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UNVEILED
ON SHOW FROM 6 JULY
One of Aspire Gallery’s founding goals has always been to draw attention to collectable, unattainable art just before it booms. We have promoted, pushed and guided hundreds of these artists since opening in 2014.
Our commitment to this ethos continued this year with the inaugural launch of our 11 round, round robin art competition - “Unveiled”.
Unveiled is an ambitious initiative, spanning across 12 consecutive months, that is designed as a grand exploration, identification and ultimately celebration of artistic talent. At the culmination of the 12-month journey, all eleven Finalists were offered positions in the Grand Finale where their finale artworks will be showcased, enabling one to be crowned the Unveiled Artist of 2023 -2024.
SAVE THE DATES
PRE-SALE CATALOGUE DROPS - 1 JULY, 6PM
OPENING NIGHT - 6 JULY, 5 - 7PM
"Unveiled" Finale
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Meet our 2024 Finalists...
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Ree Hodges
Ree Hodges from Newcastle, NSW, is a visual artist guided by her innate passion for artistic expression.
From an early age, Ree was drawn to the charming allure of art, quietly observing the world around her and immersing herself in its expressions. Though initially reserved, her passion for creativity served as a silent catalyst, guiding her on a journey of self-discovery.
Infused with a soft and feminine aesthetic, Ree's work evokes a sense of serenity and beauty, inviting viewers into a place of tranquillity and introspection. While her repertoire predominantly comprises gentle abstract pieces, her evolution towards more adventurous experimentation with bolder colours, contrast, and defined contours has been a welcoming one. Combining the two styles, she uncovers a harmonious balance between them.
Ree's creative process is an exploration of colour, a symphony of hues drawn from the rich tapestry of everyday life. Whether inspired by the delicate shades of dawn's first light, the raw emotion of personal experiences, or the rhythms of music, each stroke of her brush serves as a testament to the boundless beauty found in the world around us.
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Wendi Leigh
For "Unveiled", Wendi Leigh has presented a new collection titled ‘Table Talk’ - after recognising the need to consider and create new narratives about how humans and the environment relate to one another.
‘Table Talk’ was created in an indoor environment, allowing Wendi to reference endless photographs of birds she has taken to ensure she captures their true personalities. She has placed them in varying settings, where she can immerse the subjects in the beauty and fantasy that make her work so endearing to onlookers.
Wendi sees beauty in all things, a reflection in her work which is often deemed tranquil yet joyful. Wendi's work is painted in acryl-gouache on gessoed boards which have been mounted onto a framework of pine for strength. Her work embodies the personal need to bring hope and joy to the viewer, in an otherwise dysfunctional world, and the important fact that our fauna is becoming increasingly extinct.
Wendi holds a BVA from Wollongong University she received in 2008. Coming from a fashion and design background, her hard-edged contemporary take on realistic imagery stems from her passion for patternmaking, clothing design and joining shapes together.
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Katie Thomas
Katie has painted scenes of The Northern Beaches since emigrating from the UK in 2018. Influenced by the Australian sunlight, spending time outdoors and beach culture, Katie was instantly drawn to the beaches.
Her artworks usually start with photographs taken while spending time with family at ocean pools, coastal walks and exploring various beaches. Then at her home studio Katie finds time along side motherhood to start recreating her favourite moments on canvas. Using a broad knife and large gestural strokes to recreate movement and energy. By using a palette knife to paint, Katie is able to achieve just the right amount of detail without being too specific. Katie!s paintings are made up of many layers often leaving sight of previous mark makings, revealing the journey of the painting itself.
2023 has been dedicated to studies of water, ocean pools in particular. Combining soft strokes to create depth of water next to structural hard lines of the pool.
Katie Thomas has recently exhibited at The Other Art Fair, Barangaroo. The Affordable Art Fair in Sydney, Group and Solo shows at Northern Beaches Gallery, where she is also the gallery curator and social media manager. Katie has a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Graphic Design and enjoys designing marketing material for exhibitions and the gallery.
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Smiths & Brooks
Smith & Brooks is a collaboration between two friends and artists, Kerrin Smith and Jacky Brooks. With a shared love of the natural landscape and the printing process, Kerrin and Jacky began working together in 2021 as a way of reconnecting to their environment. They both live on properties in the city/country fringe of Brisbane and draw inspiration from their own bushland backyards as well as looking further abroad to revisit landscapes from their past.
Smith & Brooks’ artwork seeks to interpret native Australian plant species through the use of repetition, shape, pattern and layering. This collaboration has allowed them to combine their skills - Kerrin having a Bachelor of Visual Arts and Jacky having a Bachelor of Digital Arts - to create bushscapes with the intention to build a sense of familiarity, rhythm and calm within a space.
Two of Smith & Brooks’ new artworks for ‘Unveiled’ explores a local wattle, the acacia complanata which Jacky found while walking near her bushland property. They have also included a new work that has been inspired by the tallest flowering tree in the world, the mountain ash gum which is found in Victoria and Tasmania. And the iconic banksia robur found along the east coast has also been included in their submission.
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Stephanie Langlois
As an artist from Jersey in the Channel Islands and currently based in Brisbane, Stephanie Langlois’ artwork reflects a dual narrative that runs in parallel streams.
One side of her work captures the essence of her current life, drawing inspiration from lived experiences, good and bad, that shape her present. The other side delves into the realm of imagination and aspiration, depicting the life sheenvisions and strive towards.
