Bundaberg Art Centre

Well, time certainly flys! I flew to Bundaberg last Wednesday and had the honour of opening Gail Spendeloves mosaic exhibition at the Bundaberg Art Centre. Gail and I have been friends and mosaic addicts for many years and when she asked me to present her work at the opening night, I was thrilled.

Gail met me at the airport; a wet and windy day and we drove straight to the gallery. It's a beautiful old building, once the Port Office, then bank, then library and now restored gallery. Wonderful high ceilings and stark white walls to present all art in it's best light.

Gail had her mosaic collection in the two upstairs rooms and the curator had done a fine presentation. Everything was hanging to perfection, (those metal wire hangers are incredibly strong and so good for mosaic art!) and the printed cards for each mosaic and the snazzy Broken Art sign all looked so professional.

We worked on my speech over lunch and disucssed the other wonderful show at the gallery. A show called About Face and I could not resist purchasing the $50 book on the show as I have not been so absorbed by a portraiture exhibition in a long time. If anyone gets the opportunity to see the About Face exhibition, run to it!

A good crowd of approx $120 people were at the opening night; a singer provided beautiful music and red and white wine, delicious finger food was enjoyed. Gail sold a piece on opening night and her exhibition will be at the gallery for a month.

Gail lives at Begarra, (recently moved from Brisbane) and it's a delightful place. Her new home is modern and when I arrived home to my very old Queenslander I wondered what it would be like to live in a new home vs very old tradional home.......I don't think I can give up Brisbane yet as my friends and family are here and most of all I want to keep working at the hospital with the art in the Captain Starligh Rooms this year. Who knows what's ahead, but Gail certainly is very happy in Bundy - it does have the attraction of the Bundaberg Rum Distillery (Dave's favourite place!).

I enjoy visiting all the towns in our caravan and the trouble is we keep finding each town fabulous and want to live in them all. Mum pointed out to me that every time I come home from "somewhere" I want to live there....and that made me stop and think for a while about what I really want and I have no idea! LOL....so that makes a fun future for Dave and I.

I settled down to making the chair mosaic and we have completed another 10 sq metres ready for grouting today, then we will start the next 10 square metres (this is how much room we have on the tables at one time!).

We hope the weather clears up soon so we can instal some of the seat segments. We grout the panels in the studio and therefore it's not so backbreaking try to grout the back walls of the big seating centre on site. The big chair is really a learning centre for the students and a fabulous seating area for visitors to the big Community Hall.

Mum, Maureen, Shirley, Cheryl and Jan have been helping when they can and Dave is the best of all with his big drill mixer! The time saved having thinset that stays with a working open time of all DAY!!!! is so much easier on me and less tiring.

I will upload some photos of Gail's show and the chair very soon.
Cheers
Sandy Robertson
OzMosaics
Mosaic Diva/Addict
mosaic workshops, classes, materials, art and craft
supplier of materials, tools, smalti, vitreous mosaic glass tile and more!
workshops commence in March 2008