FAREWELL
After 53 years of community involvement, it is with regret that we announce the winding up of the Aspley Art Group.
Times change and so has the art world, especially for small local groups, who rely on the generosity of volunteers, of whom our group has had many, to function. While there are abundant opportunities for individual professional artists to apply for grants and venues, they are limited or almost non-existent for amateur artists who just want to paint and socialise with other artists, support each other, share a cuppa, a chat, their art knowledge, and occasionally have an exhibition to display their work to the public.
The elite art market and galleries can often be out of reach of the general population, who also appreciate good art that makes them feel something. The contribution to community that small groups like ours make is invaluable, and often forgotten and neglected by the powers that be.
In the absence of permanent facilities, our group was lucky to have had the use of Mahaca (in the very early days) and more recently the Craigslea High School art room, where we held our meetings, tutorials and workshops. We thank Craigslea High School very much for their generosity.
With the advent of digital and social media, first with the multitude of learning opportunities on YouTube and the like, and now the AI quagmire, original, one-off pieces of art have seemingly fallen out of favour as anyone can now create their own to match their current decor. It may be that younger generations are starting to appreciate the value of hand-crafted arts made by real people, but alas it is too late for this group, as membership numbers have dwindled to an unsustainable level.
Over the years the group did a wide range of interesting things. For a long time they had a great social committee who arranged many private group events, games nights, suppers, and musical and theatrical shows.
The group participated in a score of plein air painting and photographic day outings, usually conducted by Ken Wenzel, our patron of many years. He took the group to many places:
- McAfee's Crossing
- Bronson St, Bridgeman Downs
- Government House
- Clear Mountain
- Toorbul
- Dayboro
- North Pine River Creek
- Bribie Island.
On those trips he tutored and mentored the group on colour, paint and technique from his great wealth of knowledge.
Once meeting business was concluded, there would be, more often than not, activities, talks and movies (held in the group’s library). Topics covered included:
- 20th Century Masters Art show
- copyright
- games and supper critique sessions
- Griffin Alkyd colours for artists
- hand-made book with lino cut illustrations
- life model sketching sessions
- lino printing
- manufacture of Rowney paints
- naïve painting (a 3 week tour of Umbria, Italy by Phillipa Webb)
- new watercolour paper and Genesis heat-set oils
- portrait anatomy
- Oxlades presentation on some of their products and their uses
- using photographs for art works
- what judges look for when choosing prize winners.
Over the half century our group ran many tutorials and workshops run both by members and professional artists, among whom there were:
- Aileen Shaw
- Amanda Russian
- Anna Maria Antonini
- Barry Back
- Brian Allison
- Charles Ludlow
- Christa Coetzee
- Christine Atkins
- Colin Merrill
- Colley Whisson
- Dale Marsh
- Don Hamilton
- Elizabeth Burton
- Elizabeth Young
- Eric Whisson
- Frank de Silva
- Gail Higgins
- George Williamson
- Glen Gillard
- Glen Henderson
- Heather Blackstock
- Heather Delaney
- Irene Amos
- Irvine Campbell
- Jane Zadow
- Jean Rasey
- Jenni Kelly
- Joan Ricketts
- John Guy
- John McVeigh Brown
- Kaye Kane
- Ken Farrow
- Kevin Penny
- Maria Field
- Norma Dickason
- Penny Gilbert Ng
- Pete Martin
- Peter Abrahams
- Phillipa Webb
- Pir Tareen
- Reg Trebilco
- Rex Backhaus-Smith
- Sandra Pearce
- Todd Whisson
- Tricia Reust
Ken Wenzel also gave many hours to in-house tutorials and workshops for free. As our patron he was the exemplar of inter-generational generosity amongst artists themselves.
From all this knowledge our artists could be quite prolific and many shows and exhibitions were held. For the first few years they held an annual show on the footpath outside the Bank of New South Wales Corner, at the old Aspley Shopping Centre. Many show at other venues followed in later years, in places like:
- Brookside
- Hypermarket
- Albany Creek
- Toombul
- Hawkins Garden Centre
- Ascot Racecourse Carnival
- Wheller Gardens
- Breakfast Creek Board Walk
- Carseldine Garden Centre
- 4BC Queen and Edward Sts
- Royal Brisbane Hospital
- McDonnell and East Gallery
- Clifford House
- Albany Creek Library
- Richard Randall Studios at Mt Cootha
From the generosity of the people who purchased the work of our artists, the group was, over the years, able make small donations to such organisations as:
- Albany Creek Lions Club
- All Saints Tamrookum
- Apex Club Albany Creek
- Australian Red Cross
- Autistic Children's Association
- Blue Nurses
- Brisbane City Mission
- Community Access Respite Centre - Clifford House
- Fred Hollows Foundation
- Leukaemia Foundation
- Parkinsons Syndrome Society of Qld Inc
- Red Shield Appeal Salvation Army
- Spina Bifida Association of Qld
- St Vincent De Paul
In the latter years, the Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital Research Foundation was the biggest recipient as they had provided much appreciated publicity and support for our group’s shows and exhibitions.
It is sad to see this group go into that good night.