Community
8 November, 2024
Group appeals to connect with budding artists
INSIDE the Camperdown Showgrounds Arts Pavilion, a group of art enthusiasts come together each week to experiment and enjoy the company of like-minded people.
Corangamite Arts Incorporated are calling on residents to visit the group and see whether they would be interested in becoming members.
The group meets every Thursday between 10.30am and 2pm in the Arts Pavilion at the Camperdown Showgrounds, dabbling in various media and techniques including painting, printing, drawing, writing and origami.
Corangamite Arts Inc president Dannie Dupleix this year has seen three new members sign up, but the group is always looking for people to join up.
“It’s just the best opportunity to have some fun,” she said.
“You can see from our work on the wall – we’ve got such a diversity of techniques and materials.
“When we display works like this, people say ‘did you do that’, and ‘how did you do that’.
“Some of us bring our lunch and a newspaper and make a cup of tea.
“It’s building knowledge, building skills, and socializing.”
The Thursday sessions typically see between eight and 16 people attend, with attendees ranging from novice artists looking to practice and hone their craft to professionals looking to experiment and try new materials and techniques.
“There’s no ‘good enough’ – I can beat myself black and blue ‘I’m not good enough, I can’t draw, I can’t even draw a cat that looks like a cat’, so I don’t do cats,” Ms Dupleix said.
“I don’t draw anything – I just paint.
“I love colour – colour and shapes and perspective – but I don’t do birds because I can’t.
“Not everyone has the room at home – you can come here and be messy – but even if you’ve got the room at home, it’s good to be able to come and do it somewhere else.”
Corangamite Arts Inc is supported by the Camperdown Pastoral and Agricultural Society, who have leased to space to the group and allow them to expand their resources.
The Arts Pavilion has a number of working benches, including benches that are higher than the rest; an arts sink for cleaning up; easels; paints; a storeroom; a sewing machine; guillotines; and a trolley full of various materials.
Ms Dupleix said she is looking to increase the machines available to artists, including through obtaining a printer’s press for flower pressing and printing.
She said Corangamite Arts Inc was open to anyone joining and promotes a space where everyone supports each other – whether this is through sharing ideas, making suggestions or teaching techniques.
“Come along Thursdays – come along and just have a cup of tea, meet us and get a feel of what we’re doing and what you might do that could fit in,” Ms Dupleix said.
“We’ll let you come a couple of times – we don’t want to extract our whole annual $30 on your first go.
“Membership is only $30, and that entitles you to come every Thursday.
“We do have workshops, and they might be anywhere between an additional $30 to – if we’re having to pay a professional artist – it might be up to $100-$150.
“All of those sort of things are bonuses, but it’s where you learn new skills as well.”
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