The Grassfed Artists are a collective of talented creatives. Ten were been invited to exhibit at the Inaugural art show at The Verandah Beecroft (128 Copeland Rd Beecroft). The curator, Nel Davis is impressed by their talent.
Here is an introduction to the artists exhibiting at The Verandah from Tuesday 21 May to Sunday 2 June 2024. Tony Belobrajdic, Marijke Greenway, Louise Kenny, Helen Cunningham, Susan Packard, Caroline Pullinger, Cylene Whitley, Maxine Collins, Carolyn Doherty, Hadijah Munting and Nel Davis.
Tony Belobrajdic
Award-winning, Croatian artist Tony Belobrajdic is a contemporary impressionist who works “alla prima”. This allows him to paint with distinct freedom using spontaneous brushstrokes and vivid colours.
Tony started exhibiting in the late seventies and had his first solo show in 1983 in Croatia. Tony now splits his time between Sydney and Europe – with regular exhibitions held in both.
Despite working in multiple media, Tony says his particular love for “the simplicity of watercolours”, comes from being able to create “spontaneous yet expressive paintings”.
Tony’s exhibition resume is vast and includes solo, residencies and group shows. A very small sample are: 1988 Juried Group Exhibition, National Society of painters in Casein and Acrylic, New York; 2010 Solo Exhibition of Watercolours, Northbridge; 2016 Residency in Lane Cove Gallery; 2015, 2016, 2017, 2019 Finalist – Hunters Hill Art Exhibition; 2019 FINALIST ‘Adelaide Perry Prize for Drawing’ Sydney; 2020 “In a silent Way” exhibition of large watercolours/ drawings on paper, Thienny Lee Gallery, Sydney, Australia.
Marijke Greenway
Marijke Greenway is a prolific artist. She has travelled widely throughout Australia, painting ‘en plein air’ as she goes, and then reworking her memories into more expressive paintings back home in the studio.
Fluent in oils, acrylics, watercolours, encaustic and mixed media, Marijke has been published with major contributions to art magazines, The Artis’s Palette and Australian Artist, both editorial and tutorial.
Marijke has been awarded numerous art prizes over the years. Her works have been seen in many exhibitions. She was selected by A.S.MA. as one of the artists-in-residence on The Heritage Fleet during 2012 and for this was awarded the President’s Medal at the opening on The James Craig of the exhibition Salt in the A.I.R. Solo exhibitions have included an annual exhibition for 13 years at The Palm House in the Botanic Gardens, Sydney. Her solo exhibition, Greece Unbuttoned, was shown in both Australia and Greece. Currently Marijke exhibits her collection primarily in her Sunday gallery at home in Pearl Beach.
Louise Kenny
Louise Kenny has only been painting for a dozen or so years yet exhibits a remarkable talent. In what can best be described as a “Sliding door” moment, she stumbled across watercolour classes at the Gosford Regional Gallery. Although daunted at the prospect of joining the classes, she found the tutor, Malcolm Carver, to be an inspirational teacher, and continued in his classes for several years. During the following years Louise attended classes with several wonderful tutors through the Central Coast Watercolour Society. She also attended classes at Charles Sturt University where The Art Scene ran bi-annual art schools.
Louise paints mainly trees, landscapes and garden scenes, and is inspired by her own garden and her love of nature. Since retiring in 2014, Louise has been a member of Central Coast Watercolour Society, Central Coast Art Society and Kuringai Arts Society. Louise has won several awards for her works, including The Member for Bradfield Award at The Ku-rin-gai Art Society awards exhibition and the Grandma Moses prize for watercolour in 2023.
Helen Cunningham
Helen Cunningham’s artworks represent her passion and love of colour, design and photography. Helen draws inspiration from her local environment, including the many fabulous birds (her models) who frequent her deck. Also, from her photography during travels with other artists to Asia, Morocco, Spain, France and Italy.
For seven years her painted miniatures incorporating Australian wildflowers were available to an international market through Australian Image in the Rocks. Over the years Helen has twice been a finalist in the Gosford Art Prize. She exhibits with the Central Coast Art Society, Kur-ring-Gai Art Society, The Coastal Artists Group, 5 Lands and many others. Helen has recently rediscovered printmaking and in 2022 won 2nd prize in Mixed Media at the Ku-ring-ai Awards Exhibition, then 1st in 2023, and now teaches in this medium.
Meanwhile Watercolour continues as a mainstay in her work. Helen was chosen as one of a handful of NSW representatives to the WA International Watercolour Exhibition in 2022.
Susan Packard
Susan Packard is an Australian contemporary abstract painter. She is drawn to creating impressions or feelings, rather than a representation of things.
For Susan, her studio is her happy place. It’s a place of mystery and wonder. There’s never a plan. Expectation and hope bubble up when she takes a blank canvas or wooden panel and starts building up layers upon layers of acrylic paint. As the piece progresses it gives her hints of where it wants to go, until finally – after many twists and turns – the work reveals itself. Susan knows a painting is finished when she’s intrigued by a compelling composition from a distance, and nuanced details up close. “I hope you, too, feel that hope and wonder when you look at my paintings”.
