T.Arts Gallery in Bathurst have welcomed two new artists to the fold via an assistance grant from Arts OutWest.
Arts OutWest offered a grant for visual artists and artisans to become a member of Tablelands Arts and to exhibit at T.Arts Gallery in Bathurst.
Amanda Agustin and Jessica Phippen were officially given their memberships of T.Arts on Monday 28 September.
Jessica Phippen and Amanda Agustin at T.Arts Gallery Bathurst. Photo: Carolyn Hide.
Artist statements
Amanda Agustin
I am an artist based in Bathurst, NSW. I work in graphite, ink, pastel, acrylic and watercolour. I have been exhibiting and selling work in group shows in and around Bathurst since 2004.
I am inspired by nature and revel in rendering detail, looking in close at the intricacies of natural elements, such as a feather, fungi or an insect.
When working on Still Life I try to capture the patina of age and use of the items depicted.
Through my work I hope the viewer might see and appreciate otherwise unseen details, pausing to look a little closer.
Jessica Phippen
I graduated with my Bachelor of Fine Arts majoring Gold and Silversmithing from RMIT in 2018 and have since been working on an array of projects, events and exhibitions. In 2019 I spent three months backpacking Europe solo, to experience more of the world and see as much art as my optic nerves could process to further enrich my practise. I work in a multitude of disciplines including but not limited to; sculpture, silversmithing, photography, ceramics, and painting. I use a wide variety of materials and techniques throughout my practise ranging from forming sheets of metal into vessels, creating intricate pieces of jewellery, using ancient processes such as lost wax casting, vitreous enamelling – cloisonné, hand/slab building ceramics, embroidery, and then more unique contemporary techniques like transforming everyday objects – such as rubber dishwashing gloves into jewellery. My work explores themes including perceptions of beauty and the grotesque, aesthetic attraction and repulsion, domesticity, feminism, mental illness, intimacy, societal and cultural expectations, and the natural world.
About the gallery
The Tablelands Artists Co-operative Gallery, also known as t.arts Gallery, opened in late 2013 and is a not-for-profit, artist run, community co-operative that showcases the creative talents of its members living in the Tablelands region. In April 2018, T.arts moved to its present location after our lease expired, and is now in 80 George Street, in Bathurst. See their facebook page
Consisting of around twelve members, the Gallery showcases artworks in many mediums including pottery, pastels, oils, acrylics, photography, etchings, watercolours, textiles, jewellery and accessories. As well as showcasing the works of the cooperative members, the Gallery is ever changing due to regular exhibitions displaying the varied works of other established and emerging artists. T.arts also now has an online shop selling the work of members.
Members of The T.arts collective have access to exhibiting and selling work at the gallery throughout the year. To access this, members pay an initial joining fee ($300) and then pay $300 per year or $25 a month. They are also required to sit at the Gallery once a week.
For the two new artists Arts OutWest pays the joining fee and subsidizes their annual fee/monthly payments, these artists will have a chance to establish their place in the collective and find out if they are able to successfully produce and sell work in a commercial gallery. This could lead to ongoing membership of the collective.
The recipients were chosen by members of T.Arts with assistance from Arts OutWest.
IMAGE: Jessica Phippen and Amanda Agustin at T.Arts Gallery Bathurst. Photo: Carolyn Hide.