SAM MATTHEWS - MOSAICS
Sam Matthews has been living in the Douglas region for the last 25 years. She is a landscape gardener and self taught mosaic artist jokingly referred to by friends as someone who will mosaic anything that stands still long enough. Her mosaic projects are many and varied – including anything from shower and bathroom floors to a Jimmy Hendrix inspired psychodelic electric guitar. She works with a variety of mediums and materials depending on the project. She joined DAB as a student to study drawing. Her art works are signed with the pseudonym “Moo”.
LIZ SHOWNIRUK - POTTERY AND CERAMICS
Liz attended the College of Fine Arts (University NSW)and studied painting, drawing, printmaking, art history and theory and art education with a major in ceramics. Liz set up her own studio in Roselle, Sydney, producing and selling commissioned artworks . From 2001, Liz was employed by Ceramics Haven in Sydney where she taught adults and children's classes in ceramic techniques. In FNQ, Liz has been inspired to return to her art and start teaching at DAB.
JUDITH CORRIGHAN - PRINTMAKER
Judith retired from her career as an architect and then completed a Diploma of Visual Arts at TNQIT. She studied for one year under the tutelage of master printmaker, Theo Tremblay, and developed a love for printmaking, with a special interest in woodcuts from the Japanese discipline of u-kioye. Judith is a foundation member of Inkmasters Cairns Inc and has exhibited in Inkmasters’ Inkfests 2012, 2014, 2016.
GAIL SHAW - WATERCOLOUR ARTIST
Gail’s background is in advertising and graphic design, as a writer, art director and creative director. Gail studied at the Julian Ashton Art School and fell under the spell of transparent watercolour in 1990 and has studied with some of its leading practitioners. She has exhibited at the Balmain Watchhouse Gallery, the Cairns Regional Gallery and the Tanks Art Centre. Her paintings are held in private collections around the world.
LEANNE EMMITT - GLASS SLUMPING AND FUSING
Leanne is a practising local artist with a background in printmaking, and drawing with a love of portrait painting and a fascination with the endless possibilities offered by the medium of glass. ‘The translation of the techniques to the new medium is really exciting’. Leanne offers workshops in glass slumping and fusing where students gain an understanding of the properties of glass, construction methods and firing techniques.
SUE BERTHELSEN - GLASS FUSING AND SLUMPING
Sue retired from her career as a research soil scientist, which for many years had a focus on soil silicon chemistry. Retirement meant she could pursue her life long interest in art. After doing a course learning to fuse and slump glass, which is basically modified quartz, an abundant silicon based mineral, she was hooked, and it seemed to be a natural fit. She has since experimented and learnt so much more about the many techniques used to construct and fire glass to produce exciting pieces of glass art.
ELLEN TERRELL - POTTERY
Ellen started potting in the early 1980s and very quickly realised that ‘playing with clay was an addiction from which I would never recover!’ The bulk of Ellen’s work is thrown on the wheel but she also enjoys making hand-built and sculptural pieces. Ellen decorates most of her pots by carving right through the clay or scratching patterns in a technique called ‘sgraffito’. For the last few years she has been adding patterns in a lustre made from silver and copper.
WENDY WAJER - POTTERY, ACRYLIC FLOW ART, MOSAICS, JEWELLERY
Wendy is a multidisciplinary artist, who has expressed herself creatively from childhood till present day in one form or another. Wendy obtained a Bachelor of Design, majoring in ceramics from the South Australian College of the Arts and Education.
Wendy worked with ‘Barossa Valley Pottery’ and then started her own ‘Red Creek Pottery’ business, which allowed her to produce domestic stoneware and grew her knowledge of sustainable practices in ceramics.
Wendy has since increased her art practice exploring mosaics, photography and acrylic flow art painting and more recently metal working techniques and jewellery making. Her ability to teach others has enabled her to coordinate community projects and art classes in community groups and privately. She is also exploring.
Wendy moved to Queensland 5 years ago and now lives in Julatten, where she has grounded her practice in her love of nature.