Finite gallery is excited to be hosting the ‘Familiart’ exhibition during February.

From The Gallery Director:

I imagine it’s not often that a Family Tree accompanies the artist biographies, but for Familiart it was essential to the understanding of the group of diverse artists coming together for this exhibition. Eight artists with very different practices, of different ages and from different locations, yet all tied by the bond of family. I think this brings something unique to the exhibition. I’m sure you will agree.

The exhibiting artists are:

ROBERT LOUGHRAN (b. 1940)

Robert has lived in Lake Macquarie for over 50 years, and is a keen artist in watercolours and pastels, using his wide travels for inspiration. He is a keen (or tragic) Newcastle Jets and West Bromwich Albion supporter who has followed both teams through thick and (mostly) thin. Robert is a life member of the Newcastle & Lake Macquarie Art Society and enjoys a glass of wine whilst recounting past soccer or cricket glories to his grandchildren.

JULIA LOUGHRAN (b. 1967-)

Julia is a primary school teacher who does quilting and cross-stitch as a way to unwind at the end of a long day at the smartboard. She lives in the picturesque south coast town of Narooma, where she enjoys swimming and gains inspiration from the beautiful natural area in which she lives.

CATHERINE WHITE

Catherine White is a Jewellery designer/maker residing in Warners Bay NSW.Her statement pieces reflect her love of nature, drawing inspiration from the repetitive patterns and textures found in her surrounds. Her works have an industrial yet sculptural form creating functional and tactile pieces for the wearer, being made predominantly of sterling silver and semi -precious gemstones.

VICKI WHITE

Vicki grew up in Taree NSW, & after school left to study Graphic Design at Randwick Technical College. After pursuing a career in Advertising & Corporate Design, she returned to study Fine Art & is a graduate from The College of Fine Art UNSW (now UNSW Art & Design), completing a Bachelor of Fine Art & Master of Art in Painting & Drawing in the 1990’s. She has been involved in Artist Run Initiatives, participates in group shows & self initiated projects, has been a finalist in numerous art awards including the Doug Moran National Portrait Prize, Portia Geach Memorial Award, The Blake Prize, The Tattersalls Landscape Prize, Fishers Ghost & Eutick Memorial Still Life Award, & has won a number of awards & commendations. She has also worked as an Art Tutor in Aged Care, Mental Health & Childrens’ community services. White works in Sydney & Taree. Her evolving practice includes painting, video & photography, & considers the notion of landscape as a ‘living source of wisdom, beauty & transformative power”. She’s interested in how pictures can convey feelings & embody memories, through our shared experiences of joy, elation, longing, loss & melancholy. The intimate nature of her work is drawn from her own personal story & that of those close to her, but in essence become universal stories, as she invites the viewer to inhabit the psychological space within the images, & to contemplate the references to the delicate shifts & balances of the human condition.

ERIC LÖBBECKE

Eric’s practice his born of his 32 years participation in The Australian media landscape as a political cartoonist and opinion page illustrator on The Australian newspaper. Since 2016 he has completed a Masters of Fine art by coursework at UNSW Art & Design, followed up with a 2 year, Full time Masters of Fine Art research paper on the topic of Disrupting the Cartoonist working model for the digital paradigm. This allowed him to continue his painting practice and conflate his inquiry with traditional painting and time based digital painting, to exhibit his work most recently, within a cultural institution, The Museum of Australian Democracy, Old Parliament House Canberra and within a fine Art Gallery context, Stella Downer Fine art gallery 2020. Sydney based artist, Eric Löbbecke, born in Vienna Austria 1966. His family migrated to Australia in 1973, French mother and German father. Finalist in the Dobell drawing prize, Walkley award winning Cartoonist/illustrator on the Australian newspaper since 1988 with three solo shows at NG ART gallery Sydney, and twice showing with another artist in The Holland park Icehouse gallery, London. His work allows a heuristic process to take place with the influence of a gestaltist framework to make additive work in its construction. Open to serendipity and collaboration, the Random Thoughts are easily rendered relying on a visual lexicon practised over many years constrained by media deadlines and a methodology underpinning by foundations for developing narratives contained within his work. “Mother Moon is my visual response, watching my mother inconsolable, diagnosed with a terminable illness and couldn’t tell me, knowing I was going overseas in my early twenties.”

SHANNON BAKIC

Shannon is a primary teacher living in Newcastle. She grew up in Laurieton and was always drawing house plans growing up. In 2020, she moved to Wickham to a terrace house and noticed on her many walks around the area that the houses were so unlike the next one that sat beside it. As well as this, she had always noticed that at her Nannas house on the top of the fridge, was a black and white painted tile of a terrace house, quite like the one she had moved into. Her Nanna had told her that it was the only purchase her late Poppy had bought at the many garage sales she took him to each weekend when garage sales were the ‘it’ thing. She began drawing houses to pass the time throughout lockdowns. Now, Shannon’s friends often ask her to draw their grandparents homes for sentimental gifts as most of these houses were built during the prosperous post war period of the 1950s. When she isn’t teaching she enjoys camping, travelling and the beach. The tile on top of her Nanna’s fridge now resides on a bookshelf in Shannon’s home.

IVAN ARMSTRONG (b. 1995)

Ivan is a forest firefighter based at Narooma on the south coast. He has travelled extensively overseas, with his trusty camera always at hand. Ivan had a ringside seat at the Black Summer fires, and managed to capture some images for posterity when he wasn’t squirting water or saving houses. Ivan has plenty of future trips on his bucket list and hopes to take a few more good pics along the way.

NIAMH ARMSTRONG (b. 1998)

Niamh is in her final year studying Fine Arts at ANU. If Niamh had more spare time she would be a prolific artist, but with studying, part time work and riding her bike to and from lectures she has only been able to devote a little time to her passion of painting. Niamh lives in a creative share house in Canberra which is adorned with multiple artworks.

Please join the artists for the Opening Event on Saturday 12th February, from 2-4pm. Current Covid-19 protocols will be in place.