional Art Gallery.

2014  JADA Drawing prize Grafton Regional Gallery; Norvill Landscape Painting prize; Kiwi Watercolour Prize; Still Life & Copes Portrait Prizes Bowral Art Gallery; GRAG Open Art Award Goulburn Regional Gallery;

2013  Adelaide Perry Drawing Prize; Muswellbrook Art Prize for works on paper; GRAG Open Art Award; Fishers Ghost Drawing.

2012  Heyson Landscape Prize Hahndorf Academy, South Australia; Fisher’s Ghost OPEN art award & Works on paper

2011  Fishers Ghost Open Art; Muswellbrook Open Art Prize; Goulburn Regional Art Gallery inaugural Veolia Open Art Award 

2008   The Outback Art Prize Broken Hill Regional Gallery; Adelaide Perry Drawing  Prize, PLC Croydon 

2006   Mosman Art Prize 

2005  City of Banyule Art Award: Works on Paper; Hazelhurst Art Award; Geelong Print Award; 2005 Island Art Prize Tasmania 

2004  33rd Alice Prize Alice Springs

2004 & 2008 Norvill Landscape Painting Prize Murrurundi

2004&05  Heyson Landscape Prize Hahndorf Academy, Hahndorf, South Australia

2003-06&09 Meroogal Women’s Art Prize Historic Houses Trust Travelling Exhibition

1997,98,2002,07 Fisher’s Ghost Open Art Award Cambelltown City Art Gallery 

1996-99 & 03-07,12 Works on Paper Open Awards Bowral Art Gallery

RESIDENCIES

2016  Fowler’s Gap Far West NSW. 2012 Gunyah Artist Residency Mid North coast NSW 2007  Hungarian Multicultural Artist-in-Residence Balantonfured/Csopak, Hungary  2002-06   Artist-in-residence School of Art, Furniture Design Workshop, Australian National University, Canberra

SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS

2017  Vietnam Veterans’ Visible Silence with Kim Shannon Goulburn Regional Art Gallery; Alumni 1985-2005 Sturt Gallery, Mittagong; Where are they now? The Milk Factory Gallery, Bowral. 2016  50 Years On – Vietnam Veterans with Kim Shannon, Mittagong RSL, Sojourns with Andy Townsend & Susie Bleach, John Gould & Bernard Hardy, at M16, Griffith ACT. 2015  New Tricks with Kim Shannon, Gill Graham & Virginai Hall, Bowral Art Gallery Bowral. 2014  NEW(S) Southern Highlands Printmakers, Coffs Harbour Regional Gallery & Shoalhaven City Arts Centre, Nowra. 2013  Abstracted Landscapes Form Studio and Gallery, Queanbeyan (with Kerrie McInnes,Claire Primrose,Verney Burness)  2011  Goulburn Regional Art Gallery, Goulburn Blending Boundaries with Tracy Luff, Nicola Dickson and Jason Wing 2010   Containers of Memories (Friends Head of School, Rodney Hayward) ANU School of Art Gallery, Canberra 2008 The Gib Sturt Gallery, Mittagong with Tony Ameneiro, John Lascelles, Steve Harrison; Vizivarosi Gallery, Budapest  2007   Congress Center, Balantofured, Hungary   2006 TAC, Canberra with Andy Townsend and John Gould; GRAG, Pushing Boundaries (experimental printmaking)  2005  Southern Highlands Printmakers Campbelltown Arts Centre, Sydney 2004  Traces Southern Highlands Printmakers, Wollongong City Art Gallery 1996  Project Belgium (Moss Vale, NSW and Belgium); Art for Aids (Zimbabwe) 1992  Dogs, Flowers and Erotica – with Jude MacBean (Grafton Regional Gallery)

GRANTS

2008   NSW Artists Marketing Grant, NSW Government (to contribute to marketing costs for the group show, ‘The Gib’ 

2007  Regional Arts Fund Quick Response Grant, Australian Government (to participate in art residency in Hungary, 2007)  

COLLECTIONS   Australian National Gallery Canberra and Welsh National Gallery, Cardiff, as part of the Vario Print Exchange;  Historic Houses Trust, NSW; Canberra Hospital; Children’s Hospital, Westmead; Hurstville Museum and Art Gallery, Sydney; Alfred Cardiology, Sydney; Lumiere Appartments, Sydney; private collections, Australia, UK, Hungary, USA. 

PUBLICATIONS 2018  Southern Highlands News “Highlands artist’s painting ‘a gem'” P5 10 October, South Coast Register 3 October. 2016  Five page profile: Autumn High Life Magazine; Southern Highlands News 15 April, P2, Southern Highlands News   7 November Front page; Snapshot magazine December 2016, P28 2015   Image selected for cover of Southern Highlands Arts Trail booklet; High Life October edition Image selected. 2011   “Blending Boundaries” Goulburn Regional Art Gallery Catalogue 2009   “Belle” Oct/Nov issue (artwork images and acknowledgement) Pp118-122 2009   “Seeking Images – Interpreter, Dreamer, Pragmatist” GRAG Catalogue, ISBN 978-0-9805947-1-3 2008   “Australian House and Garden” Dec issue (artwork images and acknowledgement) Pp62,135,136,139 2004   “Highlands and Country Living” April/May 2004  1995   “Who’s Who of Australian Visual Artists” 2ndEd. Pub: D W Thorpe (Reed International Aust. Pty Ltd) 1989   “Australian Quilts – The People and their Art” Simon & Schuster Australia 1986   “Women as Designers” Jenny de Nijs, RMIT Melb

