Art partners work on display in Melbourne

Four South West artists will showcase their work alongside some of the country’s best after their collaborative piece 4 Fridays 4 Conversations was selected for the Rob McNamara Exhibition in Melbourne.

First time painter Ann Simpson teamed up with Art Partners program office Wanda Ariano and participants Janine Egan and Judi McGuigan to create the work, which is a series of four paintings united by a common theme.

The collaboration was overseen by Capel artist Helen Seiver who guided the quartet through the project over four consecutive Fridays.

“We were responding to the theme Righting/Writing the Direction and the finished product is a visual expression of a part of each of the four artists’ life journeys,” Ms Seiver said.

“The paintings share a horizon and were created using acrylic paints and Spakfilla for texture, which is a medium none of the four women had used in an artwork previously.”

Ms Egan, who joined the Art Partners mentorship program last year, said art had provided her with a creative outlet.

“I love painting and filling my life with happy thoughts and bright colours,” she said.

The four paintings will now be flown to Melbourne where they will hang in the Collingwood Gallery as part of the Rob McNamara Exhibition from August 9-21.