Words by Sandi Miller, photos by Bill Mcauley
AFTER MORE THAN 18 months cloistered in their studios, Nillumbik’s artists are delighted to have been able to open their doors once more. November 20 saw the first of two weekends of artists opening their studios to the public. The program is a wonderful way to meet the painters, potters, sculptors, glass artists, textile artists and printmakers that make up the creative community of Nillumbik. Program coordinator Annette Nobes told the Bulletin there will be 23 studios open across the two weekends, with some studios being home to multiple artists means that there are 28 artists to connect with. She said it was great to be open again. “We only got approval to run this event three weeks ago, and that came from the State Government. “That goes to a lot of assistance from the Council, Council negotiated the approval from the state government for us to open. She said with some of the complexity around COVID restrictions, seven artists have chosen not to open their studios this weekend.
One artist that was bursting to open again was painter Nerina Lascelles, the Bulletin caught up with her on opening morning. She said she was so happy to be back with Open Studios. “It was wonderful being in solitude [during lockdown], and that is kind of for me what it is all about, having that internal time, it has allowed me to really go within, but then on the other side of that when you have given birth to all of these beautiful painting, it is time to go ‘OK these paintings aren’t painted for me they are painted for mankind’. “With Open Studios, it is a wonderful opportunity to show people my space, and the influence of the bush, which is right outside my window here, but also have a chat, to connect. “One of the beautiful things about Nillumbik Artists Open Studios is I always come away invigorated and stimulated, and going thank you. “Thank you for this opportunity, to connect and to have people who offer you something new.” Nerina lives in Warrandyte, but has her studio on a corner of her parent’s bush block in Panton Hill.
We asked her how her lockdown had been. “Thankfully I could come out here and spend more time in my studio, but also more time connecting with this area, Warrandyte, Nillumbik in general, where I could go on bushwalks and find new pocket that I hadn’t yet explored, so I think there is a local influence on this recent body of work, which I think is a bit special.” After spending time overseas, much of her work has had a Japanese influence, but she said she has loved finding these new places in Nillumbik. “When I was younger, I was born and bred in Eltham, on the banks of the Diamond Creek, so we always used to play down there as children, so I really connected with this land, and I remember mum saying that the energy of the Aboriginal ancestors are still in the land here, so you can tune into that, it hasn’t gone anywhere and that was quite magical to me.
“Gambi Baan - Laughing Waters”
“During lockdown, I have been connecting with the land in a kind of different way – there is that aboriginal concept dadirri, listening with all senses, and so that is what I have been doing, sitting with the land and listening and just hearing what it tells me. “But I have also been really interested in finding the influence of the Wurundjeri from when they were walking her. “I was lucky enough to meet a wonderful woman in Warrandyte who is an archaeologist, specialising in Aboriginal artifacts and so she showed me an eel trap near Laughing Waters, so that has really inspired my painting.” She said there is still a very Japanese influence in her work. “But now there is a little bit of an overlap between the Japanese influence and the connection to this area.”
“Guling” - Orchid Season
Her purpose-built studio is a work of art in itself. Nerina’s father is a renowned architect and had just finished creating his own mudbrick home on the property. “We were sitting at a local pizza place, drawing on a serviette, and I said I would love one big circle to paint in, and one smaller circle for washup and storage. “Dad said, ‘I’m ready for a new project’. “So this technique is ferro-cement, while it looks like mudbrick, it is actually a wire cage which has been rendered, it is a circular structure it is really super strong, so the walls are only about two inches thick, it is quite amazing, and find the circular space so creative so nurturing, it is womb like.” To visit the Nerina’s studio or any of the 23 studios in the program, first visit artistsopenstudios.com.
