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Wild Dogs stuff

I have now become part of a group called Wild Dogs. We are supported by the Baw Baw shire in West Gippsland and as we are all based around Warragul this seemed appropriate. This name comes from our initial understanding of the word.( from Warragul which in one aboriginal language means wild dog or perhaps it means black cockatoos, or perhaps even here come the enemy)

The Wild Dogs are the brainchild of Kerry Warren

and the other dogs are Leonie Ryan, Eileen Harrison, Jenny Murray-Jones and Gary Miles and me.

There is now a website at www.wilddogsdownunder.com.

Here is some of the pieces I will have had as a part of this exhibition

All these pieces were to do with Gippsland and I thought that I should have people as the focus as it really is the people that make up Gippsland. Hence I had a big rugged looking face made up from small pieces representing a weather-beaten farmer. The footballer was appropriate as sport is a large part of our community and in China Aussie Rules is fairly unknown. Mowerman was done with china in mind as I did not think that they "mowed" their lawns and he would be a bit of a trick!.THe dog was to represent our name and the rabbit trap for a mouth made him quite funny. The last piece is meant to represent the female part but she is a big solid woman shopper, not a cute little 18 yr old. Actually if I did an 18 yr old I would have to attach a mobile phone.

The aim of the exhibition was to put together a diverse group of artists representing Gippsland( West Gippsland actually) and tour through regional Galleries, parts of Australia and then to China and Warragul's sister city and then perhaps to L.A.

As it is we did an opening in Warragul in August and then went to Meeniyan just after Christmas and then to Burrinja at Upwey. We then did an opening in Parliament House Melbourne and then went to JiuJiang in China( our sister city).

Our next step is to put on a group exhibition at Latrobe Valley art gallery of our work( not based on Gippsland) and then Sale is showing the Wild dogs show( which is appropriate as Sale is the geographical heart of Gippsland. When we finish there we do a final exhibition at Warragul which will be our reaction to China exhibition and as such will be new work by all of us and I reckon that this should be a real delight.

Parliament house exhibition.