New Life Exhibition: the artworks part 2

Enjoy viewing the second half of the exhibition “New Life”here.

Barb Niczynski: Artist Statement

The Eyes have it.  

An exploration of my life, art direction, faith and feelings about my new life with optic nerve damage, from a disease that may or may not return with a vengeance. Bit of a self portrait that took on a life of its own. I gave up fighting it to make it look like art, and just let the threads speak to and from my soul.

It has the four cornerstones to my life (from top clockwise) Integrity, Courage, Connection and Journey. It has the Latin slogan VDMA – Verbum Domini Manet in Aeternum – The Word of the Lord remains forever”. By the time I saw some colour problems, I had to let them be, too much to unpick and not like a painting to colour over. But I like it, it expresses my physical and mental pain, my faith walk, my recovery process and my hopes and acceptance of the future.

Barb Niczynski: Artist Statement

The Rebirth Coat.

An old linen jacket made in Vietnam many years ago, old scraps from my box and friends, and resewn into a new jacket. Bit like us, patched and mended, but each life a patchwork of colour and stories that need to be heard.

Sue Oliver: Artist Statement

Knit together…fearfully and wonderfully made I & II

At the beginning of 2020, I was struggling to make sense of the disease I had just been diagnosed with after three decades of misdiagnosis.  Incurable but manageable; manageable but incurable . . . . glass half full; glass half empty.

These small works are my response to the whirl of researching, blood tests, scans, X-rays, surgery, consultations. My response to the hope of cure, the disappointment of deterioration. My response to loss. My response to acceptance.

Using little crotchet discs worked by my grandmother as the motif for cells, I have been visualising the interior of my own body as it cycles through brokenness and healing. God’s design is intricate and sustained, the knitting together a measure of His respect for and value for us, His beloved. We live with disease as a result of the fall, but we also live in the transcendent power of Christ’s overcoming.

In the womb is where it all started genetically – none of this is outside God’s love.

Consequently these pieces are about seeking beauty in the places which appear “unknit” . . . the bones which thin and crack and break due to osteoporosis, the cells which overgrow because of hyperplasia. The beauty of callus and scar. 

You created my inmost being;

You knit me together in my mother’s womb.

I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
 Psalm 139:13-14

Tricia Reust: Artist Statement

Open Up!

          Australia’s nourishing wealth is sealed off to those seeking a new life in this land. The lidded jar is closed to all appeals.

Tricia Reust: Artist Statement

Cracked Entry

          Text from a Leonard Cohen song: “There is a crack in everything –that’s how the light gets in”. The light leading to new life in our behaviour towards others can be gleaned from learning from errors and hurts we cause – the cracks in our veneer of ‘goodness”. Pruning the negativity from the branches of our spirit will bring about new life in what we are to others.

The cracked lid of the jar is allowing light to enter.

Tricia Reust: Artist Statement

Anointing

          Removing the “lid” preventing generosity of spirit is the way to new life. Being open to committing to living with an awareness of the needs of others takes the courage to trust. The grace received through Sacraments aids our living up to this commitment and strengthens resolve to continue to minister in the face of our own needs.

The open jar allows grace to pour forth and give life to the seeds awaiting our nourishing touch.

Geraldine Wheeler: Artist Statement

Rose Window: Four Resurrection Appearances

          This rose window design includes a combination of figures from four different stencil paintings of different New Testament stories of Jesus’ resurrection appearances to his disciples, placed in what could be the design for a circular stained glass rose window. Centre left is the Emmaus story (Luke 24: 13-35), centre top is the breakfast appearance set by the Sea of Tiberias/Galilee (John 21: 1-14), to the right is the meeting with Mary Magdalene (John 20: 11-18) and the bottom one is with Thomas (John 20: 24-29).

Geraldine Wheeler: Artist Statement

A Chi-rho Page: Brachychiton Bidwillii

          This is part of a series I have done inspired by the so-called chi-rho pages in mediaeval manuscript books, The Book of Kells and The Lindisfarne Gospel. Chi (X) and rho (P) are Greek letters, the first two letters in Christ. The Greek letter X is transliterated as ch in English and P comes into English as r. It is an abbreviation for Christ widely used in the art of churches in Europe. This explains the often used abbreviation for Christmas here, Xmas. This chi-rho page in the mediaeval manuscripts is placed in Matthew’s Gospel to introduce the passage which tells of the birth of Jesus (Matthew 1:18 ff). The Greek letters are highly decorated across the page.

          One of my projects has been to use Australian native flora as symbolic for different times in the Christian liturgical year. For Advent I previously used the flannel flower which usually flowers late November at Girraween, but last year I watched a brachychiton bidwillii bush, which at the beginning of Advent had bare branches except for some bunches of small reddish tubular flowers and large seed pods, then by Christmas was full of green leaves. It has become my new floral symbol for Advent to Christmas.