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ON DISPLAY: Artworks by Leith O'Malley, Karl James and Noelene Bella Bishop at the library.
Friday, November 15, 2019
Four more valuable and historical artworks have been unearthed and displayed at the Whyalla Public Library.
The City of Whyalla’s art collection has been largely hidden due to the lack of permanent exhibition premises. However, with the help of the library, a wall has been established for three paintings to be exhibited on a rotational basis.
Many of these paintings are from the Whyalla Art Prize with an archive spanning five decades. The Whyalla Art Prize was established in 1972 by the Whyalla Arts Council. Originally designed to promote regional emerging artists, the prize has flourished and developed into a significant award and is seen as an important exhibition of contemporary arts in Australia.
Without an established art gallery, many of these paintings have been displayed on the walls of the Council offices with Mayor Clare McLaughlin also recently unearthing some in storage.
Three of the four paintings now on display are by local artists Karl James, Leith O'Malley and Noelene Bella Bishop (who now lives in Queensland) and one from Melbourne artist Juan Ford
Council Tourism Assets Development Officer Paul Mazourek said the paintings by Karl, Leith and Noelene reflect the industrial environment in Whyalla in three different approaches. It took some detective work to find Noelene and tell her about the latest showing.
“I could not find much information about Noelene but eventually found her and contacted her in Queensland,” Paul said.
“She was quite surprised and happy to learn that her 1999 award-winning artwork will be on public display and it happened to be her birthday as well.”
Noelene’s silk print is the abstract aerial view of the steelworks site.
These artworks are now on display at the library on Ekblom Street. It is free to view these artworks in the library as they go up on the walls on a rotational basis.
The library is open 10am to 5pm Monday to Friday and later on Thursdays until 7pm. Saturday’s opening times are 9am to 1pm and 1pm to 5pm on Sunday.
STRIKING: The work by Juan Ford now on display at the library.
PAINTING AND ARTISTS NOW IN DISPLAY
Artist: Karl James
Residence: Whyalla
Title: Industrial hum
Date: 1988
Technique: Oil on board
Provenance: Whyalla City Art Collection
Karl James is a self-taught, multi award-winning arts with works exhibited throughout Australia, the USA and Ireland. He uses different media including oil, charcoal, pastel, collages, mono print and linocut. Karl describes himself as a storyteller offering the public his own specific interpretation of reality or imagination.
This painting was a winner of the 1998 BHP Industrial Art Award.
Artist: Leith O’Malley
Residence: Whyalla
Title: Have you removed your danger tag?
Date: 1990s
Technique: Charcoal, ink and canvas
Provenance: Whyalla City Art Collection
Leith studied art and design at the University of Adelaide. Since the 2000s, he has been recognised as a traditional and digital media arts. He works are represented by the galleries in Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide and Dallas (USA). He works with a diverse range of media, creating intense colour compositions with dominantly realistic motifs. More of Leith’s work is currently on display at the Sempre Café during November.
Artist: Noelene Bella Bishop
Residence: Queensland
Title: Industrial imprint
Date: 1999
Technique: Linocut on Habuti silk on board
Provenance: Whyalla City Art Collection
Noelene graduated from the National Art School in Sydney in the 1970s. She travelled extensively around the world and also became a dedicated musician. In Whyalla, she was active why the Whyalla Art Group and, along with Karl James and Leith O’Malley, initiated the Red Dusts Artists group. She transferred the intruiging aerial image of the vast industrial landscape into a poetic abstract composition.
This artwork was awarded the 1999 Best Entry Upper Spencer Gulf Category for the Whyalla Art Prize.
Artist: Juan Ford
Residence: Melbourne
Title: There can only be one
Date: 2001
Technique: Oil and engraving on aluminium
Provenance: Whyalla City Art Collection
Juan studied at the RMIT University in Melbourne. He has exhibited extensively within Australia and overseas with recognition in the USA, Italy, Taiwan, New Zealand and Singapore among others. He also took part in a number of group exhibitions and prize competitions. Juan exhibits predominantly realistic styles that may vary between super realism to rather open drawings and installations.
This painting won the Whyalla Arts Prize in 2001.
