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Avondale artists on display
24 March 2010
Brenton Stacey
Public relations officer
A painting and photographs by two Avondale College lecturers are now on display at The University of Newcastle as part of its collection of art.
"Paperback Landscape" by Dr Richard Morris, a senior lecturer in visual arts, and five photographs from sessional lecturer Aaron Bellette's Abstraction of What? exhibition hang in The Auchmuty Library on the university's Callaghan Campus.
Richard's painting, which he created for his PhD, has been part of the collection at Newcastle since 2003. "It's good for our students to see what former students have created, and a student of Richard's calibre sets a high standard," says art curator Gillean Shaw. She describes "Paperback Landscape" as one of her favourites. "Richard's used texture and tone as physical elements to create, in a calligraphic way, an abstract landscape. The deconstruction gives a sense of meandering through the landscape."
Aaron's photographs are new to the collection, but not to Gillean. She assessed Aaron's honours thesis and served as one of the curators at Podspace Gallery in Newcastle, which exhibited Abstraction of What?. "Aaron creates abstract themes by using colour, light and movement as mediums rather than just visual elements," she says. "His photographs are like the Colour Field paintings of the 1950s and 60s. They give very little information but you become absorbed in the essence of colour."
Three of Aaron's photographs also appeared in an exhibition called Our Achievers at Newcastle in February. The photographs were portraits of Richard Vella, head of the School of Drama Fine Art and Music. One of the photographs appeared in the Our Achievers promotional campaign.
Exhibiting photographs is important to Aaron, and not just because it adds to his research portfolio. "We now view most photography on a screen, which is a bit of an illusion," he says. "Viewing photography in person gives you a better sense of lighting, size, quality and space. An exhibition is also the end and the beginning of two journeys: the completion of your creative work and the sharing of that work with the world."
More of Aaron's photographs will be on display with those of former sessional lecturer Martin Pieris in a Master of Philosophy (Fine Art--Photomedia) examination exhibition in the University Gallery, July 21-30.--with Brinlee Pickering, public relations editorial intern
Caption: Exhibiting photographs is important to Avondale College sessional lecturer Aaron Bellette. "We now view most photography on a screen, which is a bit of an illusion," he says. "Viewing photography in person gives you a better sense of lighting, size, quality and space."
Credit: Ann Stafford
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