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Review

Contemporary Showcase III

Decoy Café Bar Gallery, 303 Exhibition St, Melbourne

25 October - 16 December 2011

The current exhibition of 24 artworks by CAS members at Decoy presents a wonderful variety of works in acrylic, oil, watercolour, ink and mixed media. From the images inspired by travels in Spain, to the wilds of Arnhem land, Africa, or connecting with nature, the artists’ interpretations are unique and creative.
 
John Gambardella’s impressive Road Train (South of Darwin), combines the abstract with the reality of the heat and dust of the road train pounding through the Australian outback. 
 
Valda Cuming has travelled through similar country to capture the environment in a watercolur  Arnhem Land, which is interpreted in a masterful abstract way.
 
 
 
Carol Rowlands depicts a path through the colourful buildings in her work titled Labyrinth’  reflecting on her search to find her way in a world of change.

With the swirling, colourful, playful random shapes, Eva Miller explores The Invisible Forces of Nature in her work in an imaginative way. 

Dawn Cole’s use of soft blues, greens and pinks merge in a mystical way in her work Alchemy, which conveys that feeling of an imaginative transmutation.

The impact of colonial invasion breaking the the previous 40,000 years of dreaming in Australia is conveyed with the darkness of that intrusion just over 200 years ago by Prue Clements.

With his meticulous and skillful technique, Graham Edwards presents a striking and colourful image in his wonderful work Africana. His attention to detail is impressive, with the central golden figure, and intriguing mythological figures in the background.

Anita van Grootvelt’s use of red connects the viewer to Spain, in her gentle abstract work of an aerial view of the Spanish countryside, in contrast to the use of strong reds in Neda Starac’s painting Exotic Flowers.

Deidre Edwards’ exploration of The Butterfly Effects is a wonderful combination of hand coloured intaglio embossed etching.

Robyn Shannon’s Journey brings us in contact with nature, with the green foliage, and rocks along the central path leading us to the horizon, wondering what is beyond. 

 

Cafe Decoy provides a welcoming environment, with a range of display areas for the artworks, with viewing from the street front, the walls above the tables in the cafe, the more intimate area behind the stair case and above the kitchen window, up the stairs to the spacious and quite grand dining area. Each location is suited to the individual artworks, which are on display in this stimulating and pleasing exhibition.

Reviewed by Rosemary Mangiamele

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