Leeton Writers Group workshop

Author Andy Kissane will run a workshop with the Leeton Writers Group on Saturday 19 October at Leeton Shire Library.

The workshop will focus on short fiction and it's an area where Kissane is an experienced author. One of his short stories, 'Old Friends' will appear in Black Inc’s anthology, Best Australian Stories, 2013; and Kissane was the winner of the 2013 Fish International Poetry Prize for his work 'Against Forgetting,' about a group of friends meeting to read poetry in Kabul when the practise was banned under the Taliban. 

Exercises will lead participants into developing their ideas, so they'll leave the workshop with a head-start on their material. Andy Kissane has just finished teaching acclaimed short story writing courses for both the Sydney Writers’ Centre and the ACT Writers’ Centre.

A short film, Ngurrumbang, directed by Alex Ryan, was inspired by Andy Kissane’s poem, “The Station Owner’s Daughter, Narrandera”. The poem is based on oral history accounts of a massacre of Indigenous people in Narrandera in 1833 and dramatises the actions of a young woman in caring for one of the survivors. Ngurrumbang was one of the ten finalists in the Dendy Short Film Awards at this year’s Sydney Film Festival.

Andy Kissane’s fiction includes the novel, Under the Same Sun, shortlisted for the Vision Australia Audio Book of the Year and a book of short stories The Swarm, which was longlisted for the 2013 Frank O’Connor International Short Story Award. He has published three books of poetry, Facing the Moon, Every Night They Dance and Out to Lunch -- which was shortlisted for the NSW Premier’s Prize for Poetry.

A fourth collection of poetry, Radiance will be published in early 2014. Kissane has taught Creative Writing at four universities and runs writing workshops for schools and the community. He is the 2013 Coriole National Wine Poet and six of his poems are featured on the back of Coriole’s Cabernet Shiraz.

For further information, please phone Western Riverina Arts on (02) 6953 5147.

New Season at The Roxy Gallery

The Leeton Art Society will hold an exhibition titled 'New Season' in The Roxy Gallery, from Thursday 10 October until Sunday the 13th.

"This will be the first exhibition for some of our new members," explains Art Society president Ann Rayment. "Some of our group will be exposing their artistic talent for the first time."

On display will be results of activity during the Society's Saturday morning painting sessions at the Senior Citizens Rooms in Wade Avenue.

Artist Lynne McQuillan, winner of the inaugural Penny Paniz Art Prize, is one member who has found this time beneficial.

"It's good working together and it's a friendly group of people," said Mrs McQuillan. "We share skills and enthusiasm."

She remarks that a new expressive approach has started creeping into her artwork since joining the Art Society Saturday sessions. "I think it comes from Ann," said Mrs McQuillan. "Now instead of reaching for a brown shade, I'll reach for an orange."

"It's refreshing to get together and glean something from each other's work," agrees Ms Rayment. "It's good to show your ideas. Everyone soaks up information about techniques and artists."

Come and soak up the results at The Roxy Gallery between 9am and 4pm from Friday 11 October until Sunday 13th. The official opening will start at 6pm on Thursday 10th.

Take your art to the streets

Narrandera Arts and Creative Network will host workshops with expert chalk artists Bev and Diana Isaac on Saturday 5 October in Keisling Lane, off East Street.

Families are welcome to attend and older participants should bring a sketch of what they would like to draw in one of two sessions, from 10am-12pm and 1pm-3pm.

Bev and Diana Isaac have worked in New Zealand and Singapore, as well delivering projects for corporate clients in Melbourne, Sydney, Queensland and Adelaide.

The mother and daughter duo are among Melbourne's most original and prolific artists and known for running a pavement gallery in Southbank for many years.

In 1992 Bev co-founded Chalk Circle with Peter Voice to tour Canada, Britain and Europe. The group continue to work internationally and throughout Australia, running workshops in schools, towns and festivals.

Last August Chalk Circle created a 3D tiger outside the Melbourne Cricket Ground for the Richmond Football Club.

"We are looking forward to working on a new drawing in Leeton and running a workshop in Narrandera and meeting the lovely people from the Riverina," said Bev Isaac.

In March this year the Isaacs ran an "extremely successful" workshop with Moama Grammar School students while they were in the region as part of the Celtic Festival.

Beverly Isaac has been a full-time practicing artist since 1986, when she completed her degree in Fine Art (Sculpture) at Victoria College. She has conducted countless life drawing, sculpture and pavement drawing workshops -- inspiring literally thousands of artists of all ages.

