Solo Exhibition & Website Launch
On the 7th of December, 2022, I held my first ever solo exhibition at There There in Geelong.
It’s hard to believe that an entire event could come from just enough drunken courage to strike up a conversation. One fateful night I shamelessly asked the manager at my most frequented Geelong establishment if they’d have my solo show there. He said yes - which, if I’m honest, I wasn’t really expecting.
That was only a month before the date I daringly set for the show. Call it courage or stupidity, part of me truly believes I might not have pulled it all together without a ridiculous deadline looming over my head.
One of my (only now) favourite memories from the lead up was a moment which honestly seems like something out of a comedic skit; I was painting furiously, with too many things to finish in too little time, and Barney was asleep on the studio couch with a painting drying next to him. While focusing on my work, I heard a scratching sound coming from the direction of the dog, and to my horror turned to see him preparing a comfy little nest on top of a finished artwork. As I turned to bark at him, my hand with the paintbrush in it dragged a line of black paint across the canvas. I yelled ‘Barney!’ which gave him enough of a shock to do a little wee on the painting he was now perched on top of.
This all happened about an hour before I dropped the box of finished clay pieces, resulting in considerable damage to two and chipping three. BUT we worked twice as hard, fixed everything and removed all the wee from all the precious art. And now I have this cool story !!
(don’t tell Barney I said that)
After a month of mishaps and more losses than wins, it was The Day. I guess diamonds really do be formed under pressure, because the event went so smoothly it’s hard to believe it was planned by me (lmao). From 6 to 11pm, the venue was filled with some of my favourite people in the world. We had nibbles, we had bevs, we had music. Granny was offering stellar life advice free of charge, and I had a guest book for patrons to draw me their best work. I also officially launched my website! If you’re reading this, congratulations, you’ve found it.
A huge thank you to everyone who came to support me. I was overwhelmed by the turn out, especially being a Wednesday night. Easily one of the best nights of my life, and I am so grateful to have been able to share it with so many angels.
An extra special thanks to; Halen, Kanji, and the Batchie boys Andrew, Sam & Tom for setting the tone and keeping the vibe with your musical skills; my sister Caprice for the hype and pulling together the most incredible platters; Lachlan and the lovely staff at There There for your service and for lending me the walls in my all time favourite Geelong venue; Nick for working your usual magic with the camera; my family for making the journey (Granny came all the way from Katherine, N.T, and mum drove from Hamilton); the darling Issy for saving the day when I had underestimated how much I had left to do on exhibition day; and the mans Harry for supporting my dreams and propping me back up every time I’d melt due to stress/self-doubt/any minor inconvenience.
You can watch a full tour of the show (the day after) here.
Slideshow; all photography by Nick @streetconfident.
Grid; photography by family, friends & myself.
