The visual arts collective of the Charlton Art and Photography Exhibition once again brought together the creative visions of multiple artists as the opening night unfolded at the Charlton Hall last Friday.

With the second year of organisation under their belt, Charlton Arts and event co-ordinator Julie Jenkins once again created a platform for the appreciation of artistic expression to be shared with a wide viewing audience and to bring the visual language, in its many forms, to the attention of the connoisseur and the novice alike.

Despite having relocated to Tasmania, Julie was committed to delivering the 2024 Exhibition, and thanks to the stellar support from the Charlton Arts committee and the proliferation of online meetings, the result continued to uphold the unique placement of this event in the Charlton calendar. 

Speaking with Julie on opening night she said a lot of emails had travelled back and forth in the delivery of the event and that thanks to the support from the committee and groups such as OASIS, she felt the exhibition had come together very well. With entry numbers somewhat lower than previous years, Julie said some artists had indicated that cost-of-living pressures had impacted their ability to submit work, with the cumulative effect of media purchases (paints, paper, etc), framing and entry fees causing them to re-think the distribution of their work. Despite this there was still a range of entries from across the Ballarat, Bendigo, Swan Hill, Horsham, St. Arnaud and surrounding Buloke areas making up the display.

Opening
The formalities began with Julie introducing 98-year-old Mary Walklate to officially open this year’s exhibition.

Through her long association with the Art Show, stemming back to its beginnings under the Charlton Action for World Development Group,  Mary outlined its progression, its curatorship under the Charlton Rotary Club (of which her husband, Brian was a stalwart) and now its continuing presentation by Charlton Arts.

“From little things, big things grow,” said Mary, as she reminisced about the early days of fundraising for World Development projects and the personalities, such as Kath Morton, who were heavily involved in the evolution of the event.

“Opening night is a time of excitement,” said Mary. “Who is going to win? And seeing all the works on display.  So, I have much pleasure in declaring the 2024 Art Exhibition open.” 

Following a prolonged round of applause, Julie made a small presentation to Mary.

Across the Charlton Hall, works ranged in size and genre, with a strong bias towards the representational imagery of landscapes, still-life and nature studies. Technical excellence by many of the regular exhibitors continues to be appreciated, with dynamic oils and exquisite watercolours an ongoing feature of the display.

School-age Works
One of the strong positives of the Art Show has always been the inclusion of school-age works for both competitive and display purposes, and this year did not disappoint. While this gives the public an opportunity to appreciate the visual directions of the younger generations, the spontaneity of youthful visions reveals the learning curve which all art practitioners travel on their way to building a more disciplined and investigative expression in their creative careers. It is also a boost for young artists to see their work on display in a public arena and to have the pleasure of sharing the excitement with family and friends.

Youth Perspectives
This year’s exhibition also had the added inclusion of the contributors and winners of the Community Lens “Youth Perspectives” photography competition – organised by the Charlton Neighbourhood House in association with the 2024 Victorian Youth Fest.  Across three age categories (Primary, Secondary and 18-29 years) entrants were asked to capture their experiences, challenges, inspirations and aspirations for the Charlton community.

In a myriad of images the strengths of the agricultural sector and the unparalleled Mallee landscapes/sunsets/nightscapes were a feature, but the mix also captured the randomness of kids hanging out together, the placid scene of unattended fishing lines at the lake and the unadulterated images which capture the true meaning of “home”. The competition was judged by Jenny Pollard, with the winners including: 

Primary – 1st Ruby Wright, 2nd Daniella Smith. 

Secondary – 1st Emmy Nelson, 2nd Michael Olive, 3rd Ned Zagame.

18-29 years – 1st Chloe Walsh, 2nd Xanthe Fitzpatrick, 3rd Claudia Cox.

Local Demonstration 
Augmenting the exhibition were local demonstrators, Cheryl Kemp (felt artist) and Markus Phillips (3D printing). 

Cheryl’s involvement in crafts over many years has led her to the satisfying activity of felting – an activity which has blossomed into a passion, and which brings her a deep feeling of relaxation. Well-known for her stunning felt berets – inspired by artists such as Vincent Van Gogh and Pablo Picasso – Cheryl’s display and work-in-progress was a drawcard on opening night.

Markus Phillips was eager to reveal the value of 3D printing to Art Show patrons, showcasing many completed items which had been produced in the four years since he acquired the equipment. As a bonus for his involvement 

in miniature war-gaming, Markus is able to create the small-scale items, tokens and measuring devices needed for play, and praises the machine for its ability to reduce waste. Applications across traditional manufacturing industries and medical outlets have also benefitted from the technological advancements in this form of mechanisation. 

Announcing the prize winners, MC Julie Jenkins acknowledged the contributions of judge, Ruth Jabornik, curator of the St. Arnaud Raillery Hub Gallery. 

Reading out the judge’s accompanying comments which highlighted the vision and technical expertise of the works, the list of winners are as follows:

Winners
Best Exhibit (Any Media) – Jon Crawley – “Home Among the Gum Trees” (watercolour painting) – (sponsored by Charlton & District Community Bank and Charlton Arts).

Best Oil/Acrylic –– Geoff Paynter – “Contrasts” (oil) – (sponsored by East Charlton Hotel and Foundry Palms Motel).

Best Watercolour –– Lyn Cooke – “Iris” - (sponsored D & J. Cossar, Perry Contractors, Signwise Solutions).

Best Drawing – Jan Lawler – “Mallee Fowl” (pencil) – (sponsored by Charlton Ag Supplies and Australia Post, Charlton).

Best other Media – Janene Jeffrey – “Badlands” – (acrylic) (sponsored Commonwealth Bank and Tax World).

Best Photograph – Julie Jenkins – “I See You (Horse)” – (sponsored by TEYS Charlton Feedlot).

Best Photograph (Manipulated) – Stuart Giles – “Crimson Chat” – (sponsored by Charlton Vintage and Charlton Newsagency).

Local Artist / Photographer – Michele Winsor – “Clearing Fog” – (photography) – (sponsored by Boral Quarry).

Best Secondary School Exhibit (Art) – Heidi Start – drawing – (sponsored by Charlton Medical).                                                              

Highly Commended (Art) – Colin Brown – “Tranquillity” (acrylic) – (sponsored by Starts Buses).

Highly Commended (Photography) – Julie Jenkins – (sponsored by Fitzpatrick’s Transport).

The evening concluded with thanks being expressed to the many sponsors for their generous contributions.