Through a blend of traditional techniques and contemporary mediums, she infuses whimsical and humorous elements into her storytelling, creating a visual tapestry that invites viewers to explore the intersections of reality and fantasy. Each piece is a playful reflection of the duality of existence, with layers of meaning and symbolism waiting to be discovered. Stephanie’s art serves as a mirror to the complexities of human emotion and the dreams that fuel our journey through life.
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Jaclyn Poke
Jaclyn Poke is an artist, former teacher and art therapist who lives on the NW coast of Tasmania. An art school graduate, she facilitates therapy sessions whilst pursuing her own arts practice.
Jaclyn reside on a beautiful chunk of the north west coast of Tasmania, and her work is focused on who she is through where she lives. She currently paints and teaches from her studio, with a view of the rugged north west coastline as a continual inspiration for her contemporary impressionist landscapes.
She paints on canvas, using mixed media to develop layers of texture to create depth and mystery. Her major focus is capturing moments in time; reflecting on the beauty, atmosphere and presence experienced there. Jaclyn build layers of memory into her work, so that pattern and texture narrates the history of a place. She likes to call her pieces - artifacts of home.
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Mia Laing
Mia Laing has been a professional oil painter in Western Australia for the last 15 years. Her oil paintings blend illustrative detail with narrative depth, inspired by the local flora, fauna, and her domestic environment. Each piece captures the delicate interplay of natural light and shadow, celebrating everyday moments with a sense of wonder.
Mia’s work often features the comforting familiarity of objects from around her home, with titles that render the inanimate with human personality. Two of her artworks are from my ongoing series "Life Lessons from My Stuff” and another from her series ‘A Helping Hand’, all of which have been a joy to create and she adds to regularly. As a mother of two daughters, now adults, family life has significantly influenced Mia’s work, and she hopes that joy, connection, and reflection are evident in her paintings.
She is honored to present a small selection of works for the "Unveiled" exhibition, exploring light and narrative. Mia hopes to invite viewers to uncover the stories within each piece and experience the serene beauty that inspires her daily.
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Katie Leavey
Katie Leavey is an emerging artist from the lower Blue Mountains of New South Wales. Raised in that region, the natural beauty surrounding her each day has been a constant source of inspiration. Drawing from the everyday landscapes, Katie has found a real love of using acrylic paints and mediums to create works of art that capture the essence of the mountains and dreamy skies.
Working with a range of mediums Katie constantly aims to create pieces that are both unique and captivating. Each piece is a reflection of the deep connection to nature and the environment. Katie finds a sense of pure happiness when painting a stunning sunset sky or lush landscape. The use of texture in the works adds a three-dimensional quality that brings the scenes to life.
Katie has lately been discovering her passion for the mountains, skies and sunsets and this is currently shining through in every piece. As an artist she aims to bring a sense of wonder and awe when looking at each artwork.
As an emerging artist Katie is focusing on painting what brings her joy and happiness , in turn bringing joy and happiness to others via her pieces . I Katie is finding immense passion with each new artwork she creates, enjoying each step of the creative process and exploring her love of texture and colour.
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Katie Sandison
Passionate about raising awareness of Australia’s unique botanics and bird life species, South Australian watercolour painter Katie Sandison loves to create artworks which connect to land through colourful splashes and illuminating compositions.
Her unique Australian fauna and fauna series was established in 2017 with the vision to capture purposeful documentation, to highlight the importance of vulnerable, common and extinct species through vibrant complimentary colour palletes.
Subsequently, her curated exhibitions have raised funds for many wildlife and environmental organisations with three art shows since 2021 at the Adelaide Airport.
An ECO BIO CUP artist since 2021, her Blue wren couple have graced coffee houses around Australia, New Zealand, Singapore and are still being delivered. These are the most environmentally sustainable cups on the market.
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Deb Michell-Smith
As an artist based in regional NSW, Deb Michell-Smith’s work is a celebration of the everyday, drawing inspiration from the vibrant colours and inherent beauty of daily life.
Her art delves into the landscapes, environments, and neighbourhoods that surround her, exploring the deep connection between nature, people, and places. Through her work, she uncovers the layers of my life in regional Australia, reflecting on the connections to people and places, memories, and the community that shape my existence.
Utilising nostalgic Australian colours, she creates emotive narratives through paint. The repetitive nature of her brushstrokes and the layering of colours mirror the layers of her memories and experiences. In essence, she is painting her story, discovering herself, and crafting her own sense of place.
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Julie Lynch
Julie Lynch, an artist with a profound affinity for the poetic essence of nature and the allure of everyday objects, channels her artistic vision through meticulous attention to composition and colour. Each series she embarks upon becomes a canvas for both experimentation and evolution, a journey marked by both bold departures and subtle refinements.
With a background deeply rooted in performance design, Julie's keen observational skills and technical finesse have seamlessly enriched her drawings and paintings. This foundation allows her to assume various creative roles, fostering a solitary and introspective process that fuels her artistic expression.
Her artistic journey has been shaped by a profound understanding of the diverse nuances between her roles as a performance designer and a visual artist. This journey has imbued her later works with a depth and richness that resonate with viewers on multiple levels.
Through her work, Julie invites us to embrace a life filled with creativity and boundless inspiration, where each stroke of colour and every carefully composed form speaks volumes about the beauty that surrounds us.