Despite being still an emerging artist, Susan’s works are often seen and sold in exhibitions. Very recently she received the coveted first place, Abstract Section, of the 2023 Combined Central Coast Annual Prize.
Caroline Pullinger
Caroline Pullinger is a mixed media, contemporary, visual artist based in Sydney. Her art works are interpretations of nature, with emphasis on the Australian Landscape.
Whilst Caroline takes much inspiration from nature, her works blend the factual with memory. This allows her to take the lines and shapes of her photos and sketches and evolve them into beautiful works of colourful marks and texture. Caroline abstracts nature with ease, enjoying the use of focus studies as her paintings take shape.
Caroline is a frequent exhibitor in group and art society productions and has had several small group exhibitions. Over the years Caroline’s work has enjoyed much success. Prizes include from the Sydney Royal and Castle Hill Agricultural Shows, Combined Sydney Art Societies, Lane Cove Council Art Awards, Hawkesbury Show and Parramatta Foundation Art Award.
Cylene Whitley
Cylene Whitley is an artist strongly influenced by her Irish background. Raised in the countryside there, and surrounded by plants and animals, she was encouraged to appreciate the natural world. Having a mother who was a talented hobby artist, and loving art at school were also significant influencers.
Then fast forward to arriving in Australia – new flora and fauna are her models.
Cylene is a regular in local exhibitions and has received awards for her work. In 2019 she had the opportunity to hold a joint exhibition with three other artists in the Sydney Botanic Gardens. This led onto a solo exhibition at the same venue. Cylene found the success of the solo exhibition an important milestone. Particularly the satisfaction of meeting the people who purchased her work to take back to far flung destinations in Australia and overseas.
“The wonderful thing about my painting journey is the interesting people I have met and the endless subjects to paint and draw”.
Maxine Collins
Originally from England, Maxine Collins has always been intrigued and inspired by the unique nature of the Australian landscape – its brightly coloured birds and intriguing flora. Maxine is inspired by the shapes, colours, textures and play of light that surrounds her. These are captured beautifully in her paintings.
Maxine’s artistic journey has included silk and ceramics, but these days she concentrates on watercolour and acrylics. She loves the often unexpected and unpredictable effects that can be achieved with watercolours. As for acrylics, Maxine finds the bright colours ideal for expressing native flora and fauna. There is also a freedom that comes with acrylics, to allow many different techniques to be used.
Maxine’s work has won her many awards over the years, and she has been featured in Creative Artist magazine in 2016. Her paintings can be found in both Australian and overseas collections.
Carolyn Doherty
Carolyn Doherty is an established artist, recently emerged from some years dominated by other pursuits.
A range of influences have been absorbed into Carolyn’s work. She studied her craft under teachers that included Desiderius Orban, Des Conner, Garry Foye and Gabrielle Jones. Over the years Carolyn has produced bronze sculpture, assemblages, acrylic and oil painting.
Currently working in oil in a contemporary painterly manner, Carolyn’s work reflects interiors and the wider landscape, expressing a unique way of seeing. Strong colours, expressive marks and distorted forms create interest for the viewer. Painting is about beauty and fun.
Carolyn has received a number of local and national prizes and commendations for her work, and has been a frequent exhibitor in renowned and art society exhibitions. Carolyn also managed a gallery for a time and has a fine eye for curation and artistry.
Hadijah Munting
Hadijah Munting was first inspired by the cool water and heady smells of the beautiful mangroves near her childhood home. The beauty of nature was coupled with the diversity of textures and mediums explored during her art studies. This led her to design in resin and clay, alongside her painting. Hadijah is also a master with the pencil and delights in botanical drawing and illustrating children’s books.
The love of nature and fierce desire to protect our world has taken Hadijah to ‘Reuse, Reduce and Recycle’ as the inspiration for her current work. She now works with recycled coffee pod mosaics on framed canvas. The beauty that can be created from these materials is astonishing.
Hadijah has been a finalist in a number of coveted art prizes, including Hornsby Council Reimagine; Wasteland or Wonderland 2023, Manhatten Arts International 2021 and 2022 (featured artist 2021) and Lane Cove art awards 2023.
Nel Davis
Nel Davis is an emerging artist, only taking up watercolour in 2022. She usually employs a limited palette to explore light and colour in landscape painting.
“It is the positive I aim to represent, in a world not always perfect. I desire to paint the dream, and for the viewer to see that I’m playing with light, colour, and the crazy nature of watercolour. I have so much to learn. Every day seems to bring a new discovery on technique and expression. I’m loving the journey.”
Nel has participated in a number of group exhibitions in Sydney and beyond. Many of her paintings are held in private collections, including a number of commissioned works. In the short time she has been painting there have been several awards: Winner of Castle Hill Art Society annual art awards, small painting, 2023; Winner of Castle Hill Art Society Christmas Challenge 2023; Winner of Central Coast Watercolour Society October Challenge 2023; Finalist, Northern Beaches Gallery Summer Exhibition 2023.
Now Nel is excited to be curating the inaugural Art Show at The Verandah, Beecroft. “Bringing original art to the local area is a passion, and presenting the works of the Grassfed Artists is a privilege.”
