By Callum Ludwig
Warburton Water Wheel Art Gallery has opened a new exhibition bringing together a Hoddles Creek family and their combined love of art.
Bev, Graeme and their youngest Samuel Hardidge have all contributed to the ‘Essence of the Bush’ exhibition which will be open throughout October.
Bev said they booked the exhibition months ago and were inspired by the bushland surrounding their home.
“We live on six acres at the back of Sheepstation Creek and down the road from Shiprock Falls, where we often go for walks. It has these lovely big mossy boulders which I tried to capture in my paintings and pottery,” she said.
“It’s hard not to look for inspiration when it’s just out our doorway.”
Bev created paintings and ceramics, Graeme sculpted metal pieces and Samuel created digital paintings for the nature-based exhibition.
The Opening Reception will be on Sunday 2 October from 1-3pm and will include artist talks, question and answer time and refreshments and drinks.
Bev said she likes her painting that shares the name of the exhibition, which started with layers of paint, like most of her work.
“My paintings develop naturally. Often, I don’t think about what I’m going to paint beforehand, I have a bit of an idea, but it develops along the way,” she said.
“I have an intuitive painting experience rather than mapping it out, and it changes and morphs all the time.”
The exhibition is open from 10am to 4pm every day throughout October.
Bev said the family’s passion for art brings them together even if she and Graeme work in separate sheds and Samuel lives in Ferntree Gully.
“We always come together and talk about the things we are working on. Graeme and I have been married for 40 years, and Sam is coming up on 32 and we are all creative in different ways. We have done a whole family exhibition with our other three children before,” she said.
“It’s really nice having this opportunity and getting to bring it all together. It brings us together as a family, Samuel is usually a pretty individual person and his digital work has a different style, but I think it complements what we’ve been doing too because he’s into nature and he’s very good at it.”
