'Women
in doorway no. 5' by Kate Hine
Riverland Matters - November 2010
The opportunity to have this Exhibition at the Artvault in Mildura has allowed me to indulge my love of telling the stories of people's lives through my artwork. Mildura is a city with a colourful history of pioneer riverland families and they and the river have provided me with a rich source of material to draw on. My focus for this Exhibition has been the history of the Canadian Chaffey Brothers and their important contribution to this district. There are endless descriptions of George and William's exploits in setting up the irrigation channels in the area and the subsequent troubles with the Victorian Government which led to George returning to America, also the planning of the streets/town of Mildura and later the vineyards planted by William and his nephew Benjamin in the Merbein area. (I have chosen in this series not to follow Charles and his family settling in Renmark). However, I found, during my extensive research, that information about George and William Chaffeys' wives and families is often confined to a short paragraph and there is little "actual" detail to give an insight into who these women and their children were. So in this Exhibition, I have attempted to present images of George and William and their families, not in any representational way but purely from my imagination and drawing on my knowledge of the area to create "scenarios" inspired by old family photographs and reading about their exploits in the district. My work is therefore an "imaginary" glimpse into those bygone days. I gratefully acknowledge the willing permission of the Director of the Mildura Arts Centre Julian Bowron and the help of Maria Beckwith in providing me with Chaffey family photographs and material from the collection.
1989 - Bachelor of Education, CCAE, Canberra
1974 - Teacher's Certificate, CCAE, Canberra
1958 - Diploma of Art, Hobart, Tasmania
Teaching Experience
1989-91 - Calwell High School
1974-89 - Alfred Deakin High School
1959-61 - Hobart High School
1957-59 - New Norfolk High School
Continuous. Hobart and Canberra Art Schools. Summer
Schools in Canberra and Tasmania. Studio 1, Canberra. Life Drawing at
M16, Canberra.
Courses include etching, lino and wood cuts, lithography, drawing,
various forms of painting and sculpture.
The Art Vault, Mildura
2009
MIKA Group Exhibition "Dialoque". ANCA Gallery, Dickson, Canberra
Eckerley,s Art award, Canberra Art Workshop Exhibition.
2008
Highly commended. Canberra Art Workshop Exhibition.
Selected for theM16 Drawing Prize, Canberra.
2007
Selected for M16 Drawing Prize, M16 gallery Fyshwick
Canberra Art
Workshop Annual Exhibition, M16 gallery Fyshwick, Highly Commended
MIKA
Exhibition “Drawn Onward” Anca Gallery, Dickson
2006
Selected for M16 Drawing Prize, 3rd place
2005
MIKA Exhibition “Reflections on a Looking Glass”, Anca Gallery,
Dickson
2004
MIKA Exhibition “Collective Diversity”, Anca Gallery, Dickson
2003
Tin Shed Group; Annual Exhibition, Potter’s Society gallery, Watson
2001
Selected for the Tuggeranong Art Prize, Tuggeranong Arts Centre
2000-2001
Selected for the “Spring to Life” Exhibition, Tuggeranong Arts
Centre
2000
- 2002
Tin Shed Group; Annual Exhibition, Court Yard Studio, Civic
1998
- 1999
Teachers’ federation Publications (Political cartoons)
1997-1998
Group Exhibitions, “Images 21”, Hobart
1997
Exhibited in Buffalo in USA
1972
Exhibited in Adelaide Hill’s Gallery
1967
- 1970
Selected for the Annual Canberra Times Art Exhibition, Albert
Hall, Canberra