Artist of the Week, Kirsty Moegelein

Kirsty has a consistently strong drawing rhythm, working on top of and alongside several others, gradually building the dialogue between them.  There is often a greater sense of liberation and flow when working on such a generous platform.
Please excuse the poor quality of photos, it is a bit tricky when someone is working on such a huge roll.  

Artist of the Week, Tori Brown

It is a wonderful thing to witness someone who has been consistently drawing, have a major break through and really lay claim to their work.  To nurture their drawing language, constantly expanding little by little.  This white on black piece is incredibly invoking and ambiguous.

Artists of the Week, Kirsty Moegerlein, Tamara Clarke, Paul Hastie

Last Wednesday at the Roar Drawing class our model Luna Aquatica, wore a stunning Indian headpiece that she had made from various fabrics collected on her travels.  This, and the exotic music playing, was enough to transport our drawers to a new world.  Vivid colour palettes were adopted and a playful approach embraced. I only wish I'd taken more photos!

Artist of the Week, Alison McNabney-Stevens

So liberating when you can allow free flow and create patinas of marks, colours and textures to erupt as you work.  It can be a lot harder than it looks to get to the stage where one bursts through the tight confines of perimeters and orderly definition. Playing with colour until you choose just the right balance that echoes your mood and interprets your subject.

Artist of the Week, Sarah Hendy

If you've never tried drawing with charcoal dust before I strongly recommend it.  It's a great way to get grounded and sculptural, forcing you to move outside of the tight confines of using only one linear platform.  You are then at liberty to build with compressed charcoal marks or excavate by rubbing back with a kneadable eraser, sustaining the idea of searching out an image as opposed to dictating its predicament.  Sarah has executed these pieces with more and more ease and fluidity as she progressed creating a sensuous undercurrent in her work.

Lorna Fencer Napurrurla

Recently I returned from a wonderful adventure in the Northern Territory, where I travelled through historic lands such as Kakadu and Katherine Gorge.  It is impossible not to be influenced by the aboriginal heritage there.  One artist who particularly caught my attention was the highly personal style of Lorna Fencer Napurrurla, one of the first group of Artists who embraced the use of acrylic paints. Lorna's work illustrates her ancestral stories, primarily of the Yam complex that influenced her country at Yumurrpa in the Tanami Desert.  Her innovative style and use of colour are heart felt and enriching. 

There are numerous small galleries throughout this region Lorna was part of Mimi Art Centre, Katherine.  

If you happen to be in Darwin, it is well worth visiting the impressive Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory.

Ngapa Manu Yapa 1999

Spring Water at Yamurrpa 2002

Artist of the Week, Rolando Garay

One of the advantages of producing quick drawings is that we get a glimpse of ourselves when our conscience isn't watching.  Rolando clearly has excellent technical ability, but it is the freedom of his mark making in this top piece that I find particularly enigmatic.