Views of Lake Macquarie
Next date: Friday, 30 May 2025 | 09:00 AM
to Monday, 01 September 2025 | 05:00 PM
About Views of Lake Macquarie
Swansea Creative Group members encourage, inspire, motivate and learn from each other. This time together helps members continue their creative work in a friendly, positive and nurturing environment. The members share their different skills and everyone gains new skills and perspectives from others.
The group evolved from a drawing class that ended in 2022. The class members expressed interest in continuing to meet on a Monday, so in 2023 the self-run group was formed.
The members explore a wide variety of mediums and techniques, while retaining drawing as a solid core skill. Artworks include drawing, painting, weaving, mosaic, fibre (textile) art, collage, sculpture and poetry. Some members have their own studios and exhibit in Lake Mac Open Studio events.
With such varied works this exhibition should appeal to and be interesting for a wide audience. As a group it was decided to make the subject of the exhibition Views of Lake Macquarie because the members love where they live and their work is strongly influenced by the local environment and the community.
About Monday Creatives
Monday Creatives is a collective of passionate artists who meet each week in the inspiring setting of the restored chapel at St. Peter's Anglican Church. What began as a drawing class has evolved into a vibrant creative community. Driven by curiosity and a shared love for creation, they support one another in exploring new techniques, expanding their skills, and expressing their unique voices through various mediums. The group thrives on collaboration, learning, and the joy of making art in a welcoming and encouraging environment. Each session is an opportunity for growth, connection, and artistic discovery.
Artists Bio
Christine Skujins
Christine creates artworks in a wide variety of media and styles. Drawing, painting, sculpture, printmaking and weaving are some of her interests. She uses any materials that she can to create her works, with special attention to natural, found, recycled, and locally sourced materials. Christine's art reflects the deep and joyful sense of connection to the beautiful natural environment and the down to earth people of Lake Macquarie. Christine expresses the spirit and multisensory textures of subjects that are important to her. Interacting with - and responding to - these inspires her art.
Dianna David
Dianne has lived locally in the Lake Macquarie area for the past 49 years and has always enjoyed arts, craft and photography. She has keenly participated in the informal learning environment that has been created in the Monday group and now has made progress in watercolours and various other mediums but prefers drawing. This challenges her to look at the natural world differently and to try and capture light and shade as best she can. While she loves street art and public art, her drawings mostly reflect the natural environment. Dianne finds the process of drawing and painting challenging, but she enjoys the calmness in creating details.
Elwyn Tweedie (Ellie)
Elwyn is involved in the lcal community, loves the lake and beaches, enjoys boating and fishing, is interested in local history, and admires the abundant bird and marine life in the area these things have an influence on. All these things are the underlying themes within her art. She aims to produce work that is original and unique using paint, local natural materials, pencil and textiles with an emphasis on up cycling and saving 'fast fashion' materials from land fill.
Elwyn started her artistic journey 18 years ago by designing and making children's clothing, accessories and homewares which she sold at handmade markets and tourist information centres in Hunter Wine Country. Elwyn participated for over a decade in Arts Bazaars held in Newcastle. Elwyn has her own studio which she opens regularly and takes part in Lake Mac Open Studios and Meet the Makers events.
Elwyn was taught to sew at age 6 by her grandmother (Mummar) on a treadle sewing machine her Mummar has inspired and influenced her work and taught her techniques that she still uses. Drawing lessons have enhanced her work giving her the knowledge, creative insight and encouragement to develop and try new mediums and styles. She belongs to a creative group that meets weekly; the members encourage, inspire and motivate each other.
Monica Rocuant
Monica is a mixed media artist working with glass discarded tiles, old china, found objects and natural fibres to create contemporary mosaic art and organic woven vessels.
Over the years Monica realised that mosaics cannot just be made from tiles and grouting, but from a whole array of materials and by using varied techniques she can add texture and dimension to her work. She has had 16 years of experience creating contemporary mosaic artwork.
In the past four years her interest has also developed into collecting and experimenting with fibres. Kelp and Coco palm fronds, in particular, have sparked her imagination leading to the creation of contemporary organic baskets and vessels that embody both form and feeling - objects that "hold space" within the home.
Monica is an active member of the Swansea Art Group, she participates in exhibitions and community events and from her home studio, she creates commissioned works and hosts an annual Open Studios where visitors can experience and purchase her mosaics and designer fibre vessels.
Narelle Noon (Nell)
Nell is a member of the Monday Creatives art group. She is both inspired and motivated by the other members of the group. Nell works in mixed media, she particularly likes working in watercolour and she loves the boldness of charcoal. Nell is a Lake Macquarie local. Most of Nell's work is created through observing her local scenery; she hopes that her art will show how she sees the local environment that she loves.
Debra King
Debra has been writing poetry on and off for approximately 60 years, starting her poetry journey at the age of eight. Her poetry is based on what life throws at her. She hopes those that read it have their own interpretation of her poetry. Her inspiration comes from her life experiences; what she sees, hears, and feels. Her work is only her interpretation of these things. Debra has had a guest appearance on a local radio station where she read several of her poems. She had one poem published in an anthology of poems by several poets. Debra's poetry is an expression of feelings and emotions.
Janice Harris
Janice has always been interested in plants. Growing them and selling them at markets has progressed to a penchant for drawing and painting them. She feels that if you have an interest in a subject there is an affinity between you and your chosen subject.
She also loves buildings and landscapes; how the light falls across the scene and the feelings that the colours and shapes produce.
She enjoys the Monday Creatives group because it is informal and instils a sense of sharing, belonging and comradeship. Janice enjoys how the group discusses techniques and ideas then decides what project they are going to attempt, she believes this encourages the members to move out of their comfort zone and develop new skills.
Janice prefers to work with watercolour because she finds it challenging, although she enjoys all mediums, with the exception of oils which she has not had the opportunity to experience yet.
When
-
Friday, 30 May 2025 | 09:00 AM
- Monday, 01 September 2025 | 05:00 PM
Location
SEEN@Swansea, 228/234 Pacific Hwy, 2281 View in Google Maps
-33.0920447,151.6371172
228/234 Pacific Hwy ,
2281
SEEN@Swansea
228/234 Pacific Hwy ,
2281
Views of Lake Macquarie