Diana Isaac has exhibited on many pavements in Melbourne as well as the Barossa Valley and the Geldern Pavement Art Competition in Germany. She has been commissioned to create pavement art for events and designed a mosaic for the cover of Mental Health Magazine.

Come and join in or just have a look at the results from these workshops organised by the Narrandera Arts and Creative Network with funding from Western Riverina Arts' Community Art Support Program.

New artwork planned for Leeton

Western Riverina Arts have commissioned chalk artists Bev and Diana Issac to create a temporary artwork in the main street of Leeton in early October.

Bev and Diana Isaac have worked in New Zealand and Singapore, as well delivering projects for corporate clients in Melbourne, Sydney, Queensland and Adelaide.

The mother and daughter duo are among Melbourne's most original and prolific artists and known for running a pavement gallery in Southbank for many years.

In 1992 Bev co-founded Chalk Circle with Peter Voice to tour Canada, Britain and Europe. The group continue to work internationally and throughout Australia, running workshops in schools, towns and festivals.

Last August Chalk Circle created a 3D tiger outside the Melbourne Cricket Ground for the Richmond Football Club.

"We are looking forward to working on a new drawing in Leeton and running a workshop in Narrandera and meeting the lovely people from the Riverina," said Bev Isaac.

In March this year the Isaacs ran an "extremely successful" workshop with Moama Grammar School students while they were in the region as part of the Celtic Festival.

Beverly Isaac has been a full-time practicing artist since 1986, when she completed her degree in Fine Art (Sculpture) at Victoria College. She has conducted countless life drawing, sculpture and pavement drawing workshops -- inspiring literally thousands of artists of all ages.

Diana Isaac has exhibited on many pavements in Melbourne as well as the Barossa Valley and the Geldern Pavement Art Competition in Germany. She has been commissioned to create pavement art for events and designed a mosaic for the cover of Mental Health Magazine.

Come and see the work take shape in Jarrah Mall from Wednesday 2 to Friday 4 October.

Lee Blacker-Noble retrospective

Leeton-based artist Lee Blacker-Noble will hold a retrospective at The Roxy Gallery from 26 September to 4 October.

This exhibition will present works from a career that spans nearly 60 years.

"You'll see a difference in styles because I've been painting so long," said Mrs Black-Noble.

Her mother introduced her to painting in 1955. "She gave me a set of oil paints because she thought I was running around too much after the birth of my child."

In 1956 Lee Noble-Blacker started a painting group in Leeton and an early work watercolour of The Roxy Theatre will feature. "In it you can see the window where the exhibition will take place, which is a nice link across time."

Works from her final year studies at Southern Cross University will be included, as well as designs for her first commission. "I was funded to paint a mural of the history of Casino for the Australian bicentenary in 1988 that is still in the main street today,” she said.

It is worth mentioning that Lee Blacker-Noble's experience in murals includes the history of the region presented on the walls of the bar room at the Historic Hydro Inn.

Her time in Casino from 1974 to 1991 included set designs for musical productions and she also directed three musicals.

"Half of me is music," explains Mrs Blacker-Noble and she sang for many years in the Lismore and Casino choral societies as well as the Murrumbidgee choral group.

A self-described "Tolkien tragic," she has included characters from the Lord of the Rings stories in many of her paintings. Her garden also features on many recent canvasses and, at times, her yard serves as a setting for imaginings of scenes from Tolkien's works.

Since returning to Leeton in 1991 to be closer to her grandchildren, Mrs Blacker-Noble has focused on landscapes and foregone the requirements on oil painting. "I've gone back to my first love, watercolours."

The retrospective is a chance to see the scope and breadth of this artist's career through many mediums and styles, from abstract to expressive to realistic representations.

Lee Blacker-Noble is a polymath and, while painting will be central, she will also share her poetry, etchings, prints, ceramic and felt-based works. 
A number of her artworks will also be available for sale.

Landscape Painting Workshop

The Narrandera Arts and Creative Network offer a landscape painting for beginners workshop at the Arts Hub on Monday 16 Septermber.

Suzanne Lindhorst will teach the use of acrylics and share her experience painting the Australian landscape.

She describes her relationship with the land as "a passionate and on-going love affair." Her paintings are vibrant expressions of colour -- rich in textures, layers and symbols.

A full-time professional artist, she received formal training at Charles Sturt University, Wagga Wagga.

Lindhorst has had 15 solo exhibitions, six of them internationally, and has participated in countless group exhibitions.

She has won many awards in a career that spans over 40 years and her work is represented in government, corporate and private collections in Australian and overseas.

Cost is $100 per person or $80 NACNet members and prices include all materials. Contact Gay Campbell on 0428 669 115 to register or for further information.