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News and reflections on creativity, wellbeing, art, community, art therapy, puppets, innovation and environments. |
posted 30 Nov 2011 02:55 by Anna Watts
You are warmly invited to our next art show:
VAST - Photography Exhibition featuring work by Carole Hampshire.
Opening 1st December 2011 6pm – 8pm.
The show runs until 22nd December 2011.
Pin Spot Gallery for Creative Wellbeing Parramatta presents photography focused on the still moments. Carole Hampshire is preoccupied with still moments whether found in the serenity of a statue or the whirling movement of a dancer.
Travelling and study has developed Carole’s interest in Asian culture, especially the development of the Buddha image and Indian art and philosophy. Her roots lie in black and white documentary photography but in the last few years she has moved towards a fascination with abstraction.
Carole has been involved with many photographic exhibitions in Sydney, the Blue Mountains and England. She has contributed articles on photography and the arts to publications such as Eyeline, Photofile, Editions Review, Sydney Morning Herald and more recently The Blue Mountains Gazette
To see some of Carole's work, view http://www.blackheathart.com/galleryonline/galleryonline.htm
A big thank you to all involved in Grant Douglass' exhibition Verocity to Paint which has just finished this week. It was very enjoyable to see the amazement on everyone's face as they viewed Grant's work which has been described as intense, detailed, and beautiful. Congratulations and thanks to the artist. Looking forward to seeing you at the gallery before Christmas. Please see the "contact us" section of this site for the Pin Spot opening hours. |
posted 31 Oct 2011 21:40 by Anna Watts
Pin Spot is pleased to present the work of Western Sydney artist Grant Douglass. Ferocity to Paint opens this Saturday 5th November 2011, 3pm to 5pm at the Pin Spot Gallery for Creative Wellbeing, and runs until 2nd December 2011
Grant Douglass lay in an art coma, but finally awoke with ferocity to draw & paint a hidden world - a world that most have no idea about: the life & journey of a “single twin”. After the death of his brother, Grant lost sight of their twinship, so too his art went into a coma. Now, nineteen years later he finds he was given a gift: in seeing death & feeling his twinship torn apart, it also showed him life.
Now Grant’s painted portraits of women celebrate life. Each portrait invites you to look into the eyes - the windows to the soul - because true beauty comes from within. Smaller works on paper celebrate happy days by the sea. All work is for sale. |
posted 13 Oct 2011 21:09 by Anna Watts
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updated 13 Oct 2011 21:13
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Last night Gerard and I attended an exciting and inspiring event all about WASABE! No, not the Japanese condiment you put on sushi, but the Western Sydney Awards in Business Excellent. We made it to the finals!! Thank you to the Parramatta Chamber of Commerce and their sponsors for such a wonderful opportunity to be uplifted by the achievements of our local business community. Everything about last night was superb, thanks to interesting speakers, fantastic entertainment by Mike Gerace and his band, and excellent hospitality by Waterview at Bicentennial Park Homebush. Thank you to everyone involved, particularly Merryn Spencer Creative Broker with Parramatta Council and all the other Pop Up Galleries! Our current exhibition Waples and Watts has been extended by popular demand until 1st November 2011 - make sure you take the chance to see it! |
posted 2 Sep 2011 00:23 by Anna Watts
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updated 6 Sep 2011 18:10
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Last night we enjoyed the fantastic opening of the Pin Spot Gallery for Creative Wellbeing in Parramatta, part of Pop Up Parramatta a project of Parramatta Council supported by Arts NSW. A huge thank you to all the artists, art lovers and supporters on the night!!! Amazing company, conversation, food and of course art made it a very exciting, community building event. Congratulation to Peter Waples for introducing his work to a Western Sydney audience. Peter is orginally from Lidcombe and did his plumbing appreticeship at Granville TAFE and he still has family connections in the area. You will be amazed to see his Giant Kelp Birds which are over two metres high featured in the centre of the gallery. View some photos by the Parramatta Advertiser at http://parramatta-advertiser.whereilive.com.au/photos/gallery/pinspot-gallery-parramatta/ |
posted 17 Aug 2011 00:51 by Anna Watts
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updated 17 Aug 2011 01:53
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Pin Spot presents the inaugural exhibition opening 'Waples and Watts'. Featuring paintings and drawings by Anna Watts and sculpture by Peter Waples. Exhibition opening Thursday 1st September from 6pm as part of the Pop Up Parramatta meet the artists night. We look forward to celebrating with you the opening of Pin Spot's Gallery Space / Studio at Shop 16, Connection Arcade, Corner Darcy and Church Street Parramatta NSW 2150. The level of interest from the public this week has been amazing - it will be great to continue the conversation at our offical launch. The other galleries in the mall will also be open on the night; food and drink supplied; a great chance to meet others or bring your family and friends for a different Thursday night shopping experience.
