AAADA Fair Sydney University

Lauraine Diggins Fine Art at the Australian Arts and Antiques Dealers Association Fair at the beautiful and historic Great Hall at Sydney University. We are showing a selection of Australian colonial, impressionist, modern and contemporary artworks.

Friday 1 – Sunday 3 September – for full details visit aaada.org.au

The Sydney Fair – last day Sunday 7 May

Lauraine Diggins Fine Art is participating in The Sydney Fair at Randwick, showing a selection of Australian artwork from colonial, impressionist, modern and contemporary periods including painting, sculpture, works on paper and indigenous paintings. The last day of the Fair is Sunday 7 May from 10am – 5pm and we look forward to meeting with you there.

Also included is this magnificent flag, the Royal Standard from the HMS Renown, the battlecruiser which brought the Duke and Duchess of York to Australia in 1927. The Duke of York became King George VI on his brother’s abdication and it is a fitting item to display on the day of King Charles III’s coronation. The flag is divided into four quadrants representing the Kingdoms of England, Scotland and Ireland with the blue anchor identifying this flag as the personal standard of the Duke of York.

Storied Country – Opening Video

Helen Tiernan at opening
Marie Geissler at opening of Helen S. Tiernan Storied Country
Steve Dimopoulos at opening of Helen S. Tiernan Storied Country

The video of our opening of our current exhibition, Helen S. Tiernan: Storied Country is now available to view on our website with acknowledgement of country by Helen Tiernan; an insightful discussion of the paintings by Dr Marie Geissler and official opening by Steve Dimopoulos MP. The exhibition of paintings is showing until 18 November 2022.

Helen can be described as a visual cultural historian who acknowledges her cross-cultural heritage (Irish and Indigenous) and who brings a sense of indigenous presence to her work with both nuance and complexity. Through her atmospheric landscapes painted with great technical skill, Helen highlights difficult and serious issues with a subtlety, gentleness and humour. Her oevure bears the influence of Australian art history and numerous literary sources including Bill Gammage, Bruce Pascoe, Lynne Kelley and Ian McLean.

To view images of the artworks, download the exhibition catalogue and watch a video of the opening, please click here

Helen S Tiernan Storied Country catalogue cover
Helen S Tiernan Storied Country catalogue cover

A Closer Look At… John Dent large-scale paintings

This is the final week to view our current exhibition John Dent: Between Two Countries and we invite you to take A Closer Look At… John Dent’s larger paintings in the exhibition.

The subject matter of the larger paintings crosses a broad range: landscapes; interiors; figures; still lifes – all themes with a long tradition in the history of art. Dent takes inspiration from his own experiences, from the mundane of a Hills Hoist in the backyard of an inner city Melbourne suburb; to the more exotic, a studio in Mallorca; to the macabre, the soft colour palette of the seminal triptych, Natura Morta- Marta belies the rather uncompromising subject. Dent is able to raise elements from their everyday existence to the distinction of art, particularly highlighted in these paintings where familiar objects are lifted through their presentation on a grand scale. However the real subject matter is often the very act of painting itself, the placement of elements, of form and colour on the canvas. 

To tak A Closer Look At… John Dent’s larger-scale paintings, please click here.

Exhibition showing until Friday 25 June. Visit our website to view images, watch a video of the opening, download the catalogue and read the Closer Look At… essay.

A Closer Look At… John Dent in Paris

In our next A Closer Look At… we examine the paintings of Paris by John Dent which are redolent with atmosphere, indicative of his ability to absorb the sense of place he discovered there. Mostly, these are quiet introspective moments, a captured snapshot in time. The street scenes take the viewer on a promenade with the artist around Paris, as he explores the city. If the imagery is sometimes romantic, it is because this reflects the everyday reality of the city and these are scenes actually encountered – an arched bridge over the river; a flag hanging from a terraced building; lovers entwined in a park. Equally, Paris is a city of unexpected surprises and strange contrasts, casual witness to nuns in full habit kicking a soccer ball. At other times the subject is almost mundane, a woman with a striped apron in her window; or tinged with humour, the upright nanny on duty with her sensible umbrella shading her from the sun contrasted with the lounging figure enjoying a drink on the deckchair.


John Dent Les Bénédictines du Sacré-Coeur oil on canvas 71 x 56 cm

The significance of Paris and its art scene has been a major influence for many artists throughout history and has certainly shaped Dent’s oeuvre, evident in many aspects but essentially in the very real French atmosphere captured in these paintings. To take A Closer Look At… John Dent in Paris click here


John Dent The Nanny oil on canvas 40.5 x 35.5 cm

To view images in the exhibition; watch the video of the opening and read our Closer Look At… essays please visit our website.

Peter Churcher : ” In the Studio”

In 2005, Creative Cowboy filmed Peter Churcher in his studio. Spend 15 minutes with the artist as he places his models and concentrates on capturing them in paint An intimate view of the studio and a fascinating insight into the artist at work.

https://www.creativecowboyfilms.com/blog_posts/an-earlier-portrait-in-prahran-2005

The exhibition of Peter’s early paintings, from the first decade of his career, are on view at Lauraine Diggins Fine Art until 20 April – (closed over Easter).

Preview the exhibition on our website and download the illustrated catalogue.

