By Mikayla van Loon
In a first for many of the Mount Evelyn Art Collective’s group members, an exciting step in their artistic adventure has led to an upcoming exhibition at Mont De Lancey.
Opening on Saturday 12 October, the group’s nine participants will put on a display of their various watercolour paintings, each with their own flare and skill.
While many participants have been attending the Mount Evelyn Community House class for six years or so, others only joined in the last two years.
In universal agreement however, they all said the class gave them confidence and a creative outlet that each of them were craving.
Jackie Hart joined the group at the suggestion of her daughter and said “I’ve never looked back”.
“I retired and for years I gathered art equipment and paints and everything, and they all went in the loft, thinking, ‘I’m going to do this one day’ and I never did, I never had the confidence to do it,” she said.
“I’ve gained so much knowledge from this group and from the teacher that it’s given me confidence and the ability to think that we can do this exhibition because I would never have done that.”
For Linda Mapleback learning the technique of watercolour has not only brought her joy but her family too as she has now transferred her learnings to paint and draw them.
“Having been a teacher, I wanted to do something creative, to enjoy and develop skills that perhaps I just hadn’t had time to do before,” she said.
“This group has been a wonderful group to be part of. We’re very blessed to have each other, because it’s not only been that part of our lives, the artistic side, but also just as a friendship and supportive side.”
Deciding as a group they were ready for an exhibition after Donna Legg happened to spark a conversation with Mont De Lancey, everything seemed to fall into place, especially the feeling that this group was ready to display their works.
“If we didn’t have Mont De Lancey to back us, we probably wouldn’t do it,” she said.
Dividing the Ray Oliver Gallery space into nine sections, each artist will have around 10 of their own works exhibited.
While nature inspires many of the works produced, for one member, Valerie Mayer, it’s the places she’s travelled and people in her life she likes to portray in colour.
“I went to France and there were things there that inspired me, like the Menin Gates. And people, one of them is my dad, in three phases of his life,” she said.
Just weeks away from the exhibition opening, the group said it was all starting to feel real but they were extremely excited to share their works with the community.
“I want to show my family and my friends who are eager to come because I sit at home, I go to the class, I work as an art teacher, but I don’t get to show my work, and I’m pretty proud,” Anna Donald said.
While the nerves are of course creeping in, Ms Legg said with the support of the group and the encouragement each of them provides one another, it all feels possible.
“Just putting yourself out there for someone else to see is huge, because art, to me, is very personal,” she said.
The exhibition titled Through Our Own Eyes will be showing from 12 October to 20 October, with Mont De Lancey open Wednesday to Sunday 10am to 4pm. It is free entry.
