OPENING NIGHT THURSDAY 8TH MAY
6pm to 8pm– all welcome

Biography
Concetta McKenzie was a Visual Arts teacher for many years. She has spent most of her life on the Northern Beaches and for over 20 years was Head of Art at a local high school. Her passion has been to work alongside students and help them to appreciate art both as a form of self-expression and a way of communicating. Throughout her teaching life she has always been creating, either in the preparation of lessons or in the classroom itself. Hastily demonstrating techniques, within the limited time frame of high-school lessons meant that she often ended up with many incomplete works that were abandoned.

Over a span of 12 years Concetta found taking students for a few days annually to Arthur Boyd’s properties, Bundanon and Riversdale, was a privilege that afforded her the chance to indulge in artmaking – alongside students – under the tuition of educators; observing the landscape in these settings further inspired her to paint.

Artist Statement
‘Since leaving teaching I have experienced a freedom which has given me permission to create at a different pace. Making Space is about making room in my life, away from the noise, both digital and actual; it’s finding space, breathing space. The landscape for me is a place of rest, contemplation and appreciation. I am in awe of God’s creation with all its intricacies. It moves me in a spiritual way. I am at once, acutely aware of my smallness, yet being an integral part of that creation.

The process of turning up to paint in my studio initially felt like a luxury but now I am grateful for the time to devote to my practice. Painting regularly has given me great pleasure. I love the meditative nature of painting and the intuitive aspect that comes into play. I enjoy using oils and the surprises along the way as edges meet.

I find myself being drawn to atmospheric light, its inflections, colour and intensity. I am inspired by daily local walks around my neighbourhood and road trips through the countryside where I capture fleeting moments of passing landscapes on my phone camera. As I observe, absorb and translate the surrounding landscapes, I am transported back to a feeling and moment in time. This has resulted in a body of work that I am very much connected to.’