EDUCATION 1999-00  Certificate IV Assessment and Workplace Training 1970-2011 Various short courses and relevant art workshops and seminars 1999  AVETI Teaching Certificate   1978  Graduate Diploma of Education (Art). Sydney Teachers College 1971-74  Diploma of Industrial Design, Randwick CAE 1970  Architecture, Sydney University

LECTURER, TUTOR, EDUCATOR, CURATOR, PRESENTER 2013-16  Private painting workshops in Southern Highlands 2012&13 Sturt Summer School. Photoshop for Artists 2011 Presenter for Goulburn Regional Art Gallery lecture on artwork in exhibition Blending Boundaries 2011 Judge for the Youth Art Awards, BDAS Gallery, Bowral 2011  Judge for Young Art Show, NSW. 2010&16  Painting one-day workshop at art-deprived Young, NSW 2010  Sturt short course. 3 days Photoshop for beginners.  1994-2009  Teacher Goulburn & Moss Vale, TAFE Illawarra (Painting, Digital Imaging, Drawing, Design, Art Histories)  1998-2009  Curator Student graduation exhibitions, Goulburn & Moss Vale TAFE colleges 2009   Sturt Winter School, Mittagong – 1 week Adobe Photoshop for artists 2009   Sturt short course.  3 days Adobe Photoshop for artists 2008 ABAF presenter (“the artist”), Wingecarribee Shire 2008 Sturt Summer School. Mittagong – 1 week (Photoshop for artists)  2007  Judging  panel for The Windmill Trust  2007   BDAS Workshop, Bowral –  (Acrylic painting) 2007   Sturt Winter School, Mittagong – 1 week (Acrylic painting and mixed media) 1995-2007 Part-time TAFE teacher in Arts & Media courses at Moss Vale & Goulburn  colleges. Subjects include: Drawing,   Painting,  Art Histories, OHS, Design & Colour, Professional Art Practice, Vocational Experience, Digital Imaging. 2002-2006 Selected as independent assessor for Diploma, Degree, Postgrad and Honours students, ANU School of Art,  2005  Judge of 2005 Youth Art Prize, Bowral 2004&05   STARTS Presenter – Marketing in the Arts 2004&05  Triplecare Farm, Jambaroo. Short 3 day courses mixed media  2004-06  Sturt Summer School, Mittagong – 1 week (Life Drawing) 2004&2005 Invited presenter for STARTS Art Marketing seminars on Professional Arts Practice 2004  Art introduction 2 day workshop for Year 10 Frensham students – Sturt Craft Centre, Mittagong 2003  Norfolk Island Community Arts Group – 1 week (Acrylic painting and drawing)  2003  Facilitator for end of year aboriginal student exhibition, Moss Vale TAFE campus Library 2003  Work Skills teacher: Painting and drawing with Aboriginal Students 2003  Corporate art workshop – Great Gigs, Milton Park, Bowral 2001  Part of  Judging panel: NSW TAFE Art and Design Award 2000 Judging  panel (with Robin Wallace-Crabbe) for Goulburn Regional Art Gallery Art Award 1998-2001 Contract Art Teacher, Berrima Correctional Centre, Berrima 1990-2004 Private teaching: children & adults – Drawing, Painting and Colour & Design

I am very happy to be included in the Pirtek Still Life Art Award with Black Pot with 2 Lemons at Bowral Art Gallery and judged by Janine Coddington.

It is always fun to paint still life subjects and to manipulate them to however you like in order to make an interesting composition.

The same black pot and (different) lemons have been the subject of previous paintings and no doubt will continue to inspire me in the future.

My exhibition, Distractions, is opening at 6pm Wednesday 12 June, at the fabulous purpose built contemporary art gallery, FORM Studio and Gallery, Queanbeyan.

It would be lovely to see you there and to share some wine with you.

Opening hours are Tuesday to Saturday, 10am – 4pm

Exhibition runs until 29 June 2019.

Please call in if you are in the hood. We would love to see you.

images of new work in the show:

I develop much of my work in the studio referencing my sketches, photos and written descriptions which help transport me to another place in my memory – back to places I have travelled, known and experienced. It’s as if there is a delayed reaction as if my thoughts need some sort of incubation time.

Recently I have turned to my immediate environment for subject matter where the sounds and my view of the mountain behind me are living, changing yet constant, sources of inspiration. I note the changes in light during different times of the day and the season.  Dry crackle hum. The bush pings, the air stings, the kookaburras laugh.

DISTRACTIONS is somewhat autobiographical where the paintings served as distractions to greater world events, and to more personal my-world events.

It is with great pleasure that I announce that my painting. “Rainy Sunday” was the WINNER of this year’s Wingecarribee Landscape Prize at Bowral Art Gallery. Many thanks to all the BDAS organisers and to Kerry McInnes, this year’s judge. Congratulations to all the other award recipients. It was a tough field so I feel grateful.

Rainy Sunday

2019 oil on canvas 61 x 51cm

Judge’s comments: “Deceptively simple and surprisingly evocative of the movement and feeling of rain. Robyn has, with angled strokes and a limited palette, conveyed to us the sensibility of a languid Sunday looking out into a wet landscape. The darker tones in the descending marks not only suggest falling liquid but also serve to ground the painting into what could be an interior, and if so, into a possibility – into a story. this is a wondrous and masterful work.”

2018 Southern Highlands Art Trail Open Studio