2012 Art Exhibition Catalogue a celebration of achievement

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1 2012 Art Exhibition Catalogue a celebration of achievement

2 Melissa Elliot Colour me Crazy is an annual art exhibition supported by Mallee Family Care. While exhibitions of art from artists with a diagnosed mental illness are far from uncommon they are usually inclusive in nature and do not select works purely on their merits. However with such talented artists in our midst an opportunity presented itself to further our goal of combating stigma and enlightening our community to the full and rounded nature of talented people who also have a mental illness. Simmone Murphy PHaMs worker from Vidovic House has recently taken on the development of the exhibition from Garth Boyd as a special project and has been greatly supported in this by Jill Antonie, the Curator of our Council run Community Arts space, the Leap Project Space and Ian Tully, Swan Hill Regional Art Gallery Director. The title for the exhibition was suggested by our participants and this helped to confer the event with an exciting edginess that the work does not fail to deliver on. Colour Me Crazy fights negative stigmas and pushes the topic of mental illness, a topic that is hidden in rural communities, into the spotlight and for that reason one featured artist is permitted to exhibit anonymously each year so their work may illustrate how such pointless prejudice may obscure precious talents. Title: Sixteen Medium: Acrylic, spray paint and charcoal on canvas Size: 120cm Artist Statement: In life, you need to be able to relate past and present selves to understand your future. Where you ve been, what you ve done and where you ve come from are integral to a succinct understanding of who you are, and where you may go in the future. Melissa Elliot is a local artist, influenced by street art, expressionism and psychotherapy. A prolific painter, her subject matter covers loss, trauma, grief, and the journey of life, change and identity through these experiences. Melissa completed Honours in Visual Art (Fine Art) at La Trobe University, received the Colin Barrie Acquisition Award in 2008, and then moved to Townsville and studied a Master Creative Arts at James Cook University, researching Traumatic Loss in Contemporary Visual Art.

3 Danielle Hobbs Title: Transformation Medium: Fabric, cotton, feathers Size: Approx 40cm x 60cm During my darkest moments of PostNatal Depression I desired to escape the demands and responsibilities of marriage and motherhood. Transformation is a visual manifestation of a coping strategy I used while struggling with PND. In a personal re-imagining of The Swan Maiden fairy tale, the swan is black rather than white, and only the mother knows the location of the enchanted robe and The Black Swan Maiden uses the charmed garment to remove herself in moments of maternal crisis. This escapist fantasy of temporary abandonment was an effective strategy for protecting my children, as it meant I never actually left our home. Danielle Hobbs is currently undertaking MA Research in Visual Arts at RMIT, has exhibited nationally and lectures at La Trobe University. Kassi Manning Title: Toji-Maru Medium: Plastic, faux fur and acrylic paint Size: 22cm x 28cm L 22cm Artist Statement: About Toji-Maru: Everyone who has feeling knows what its like to hide behind a mask. Sometimes we wear a forced smile to cover up sadness. Sometimes we pretend to be friendly when were really angry. Sometimes we pretend to be excited for someone else. Sometimes we need to show a stoic bravery when we are on the edge of breaking and terrified of what could happen next. We pretend to be okay when we re not. Toji-Maru is all of these and more. He s silly and scary, happy, a little bit sad, perhaps a tad bit angry. He is feeling whatever you see in his expression. And like each and every one of us, he is deeply flawed, but he is loved. I am a 31 year old artist in Australia. Im happily married and have a beautiful baby girl. I ve struggled for as long as I can remember with OCD, bi-polar disorder and PTSD. Im happy to have such caring family and friends, without their support I could not have accomplished all that I have. My hope is that one day the stigma will be broken and people with mental illness will be celebrated for who they really are, separate from what they have wrong with them. Art is one of the greatest forms of therapy. It expresses the feelings that are too deep for words. Art brings people together. Art can save a life. It is a powerful form of expression that has gotten me through many challenging times in my adventure and I continue to look forward to all the beautiful things creativity has to teach me.

4 Simmone Murphy Title: Psychological Purgatory Medium: Charcoal, chalk, spray paint and acrylic paint on paper Artist Statement: Psychological Purgatory draws from my personal experiences of living with mental illness and the detrimental effects of the negative attitudes of the general public towards people with mental illness and mental illness in general. The animated child represents the fragility of the human psyche. The child remains an innocent victim of pain and suffering. With her white skin and her blue hair she is the cold, burning embodiment of anxiety and depression. Cradling a crow in her arms she embraces her depression whilst a skeleton towering in the background symbolizes the consuming thoughts of suicide. Simmone Murphy is a local Mildura artist who specializes in drawing, painting and printmaking. Diagnosed with mental Illness at 20 yrs old Simmone has struggled to fight against the negative stigma associated with mental illness. Simmone studied the Diploma of Visual Art at Sunraysia Institute of Tafe Mildura. Majoring in Printmaking Simmone graduated from her Diploma in Simmone currently works with Mallee Family Care at Vidovic house as a peer support worker/ Arts co-coordinator organizing this years exhibitions Colour Me Crazy in Swan Hill and Mildura. Joe Saddler Title: Untitled 1 Medium: Ink and pen Artist Statement: This collection is a progression of work made after my diagnosis of schizoaffective disorder. The work is drawn in pencil and ink and the bright colour pallet becomes more restricted as I begin to accept my diagnosis. The composition of the work has become more symmetrical, representing a more stable state of mind. The works contain repeated themes, reflecting various components of my illness. Mildura local Joseph Sadler has been a practicing artist for over 10 years and has exhibited in shows including Colour Me Crazy 2011 and the White Cube. Joseph is currently based out of the Mildura LEAP project space.

5 Artist: Joe Saddler Title: Untitled 2 Medium: Water colour pencil Artist: Joe Saddler Title: Untitled 3 Medium: Pencil Artist: Joe Saddler Title: Untitled 4 Medium: Pencil

6 Artist: Joe Saddler Title: Untitled 5 Medium: Pencil Artist: Joe Saddler Title: Balance Medium: Pencil

7 Nikki Cafarella Title: Naughty or Nice, 2012 Medium: Intaglio plate print My life has always been involved in all kinds of art whether I knew it or not, family and friends have always pushed me with my drawing and paintings over the years to maybe, one day excel in the industry. They always knew that this is where my heart would always lie. Artist: Joe Saddler Title: Stone Star Medium: Ink Working from home my works have been evolving just like my techniques in oil painting, working from various sized canvases to large wooden panels. When starting at art school in 2008 I started to grow even more with ability to create using many different mediums and techniques that I had never previously used before. Now, nearly finished my Diploma of Visual Arts I find that I can no longer pigeon hole myself to just doing painting nor drawing but mixtures of different fields such as printmaking, photography and even sculpture, being multi-disciplined is so very refreshing. What the future holds for myself and my art I do not know, but what ever the case it shall be very interesting.

8 Artist: Nikki Cafarella Title: Free Myself (Self-portrait), 2012 Medium: Lino relief print Artist: Nikki Cafarella Title: Me and my hands (Self-portrait), 2012 Medium: Lino relief print and charcoal Floating Skeleton Construction Kit Title: Downward Spiral No 11 Medium: Paper cut Title: Downward Spiral No 15 Medium: Paper cut Artists Statement The Floating Skeleton Construction Kit is control. The control it exerts over it s artwork compensates for the total lack of control the individual has in life. In the end the individual s only control is over how they react to their lack of control. The Floating Skeleton Construction Kit is that control. Artists Biography: The Floating Skeleton Construction Kit is a collective consciousness.

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