Art on Show at The UpFront Club
by Lynn Cran

Maleny has many more artists than farmers! For many years the Maleny region has been recognised as an artists' community, having a high proportion of its residents identifying themselves as artists. Fortunately for us, the number of artists moving to the Range continues to increase, as shown by the growing membership of the recently formed Co-operative of Maleny Artists, or COMA.

With so many creative people vying for an appropriate space to show their artwork, it is important that venues such as The UpFront Club continue to support artists and facilitate exhibitions. This experience benefits everyone: the artists are promoted by having an opportunity to show their work and sometimes make a sale, and the Club gains from having truly original and diverse artwork for its members and visitors to view. All this adds to the interest and vibrancy of the Club and our community.

The Club invites a visual artist to exhibit his or her work on the walls each month. The opportunity to exhibit is open to all who ask. This allows emerging as well as established artists a chance to shine. Apart from space constraints and safety considerations, the artists have control over what they choose to hang. Consequently, the diversity of artists and their work has resulted in a succession of interesting displays.

Last year the Club had 10 different artists exhibiting diverse work, ranging from Jonathon Wright's domestic interiors to, most recently, Wiruungga Dunggiirr's indigenous art.

Karin Knipper – Late January to 21 February
The featured artist for late January through to 21 February is Crystal Waters resident Karin Knipper, who has on show a sequence of thought-provoking pencil and pastel drawings as well as a series of delightful assemblages.

Karin's work is informed by her early life experience of growing up in post–World War II Germany, where she felt the angst caused by the erosion of tradition and the loss of culture. Karin believes it is important for people to maintain their culture and to be free to express their national identity, cultural diversity and individuality. This philosophy inspires her artwork, which is a critique of today’s society.

Alex Bridge – 22 February to late March
Local resident Alex Bridge's fascinating paintings and collage pieces are on display from 22 February to late March. A graduate of the Queensland College of Art, Alex acknowledges that her artistic direction has altered dramatically since she graduated and she's delighted it has become more eclectic and varied. Her work is very difficult to describe because at first it appears fanciful, not unlike illustrations from a children's book. This simplicity is deceptive, for it belies the complex layers of meaning and the connection this work has to many of the art movements of the 20th and now 21st centuries.

Alex's exhibition promises to be imaginative and uplifting and, as is the case with the many exhibitions held at The UpFront Club, well worth taking the time to see. The Club is hosting an opening night for Alex and her exhibition on Thursday 22 February, and everyone's welcome (check noticeboard).

If you are an artist who would like the opportunity to exhibit at The UpFront Club in the future, please email me with your name and your contact details at cran@westnet.com.au or leave your written contact details with the staff at the Club.

[Lynn Cran is a local artist, specialising in pastels, charcoal and oil paints, who showed her work at The UpFront Club in March 2006. She has taken on the task of booking and publicising artists and their artworks at the Club to draw attention to the enormous creative talent in our community.]

[From "Maple Street Co-op News", February/March 2007; published by The Maple Street Co-operative Society Ltd, 37 Maple Street, Maleny, Qld 4552, Australia, tel (07) 5494 2088, email maplest.co-op@serv.net.au, website http://www.maplestreetco-op.com.au]