By Jesse Graham
LANDSCAPE paintings inspired by scenes in Australia and around the world will hang on the walls of Yering Station’s cellar door until mid-January, after a new exhibition opened last Friday.
On Friday, 2 December, Melbourne artist Karen Hopkins opened her latest exhibition, Impermanence, at Yering Station near Yarra Glen.
Featuring about 50 works, from landscape paintings to small sculptures, Ms Hopkins said the works explored the idea of change being a part of life, and not a concept to be feared.
“I suppose, in thinking about life and how we try to hold onto stability, we try to keep things the same – we’re kind-of afraid of the unknown, and I wanted to make a link between nature and who we are as humans,” she said.
“I was kind-of using the landscape as a metaphor for change, and a constant reminder that life is changing all of the time.”
Impermanence is Ms Hopkins’ 17th exhibition since beginning as a professional painter in 1991 – it is her second at Yering Station, after holding an exhibition there in 2013.
“I’m really thrilled to be invited back,” she said.
She said she had worked primarily in painting landscapes since starting out, after a former life as a teacher – though she said she also painted cityscapes with people, the works in Impermanence are based around nature.
Ms Hopkins said the works were based on areas she had seen in her travels, both around Europe and the world and in Australia, and that she takes photos on her travels that she uses to inspire her paintings.
The works will be accompanied by poetry works, also written by Ms Hopkins.
She said she wanted her works to be “uplifting”, and hoped that visitors to the cellar door would take on the idea of accepting change.
“I suppose, if anyone had a glimpse and was inspired to think, “Yeah, no, I need to embrace impermanence, or not be afraid of the unknown” – if anyone was to come away with that idea, that’d be awesome.”
Impermanence will be on display until 17 January, 2017.
For more information, visit Yering Station at 38 Melba Highway, Yarra Glen, or call 9730 0100.
