By Ethan Benedicto
Visions of seascapes, buildings, mountain ranges and the beauty of still life covered the Nossal High School auditorium during Provenance Artists Inc.’s 25th annual art exhibition.
Dedicated to their late founder and artist, Calvin Bell, submissions from seasoned artists and students alike showcased the talent of the local community, with committee member Debra Polman saying that it was exactly what Calvin Bell envisioned.
For Ms Polman and the committee, the exhibition is and has always been “just something we want to do”.
“I think it’s a good idea for local people to get involved in art because you have to go to inner Melbourne to see art like this.
“This is the second biggest in the southeastern suburbs, so we just like to contribute to get artists to paint,” she said.
A maze of canvases, the exhibition which was held from Friday 12 April to Sunday 14 April featured pieces of varied themes and sizes with some select pieces winning the first prize in their respective categories, all delivering the message of art as food for the soul.
With her pieces also displayed alongside many others, Ms Polman said “we don’t make money, we just get enough to make the next show, we’re all about getting the artists to display their works more than anything”.
The exhibition itself was roughly five months’ worth of outreach and organising, liaising with the appropriate stakeholders such as Nossal High School and the artists themselves to deliver an experience in which Provenance hoped for everyone to be involved.
Fellow committee member Kiran Singh said, “we put all of our emotions into the work, our soul is in it”.
“If we’re not happy with it, we have to correct it and it never gets shown; we feel bad ourselves and it’s not right so we do it again because the art speaks to us.
“When we work, we don’t know the time, I spend seven to nine hours with just a sip of coffee because you are totally lost in what you’re doing, and it’s a beautiful feeling,” Mr Singh said.
The categories and themes for each exhibition change every year, as do the judges with Glenn Hoyle, a renowned realism painter being one of the 25th exhibition’s judges.
However, his position doesn’t prevent him from presenting his artwork, with Ms Polman adamant on Provenance’s invitation for everyone and all forms of art to be presented at their gallery.
With art being subjective, both Mr Singh and Ms Polman understand that different people may put a different value on certain pieces.
Nevertheless, it is those interpretations that bring about the beauty of art, with Ms Polman saying that “it’s in the intricacies”.
“Like the leaf one I did, people see that and they see the value because there’s a lot of work put I it.
“Even the smaller paintings, as long as it’s pleasing to their eye they see the value of it.
“Other people don’t, they can go to Fountain Gate and pick a print because they’re happy with the price, but this is art that can be kept forever,” she said.
With the exhibition finalised, the Provenance committee are looking to gather for a debrief in the coming weeks, with the annual exhibition set to carry onto the coming years.
