OFFICIAL OPENING I SATURDAY 2nd of AUGUST, 6pm till 8pm
SHOWING DATES I 2nd of AUGUST till the 13th of AUGUST, 2025
Exhibition Statement:
Two artists drawn to bodies of water, be it man made or natural, drawing on both the physical elements and the unconscious states of calm and clarity. The weightlessness, the unpredictable, the flow that’s forgiving and constant, always drifting back to a place that’s welcoming. Stretching across their connected coastline, altering through experience and perspective, Jackie Anderson and Jessie Beard present a contrast of abstracts; geometric and organic that consider the depths of water in various states.
The beach and coastline feature prominently in Jackie’s work, generally viewed from above, fascinated by the linear elements and patterns that appear. She is particularly interested in this environment’s state of flux and how the tide has the ability to both reveal and conceal. This collection of work represents the duality between structured elements of swimming pools against the wild and natural environs of the ocean.
Absorbing the visuals of oceans, creeks, rockpools, lakes and waterfalls and transposing to canvas is a fluent process for Jessie. She holds fond childhood memories of water discovery and play close. Even when circumstantial fear lingered in waves, as time went on her appreciation of the beauty of it all outweighed the anxiety that could be navigated. Only after having water births for both her daughters, was it a true recognition of this connection to water. These works are both symbolic and representational.
Artist Statements/Bio:
Jackie Anderson is a New Zealand born mixed media artist working from her sunny Newcastle home studio. She studied visual arts, majoring in painting at the University of Auckland. Jackie's work is characterised by her confident use of colour. Her paintings are vivid and bold yet on closer inspection reveal subtle details which encourage viewers to ponder and reflect in a more considered manner.
Inspired by her coastal surroundings Jackie translates impressions of the environment around her into beautifully layered abstract paintings. She is especially interested in aerial photography and a birds eye view of the landscape. She is a colour driven creative and her practice explores new ways of interpreting both built and natural landscapes into abstract form.
While her work is at times representational, abstraction is what fuels her creative practice. Every piece she makes starts out purely abstract and then more often than not morphs into something more tangible during the making process.
She was chosen as the Jumbled Art Superstar for 2019 and has also been a finalist in several other Art Prizes including The Fishers Ghost Art Award 2020 and The Gosford Art Prize in 2024. She has exhibited her work in group exhibitions around Australia.
Jessie Beard is an abstract painter from Old Bar, on the Mid North Coast. Her works are observations of nature within her local region and beyond, responding to environmental changes throughout the seasons. Jessie’s artistic process begins with experience, immersing into her surroundings, savouring and documenting what can be carried across the start to finish journey of an artwork.
Through euphoric interpretations that accentuate colour, movement and layering, a piece can reveal the many stories bound to a landscape of both the physical environment and personal memories. In recent days, she has allowed her painting process to inform an artwork to a larger extent. With connection to canvas and happenings within her space being a valuable factor to the resolution of a piece.
Jessie has an Associate Degree in Creative Arts & Design, a Diploma of Visual Arts and is a Masters student at UNSW. She has exhibited in numerous group exhibitions, duo and solo’s and her work belongs to private collections across Australia and overseas.