Congratulations Genevieve Loy – Ravenswood finalist

We are really excited that indigenous artist Genevieve Kemarr Loy has been selected as a finalist in this year’s Ravenswood Australian Women’s Art Prize, an annual prize that was launched in 2017 to advance art and opportunity for emerging and established female artists in Australia. It is the highest value professional artist prize for women in Australia.

The current global situation has meant a delay in the exhibition which is now scheduled to open 27 November, showing until 12 December at the Ravenswood School for Girls, Gordon, NSW. As their website mentions, although up to 70% of art school graduates are female, women artists make up less than half of represented artists in exhibitions and prizes around Australia, with State museums showing 34% of female artists amongst their collections. This is something many galleries are continuing to address. The Ravenswood Australian Women’s Art Prize provides a platform to promote female visual artists, assisting in career development, providing opportunities for greater connections and inspiring current students.

Genevieve follows the tradition of her grandmother, Nancy Kunoth Petyarr and was taught to paint by her father, Cowboy Loy Pwerl, an indigenous elder in Utopia and custodian of the Bush Turkey Dreaming. On a superficial level Genevieve’s paintings often depict the tracks the Bush Turkey makes as it searches for seeds and other ‘tucker’ and makes its way to the waterhole. Genevieve’s complex and detailed paintings are characterised by a beautiful and careful handling of paint; a harmonious sense of colour; and great control of the delicate spidery marks that make their way across her canvas. Her meticulous lines can be difficult to read in a digital reproduction and are best understood and appreciated in person.

Read more about Genevieve on our site or view available works in the Stockroom. Please contact the Gallery for any further details. Lauraine Diggins Fine Art is currently open by appointment.

Genevieve Kemarr Loy Bush Turkey Tracks 2020 synthetic polymer on linen 150 x 121.5 cm

Boyd ceramics

Merric Boyd 1888 – 1959 Jug with Landscape and Grape Design Vine Form Handle 1916 ceramic, height: 18.5 cm

The Glen Eira council Gallery is currently hosting an exhibition featuring ceramics from the Arthur Merric Boyd Pottery in Murrumbeena. The AMB Pottery was established in the 1940s by Arthur Merric Bloomfield Boyd (son of ceramicist Merric Boyd and grandson of artist Arthur Boyd) along with John Perceval and Peter Herbst. Other artists who contributed included Neil Douglas, Yvonne Boyd and Betty Burchell. Designs ranged from the functional – cups, plates, bowls – to the more decorative – vases, platters, jugs – often with beautiful details of native flora and fauna.

Lauraine Diggins Fine Art has a small selection of sought after ceramic works by members of the Boyd family. We welcome your inquiries.

Stories in Clay Glen Eira Gallery

The Melbourne Fair : come and visit us from 8th – 11th August 2019

We are pleased to again participate in The Melbourne Fair at the Caulfield Racecourse with a preview Gala Opening on Thursday 8th August.

Featuring a selection of Arts, Antiques, Jewellery, Books, Vintage Fashion and more.

Lauraine Diggins Fine Art will showcase Australian painting, sculpture, decorative arts and works on paper, with artists including  Yvonne Audette, Stephen Bowers, Rupert Bunny, Gus Dall’Ava, Max Dupain, Emanuel Phillips Fox, John Glover, Janet Green, Mike Green, Hans Heysen, Percy Lindsay, Michael McWilliams, Ambrose Patterson, Andrew Sayers, Roland Wakelin, Zhou Xiaoping a selection of indigenous painting from Utopia.

We have a limited number of complimentary tickets for both the Gala and general entry, so please do contact us to secure your tickets for The Melbourne Fair 2019. Telephone 03 9509 9855 or email ausart@diggins.com.au

Thursday   8th August     6pm – 9pm   Gala Opening
Friday         9th August     11am – 6pm
Saturday    10th August   10am – 6pm
Sunday      11th August    10am – 5pm

https://themelbournefair.com.au

Marking the Infinite: Contemporary Women Artists from Aboriginal Australia

An exhibition featuring the work of Australian indigenous women is currently on show at The Phililps Collection in Washington, USA. The nine artists are from a variety of areas highlighting a diversity of artistic practices and include Nonggirrnga Marawili, Wintjiya Napaltjarri, Yukultji Napangati, Angelina Pwerle (Ngal), Carlene West, Regina Pilawuk Wilson, Lena Yarinkura, Gulumbu Yunupingu, and Nyapanyapa Yunupingu. Angelina Ngal from Utopia is sometimes incorrectly known by her late husband’s surname.

“In recent years, women have been at the forefront of contemporary Aboriginal Australian art. The innovative pictorial and conceptual tapestries included in Marking the Infinite demonstrate why. Through a weave of intimate marks, the nine artists map their knowledge of sacred Country, but such is the generous expansiveness of their works that they are not curtailed by these bounds. It is energising to think that women from one of the world’s oldest cultures, working in remote parts of Australia, are making some of the most globally relevant art today.”     Sally Grant, Australian Book Review, 28 August 2018

Marking the Infinite: Contemporary Women Artists from Aboriginal Australia is on display until 9 September.

To view further details please click here

and to read the review by Sally Grant published in the Australian Book Review please click here