Wonkie Knee Art and the Community
"Creating artistic spaces with the community in the community"
I have always been active in my community via sport and over the last few years I have introduced community art into my practice. This started with the 1000 Cups of Cranes in which members of the community coloured in squares of paper that were then folded into cranes as part of the project.
The Ukiyo 浮世 Adventures include origami butterfly templates that you can download, colour and fold with the assistance of my YouTube videos. 222 strong kaleidoscope of butterflies swarm around the Ukiyo tree. I am an active participant in the SALA festival each year. I was a participating artist in The Art of Reconciliation and with Fleeting Moments.
I am very much involved in Eco Building projects in Australia and I have also traveled to Nepal in 2023 and 2024 to build a school and paint murals for the children.
Currently I am working in the community of Brukunga, starting with the Reclink Brukunga art group which ran during 2023-2024. In which community members came to a number of art session, including introductory to art, sip and scones. The program evolved into a fortnightly art session, and culminated with the creation of 44 art skateboards surrounding a welcome to Brukunga sign on the playground fence in the main street.
In 2024 we are working on decorating a number of stobie poles in Brukunga. This grant is a multi-faceted project in which the community members, will be working on artworks for the stobie poles, fortnightly, and during school holidays. If you are from Brukunga or the surrounding areas and would like to be involved visit Brukunga Youth Art or Brukunga Stobie poles
Generally we start a new community art program with an introduction to art materials workshop. This workshop is a great opportunity for the group and I to get to know each other along with 5 different art materials. Introduction to art materials is a circuit class, like when you attend the gym, but a lot more relaxing. Instead of doing push ups, sit ups and squats we play with pencils, markers, pastels, watercolours and acrylic paint.
The medium class is designed to be a single 2 hour class, however most groups enjoy repeating this session for the first couple of sessions. Together we then decide which direction the group will explore, whether that is traditional drawing techniques, individual paintings or a group project such as a mural.
Cost
- All workshops start from $200 for 2 hours which includes supplies for 10 participants.
- Additional participants cost $20 per participant
- Travel costs $1 per km over 30km from West Beach
Warrawong Sanctuary
- A fellow artist, Charlotte, and I created the Sanctuary series for Warrawong, as well as completing water tank murals.
- The complete range is now available as cards and the originals are available at Warrawong or in the shop.
- Merchandise is now available via Redbubble
- Are you interested in joining, or hosting an ART CAMP there? Enter your name here
Gallery memberships
I am a member of the Henley and Grange Art Society (HAGAS) where I will work on ceramics when I can. You can find ceramics and art in the Fraser Hay Gallery, which when appropriate will include some of my work. I also facilitate one of the after school Children’s art classes.
I am a member of Gallery One Mitcham and you can find some of my art card collections in the Gallery shop. As well as my work can be found there when the exhibition topics and my art practice align.
Ukiyo 浮世 Adventures
This is a series of YouTube videos that introduce the YouTube viewer to art and creativity. The Ukiyo series takes the viewer on an adventure, of origami, repurposed, art, drawing, mandalas including a time lapse of a Sandala. You can request the origami Butterfly templates by joining the mailing list, as a welcome to the Wonkie Words along with a thank you mandala to colour in. You can then colour and fold yourself some South Australian origami butterflies.
1000 Cups Of Cranes
This was created in 2014-15. I asked myself the question can I fold a paper crane from a sugar packet? The answer was yes! I decided to attempt the 1000 origami cranes 千羽鶴, senbazuru. The 1000 cups of cranes became a year long community inclusion project involving 1000 cups of coffee, 1000 photos, 2000 origami cranes, 2 origami artworks and ceramic art coffee cups. Cups and photos from this project can be purchased directly from me, please send me and email if you are interested.
