Creativity:

- the ability to transcend traditional ideas, rules, patterns, relationships or the like, and to create new and meaningful ideas, forms, methods, interpretations etc; originality, progressiveness or imagination.

Serendipity:

Parallel paths running side by side and touching occaisionally till they join and form a positive energy to enrich their lives…

This particular set of parallel paths have been running alongside the other for about twenty years… It all began when Annie McRae bought her first pair of Pendragon Shoes when she moved to Brisbane in the early nineties. Not long after, she was working for an arts supply company, where she met and created alongside Tracey Sims and Susanne Barrett.These three artists shared a passion for colours, brushstrokes, textures and layers. Even more years passed and Annie had a vision to open a gallery in Eudlo… Along comes Annie Williams in the picture, she has also been brewing her tools and techniques with photography and digital imaging for around twenty years - she went searching for the right space to share her works with the world. Not long after that, Susanne called into the gallery at Rosebed St also looking for a space for her and Tracey’s paintings, not realising whose gallery it was… These five ladies have joined energies to create a positive fusion: our next exhibition and excuse to celebrate ‘Serendipity’…!

Discovering the Buddha’s Face

Ten would-be Buddhist artists’s began their journey last Saturday at Rosebed St Gallerys’ intimate studio space. Guided by Ray Furminger, Chenrezig’s artist in residence, we set forth to draw the face of the Buddha using a method that has been in practice for 2,500 years. We learned to apply the elegant grid system that has maintained the integrity of the proportions and symmetry of the Buddha’s image all these years.

Ray gently led us through the process, slowly and quietly guiding each step in precise order. We measured and ruled, sharpened pencils and precariously attempted to mirror sweeping curves, intermittently scrubbing at our pages with erasers. Heavy sighs released the nervous tension and knotted brows, and we watched in awe as the face of the Buddha emerged on our pages.

We proudly tacked our finished pieces on the wall only to discover the many faces of the Buddha! – Each drawing revealed a different personality, perhaps reflecting that of the artist. We then discovered that in order to graduate on to drawing the rest of the Buddha’s form we must first draw the face 100 times… as is the tradition with novice artists.

To complete the day we posed for photo’s in the gallery with our new ‘sensei’ (who we now had a whole new respect for), holding our drawings and beaming like Grade One students at our first ‘show and tell’.

Chopping wood and carrying water before and after enlightenment, we return to our rulers, erasers and freshly sharpened pencils….

Thank you Ray for a beautiful grace-filled day,

Maya

The Banyan Tree Project

Hundreds of prayers and wishes are fluttering in the breeze, hanging from Eudlo’s centennial Banyan Tree in Rosebed St. The messages are in honour of His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s visit to Chenrezig today, Thursday 16th June 2011.

 Collected as part of our current exhibition ‘Embrace’, the messages have been written by visitors on decorative Chinese Buddhist offering papers. The gold and silver catches the light, and the breeze helps create a gentle and magical kinetic sculpture.

The spinning tail of each message-string has been decorated and written by Eudlo’s children. Under the full moon tonight they are dancing in delight. Today was a magical day in Eudlo, the town was alive with energy, excitement, joy and gratitude.

Lets allow this lesson of gratitude and community connection to grow and prosper… you can be a part of this special community celebration…

Call in to the gallery in Eudlo’s main street (opposite the skate park), to write your message (and see the beautiful artworks on offer). Visit the tree to hang your message and read the others, just being under this tree feels magical. The majestic tree has great a dignity and beauty with it’s outstretched branches offering a welcome embrace and shelter to all who seek it’s shade.