Artist at work by Laurel Billington “IT WAS like meeting old friends,” says Laurel Billington of the pleasant but slightly unsettling sensation of rediscovering works to put together for her first solo exhibition.
“There were works that had been on the walls and in cupboards. My children said they hadn’t realised how much art I had made. Even I was surprised.”
The exhibition, It's About Time, at the Wonthaggi Artspace Gallery, refers to the Cape Paterson/Drouin artist’s 50th year as an artist, with some pieces dating back to 1964. Some were borrowed back from family and friends for the exhibition.
It’s both a retrospective and a showing of her current work. Some of the more personal pieces, including the wonderful ongoing Tree of Life, are family heirlooms to be passed on to her children, but there are also a big range of clay pots, lino cuts, sculptures, etchings, paintings and drawings for sale.
“There were works that had been on the walls and in cupboards. My children said they hadn’t realised how much art I had made. Even I was surprised.”
The exhibition, It's About Time, at the Wonthaggi Artspace Gallery, refers to the Cape Paterson/Drouin artist’s 50th year as an artist, with some pieces dating back to 1964. Some were borrowed back from family and friends for the exhibition.
It’s both a retrospective and a showing of her current work. Some of the more personal pieces, including the wonderful ongoing Tree of Life, are family heirlooms to be passed on to her children, but there are also a big range of clay pots, lino cuts, sculptures, etchings, paintings and drawings for sale.
Laurel trained as a secondary arts and crafts teacher and worked at Morwell and Drouin high schools. Later she taught adult education classes in pottery and ceramics, and also taught pottery at the Association for the Blind in Warragul for 10 years.
She lives at Cape Paterson but has a kiln at her daughter’s place in Drouin. “I do the messy work there and the tidy work, like print-making, in a small studio at Cape Paterson.”
She’s tried many forms of art in her 50 years, and feels her art has become steadily more refined in form and detail. “Generally the more planning first, the better the work. I always have a design in mind, although the work often ends up different.”
The ceramic works in particular are immensely time-consuming. She spends hours testing glazes before selecting one. “It’s no production line,” she says, although she does make some smaller “tourist-type” pieces, including ceramic animals, using her own moulds.
Most of her work is very personal, based on family events. It’s a gently humorous, sunny exhibition. You walk away feeling better about things.
Although some of the works arose out of unhappy times or events, Laurel says the act of making art brings about some kind of resolution. “I don’t consciously try and make them happy but I don’t feel the work’s resolved until it’s a good result.”
It's About Time is at the Wonthaggi Artspace Gallery, McBride Avenue, until November 16. The gallery is open 10am-4pm Thursdays to Mondays.
She lives at Cape Paterson but has a kiln at her daughter’s place in Drouin. “I do the messy work there and the tidy work, like print-making, in a small studio at Cape Paterson.”
She’s tried many forms of art in her 50 years, and feels her art has become steadily more refined in form and detail. “Generally the more planning first, the better the work. I always have a design in mind, although the work often ends up different.”
The ceramic works in particular are immensely time-consuming. She spends hours testing glazes before selecting one. “It’s no production line,” she says, although she does make some smaller “tourist-type” pieces, including ceramic animals, using her own moulds.
Most of her work is very personal, based on family events. It’s a gently humorous, sunny exhibition. You walk away feeling better about things.
Although some of the works arose out of unhappy times or events, Laurel says the act of making art brings about some kind of resolution. “I don’t consciously try and make them happy but I don’t feel the work’s resolved until it’s a good result.”
It's About Time is at the Wonthaggi Artspace Gallery, McBride Avenue, until November 16. The gallery is open 10am-4pm Thursdays to Mondays.