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posted 23 Jul 2011 19:41 by Anna Watts
Well it seems that Pin Spot has benefited from an incubation period at the Pop Up Parramatta Westpac site and is now ready to be even more accessible to the public. Work is underway on transforming an empty shop front in the Connection Arcade (near Hungry Jacks & Parramatta Station) into a vibrant, unconventional gallery space / art studio. This new venue on the ground floor will feature space for interactive workshops and private transpersonal art therapy, as well as displaying artworks by myself and guest artists. One of the first artists to show with Pin Spot is Peter Waples who brings his imagination to bear on Copper, Brass, Steel, Timber, Found Items and Organic Garden Sculptures. I am very excited about launching Pin Spot at the Connection Arcade with a show of our work in the next few weeks. Preview Peter's work at www.artshapes.com.au Please drop by to see the gallery work in progress - as soon as work is complete I will release the date of the launch. |
posted 28 May 2011 21:25 by Anna Watts
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updated 29 May 2011 21:57
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Gerard and I recently adopted a cat - Malcolm from the RSPCA. He is wonderfully affectionate. Purring often, as he loves attention, he jumps up to demand it when our backs are turned! I have been pondering what makes cats so unique. The ancient Eygptian cat goddess Bastet was defender of the pharaoh - 300,000 mummified cats were discovered in her temple! According to Why Cats Paint, the question mark has its origins in Egypt, in a heiroglyph depicting the southern view of a northbound cat. It's said curiosity killed the cat, but I have recently realised curiosity is the cure for procrastination. Curiosity leads you in; it enthuses but doesn't overcommit. Natural curiosity questions "what if?" What if we take just a moment to follow a hunch, turn over a stone, pen a ditty? If we focus on the question, not the outcome who knows where it might lead? Art therapy focuses on process not outcome and opens up possibilities for living life to the full. Assisting anyone to imagine the future, it also can free the spirit of artists and creative practitioners who consider themselves "blocked". Why not try an individual art therapy session at Pin Spot's new Pop Up venue above the Westpac building in Church Street Parramatta or a group workshop coming soon? I am exhibiting one of my drawings in the H1 art exhibition @ Pop Up - a Vivid Sydney event until the 11th of June, Tuesday to Saturday, from 11am to 5pm. Hope to see you there. Call on 0411831549 and we can meet in person! |
posted 24 Apr 2011 03:57 by Anna Watts
A few words from Hildegard of Bingen:
I am the one whose praise echoes on high.
I adorn all the earth.
I am the breeze that nurtures all things green.
I encourage blossoms to flourish with ripening fruits.
I am led by the spirit to feed the purest streams.
I am the rain coming from the dew
that causes the grasses to laugh with the joy of life.
I am the yearning for good.
Wishing everyone a blessed and happy Easter! |
posted 17 Apr 2011 18:25 by Anna Watts
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updated 17 Apr 2011 19:17
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Pin Spot has a great new office space above the Westpac building on the corner of Church and George streets Parramatta! The new location is part of the Pop Up Parramatta project where disused office and retail space is being transformed into vibrant creative showcases. Pin Spot now has a dedicated art therapy room for private consultations and small group work, plus an area for working on puppetry. Frank and Shelley, enthusiastic advocates for everything Pin Spot were recently featured in the local paper. Read all about it at
Pop Up Parramatta is a project of Parramatta City Council supported by Arts NSW. Thanks also to Parramatta City Council and Arts NSW for the past twelve months residence at the Parramatta Artists Studios. Farewell to all the artists at the studios - hope to see you "pop up" in Parramatta soon. |
posted 15 Mar 2011 02:26 by Anna Watts
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updated 15 Mar 2011 18:13
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Recently, while holidaying in South Australia and Victoria, the simplicity and importance of just being (not doing) was brought to our attention by the natural beauty all around. "Consider" became the mantra for the journey. Consider the birds, consider the trees, really see - observe, slow down.
We enjoyed a very good performance of Swamp Juice by Bunk Puppets from Canada at the Adelaide Fringe Festival. It was interesting to see a shadow puppet show with the puppeteer positioned in front of the screen where we could see his every move. The 3D effects at the end were better than anything we've seen at the movies. Kangaroo Island was rugged and wind swept. The highlight was the seal colony at Seal Bay. Travelling through the Coorong to Penola, it was amazing to see water back in the system after locals showed us photos of a muddy mess present only months before. The Great Ocean Road was far more varied than we were expecting and finally a few nights in Melbourne just topped it off.
We are so grateful to have had a holiday, and wish everyone the relaxation that a few stolen moments of reverie can bring. |
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