The Reflection Gallery continues its quiet witness, providing thought-provoking artistic work and creating an atmosphere for quiet contemplation. We thank the Friends and visitors to the Gallery for their interest.
Displays in the gallery change periodically and have consisted of paintings, photography and mixed media presentations by Christian artists who are generously displaying expressions of their journey of faith through art.
The Reflection Gallery is open from 10am to 3pm daily.
Kyleigh Simpson’s “Ferns” have been installed in the Reflection Gallery. The previous display was there throughout part of June, through to the end of August and featured Kimberley Oehlman’s Digital Artworks “The Secret Place”.
Kyleigh has lived on the range for the last 30 years and is the co-creator of “The Shambles” garden at Montville which she describes as her art. It has also inspired a great deal of creativity through art, writing, photography and music.
Kyleigh writes: “There is something about ferns in a garden or in bushland that evokes a sense of calm. Generally, they are found in shady moist places and the intricate foliage and variations of colour and shape of fronds always intrigue me. A ferny glade beneath a leafy canopy is quite magical.
The ferns are something that Michael loved. He loved them most in the garden but during his last months he began collecting all sorts of things with a fern motif. Packages would arrive in the mail and Michael would excitedly reveal a piece of glass ware or crockery.
He had the whole family and friends on the lookout for anything fern related! To this day we all do a double take when we see something with a fern on it. “Michael would love that, he would have bought that!”, we often comment.
The art works depict a mix of mediums from collage to drawing and utilise found objects, fabrics, gouache, and I continue to play in my happy place with paper, glue and scissors. One of the best games to play is wreck and rescue and involves one or more people working on a piece and taking it too far or making it unbalanced or wrecked in some way, then it must be rescued and brought back to a harmonious state. It allows a piece to be looked at from a different point of view. It might be turned upside down, painted over or etched into. Anything can happen!
In the foyer of the Church there is a table of fern related pictures for visitors to wreck and rescue.
Two books that have been important to me are, “A simple path”, Mother Teresa and “An Authentic Life” Caroline Jones. The quotes that accompany these pictures are from these books.”
The feedback that we get continues to be very positive. It is a quiet witness in a peaceful environment that gives visitors something to think about and to reflect on.
Thank you for your support. Please continue to pray for the Gallery and its outreach, for the people that visit it, for Kyleigh, the artist whose work is now on display and for Kimberley. Grace and peace to you.