Boxes, ceramics and scarves on display in Three and Three by Two

A new exhibition which brings together handcrafted timber boxes by David Hall with ceramic pieces and silk scarves made by Susan Buykx, has opened at the Art Gallery on Ovens. Called Three and Three by Two, as it features three dimensional objects in three materials (wood, ceramic and silk) by two Benalla-based artisans, the collection demonstrates the progression of each artist's individual interests. Susan said she became interested in pottery many years ago, taking a few classes but mainly as a means to relax at home, and she soon fell in love with it. "Glaze materials are very expensive so due to the vagaries of our income as dairy farmers, I started tepee firing for which I had all the necessary commodities to hand at little or no cost," she said. "The process is unpredictable which I find fascinating but also reflects the natural beauty of the landscape. "I also started making silk scarves, which were popular and helped finance my pottery habit." Susan is now experimenting with kiln fired clays and glazes. She said terra cotta is beautiful to work with and as she learns about glazes, she finds it all so interesting and never stops learning. "I feel very fortunate to be able to bring joy to folk, by spending time doing things that bring me such pleasure," she said. It is David Hall's third exhibition at the gallery and his second with Susan, and he says when he looks at what he made for the first exhibition, he recognises how his work has evolved and improved. He said this development is rarely planned and not obvious in the short term, but plots its own path as styles emerge and technique improves. "Almost all my boxes now feature the wooden hinge that people increasingly associate with my work and have come to expect," he said. "These hinges are elegant and provide a point of difference to the more common brass or metal hinges. "I am also doing quite a few boxes with a cradle support base, and overall they have increased in size with more complexity internally." Some things however have not changed, as David still looks to contemporary styling and simple clean external lines, the apparent simplicity deceiving as the details are complex to execute. David said every box is still unique with dimensions, materials and design varying depending on its purpose, on what materials are available and on where his imagination takes him. "A nice box is a wonderful personal treasure chest to store treasured items or as stand-alone items on display for their own sake," he said. Three and Three by Two is being held at the Art Gallery on Ovens in the laneway off Murphy Street daily until Monday, December 1, open from 10am. The community is invited to meet the artists when their exhibition is officially opened on Saturday, 29 November from 11am to 3pm. * What's on in brief Festive shopping at Wangaratta West Artisans Market A wide range of handcrafted items and giftware will be on display at the Wangaratta West Artisans Market being held on Saturday, 29 November from 9am to 1pm. There will be more than 35 stalls to browse, located in and around St Michael's Anglican Church on the corner of O'Leary Street and Appin Street. The market will showcase the wares of local artists and crafters, there will be other items like plants, preserves and fresh produce, as well as live entertainment, fun for kids and refreshments. * Acacia Quartet at Benalla Town Hall Acacia Quartet, one of Australia’s most respected string ensembles, will perform an afternoon of string classics including Joseph Haydn’s Sunrise Quartet, Nick Wales’ exhilarating Harbour Light and Maurice Ravel’s magical String Quartet at the Benalla Town Hall on Saturday, 29 November at 3pm. Presented by the Benalla Art Gallery, audiences can expect to experience the best of classical and Australian string quartet repertoire. Tickets are strictly limited and available via Humanitix or visit acaciaquartet.com. * Remote by Kasia Fabijańska in WPACC foyer gallery An exhibition by Albury-based artist, Kasia Fabijańska, which brings together a selection of recent works on paper exploring the artist's relationship with landscape, is being held in the Wangaratta Performing Arts and Convention Centre foyer gallery. Remote explores the artist's relationship with her homeland, from the dense northern hemisphere forests, mountains and rocks of her childhood spent in Poland and Germany, memories of more recent travels across north America, to the deep relationships to country in her adopted home of Australia. See it in the WPACC foyer gallery until 10 December. * Pleats of Matter at Wangaratta Art Gallery An exhibition by Melbourne-based artist Kate V M Sylvester called Pleats of Matter is being held in Gallery 2 at the Wangaratta Art Gallery. For this exhibition, Sylvester has created an immersive installation made from deconstructed, recycled t-shirts, meticulously unthreaded by hand to reveal the mass and structure of the jersey weave. Her exhibition responds to the garment’s integrity, resulting in a form shaped by gravity, time, and environment, and it can be seen until 11 January. * Overland exhibition at Wangaratta Art Gallery The first solo hometown exhibition of nationally acclaimed, Wangaratta-born artist Matthew Harris, is being presented at the Wangaratta Art Gallery until 18 January. The Melbourne-based artist creates thought-provoking works in painting and sculpture that critically examine social power structures and historical narratives. His exhibition, Overland unpacks the lasting impact of colonisation on the Wangaratta region and its First Peoples, in a new series of paintings informed by historical documents, alongside textile sculpture With a Warm Embrace, 2023; part of the Wangaratta Art Gallery collection. * Wangaratta community market The Wangaratta community market runs every Sunday (except Easter Sunday) at Moore Than Swimming, located at 11-13 Mason Street in Wangaratta, from 8am until 1pm. There are a wide range of stalls to browse with new and used items, plants, fruit and veg and more, with refreshments available. Stalls are available for just $20 each (no bookings required) and car boot sales are welcome for $15, with more information via the market's Facebook page or call Sheree on 0401 665 886. * Wangaratta Historical Society open weekends Take a trip down memory lane each weekend by visiting the Wangaratta Historical Society and Museum in the old fire station in Ford Street. The museum is open every Saturday and Sunday from 10am to 1pm and entry is free, with exhibitions updated regularly. For more information email wangarattahistorialsociety@gmail.com or drop in and have a chat. *

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