Blackheath Art Society — Our April news

Autumn in the Mountains

Autumn is here at last. The trees are all turning bronze and crimson and gold, and Wentworth Street is full of autumn fanatics taking selfies in their posh frocks amongst the fallen leaves. It’s time for scarves and warming your hands around a hot cup of something, and a great time to head for warm and welcoming BArtS. Come on in to reconnect with familiar faces or meet some new creative souls. There is heaps going on, as ever.

Our weekly Studio Groups are exciting, creative and welcoming places to be. If you’re keen to dip your toe into something new, our diverse workshops are the perfect place to start. There’s something for everyone, whether you’re a seasoned artist or just getting started.

Easter Exhibition

Many thanks to everyone who was involved in our Easter Exhibition. What a fabulous success: 23 artworks were sold and around $1,500 was raised for our new garden through the raffle. Nice! And beyond that, what’s lovely is that so many members came together to help with everything from hanging to hosting. It was a joy to see friendships rekindled and new ones sparked.

A big BArtS thank-you to Geoff White, owner of Lost Bear Gallery in Katoomba, for judging this year’s exhibition. Drumroll now, please……….

The winner of the 2D prize of $1,000 was Robert Shepherd for his beautiful rendition of Currawongs amongst granite boulders. 'Six-foot Track' in willow charcoal on watercolour paper.

Second prize in 2D of $500 went to John Marsh for his abstract landscape of Capertee Cliffs.

The winner of the 3D prize of $1,000 was Francie Gaudie with her weaving, handspun wool and silk entitled 'Thoughts Become Reflections'.

Second prize in 3D of $500 went to Maite Berbe for her mixed media piece Immersion.

Congratulations to all the prize-winners and to everyone who entered work to be shown in the Easter Exhibition.

Francie Gaudie's 'Thoughts Become Reflections'

Future Exhibitions

The team that has been running the exhibitions has been carry the load for a long time. We all owe our heartfelt thanks to Kathryn Hope, Jen Hardwick, Jules Booth and Julie Patterson for volunteering their time and energy into the administration and curating of the shows, and the many other tasks involved in making them a success.

Right now, there’s an opportunity for some other BArtS members to volunteer to take on the task. Not one or two people doing everything. Exhibitions are big things to organise and they need a team effort. Jen and Kathryn are more than happy to support and guide volunteers who would be keen to take on the role.

... Just so you understand what will happen if we don’t get a new team, we will need to look at alternative options, like hiring a professional event organiser (the downside is, entry fees would need to rise and prize money could drop), or having only smaller exhibitions run by keen interest groups, such as studio groups. Them’s the secondary choices, good people.

The committee will decide the future of the 2025 October Open at the end of May, so if you love our exhibitions and want to see them continue, now’s your big chance to step up into the BArtS team.

Joining the team is a rewarding experience and a chance to use your skills and energy for your community. Step on up, you won’t look back.

Creative Collaborations

Building community and well-being through creativity and collaboration

We recently teamed up with BANC to run two school holiday clay workshops. These were big hit with the kids. The space was full of enthusiastic, imaginative youngsters getting their hands dirty (in the best way), creating all sorts of clay masterpieces. This is what BArtS is all about - instilling in people an understanding that making things, especially together, makes us feel good. These kids will hold this experience now, and it may well become a part of how they access joy and agency. It’s a wonderful thing to be contributing to.

Next up, we’re partnering with bentART to run a series of workshops in early June. This will be a fantastic opportunity to share skills, stories and inspiration with the broader queer community.

At BArtS we believe that creativity and collaboration are key contributors to people’s health and well-being, and their life satisfaction. It’s a privilege to share our space and skills more broadly throughout the community, bring people together to feel connected and grounded.

May you all enjoy these good feelings as you spend time at workshops, studio groups or working on your own projects at BArtS this autumn.

Happy creating!

The BArtS Team

Our April news