October 28th, 2022Spring art and old masters

CRESWICK taps its rich vein of arts heritage this Melbourne Cup long weekend with the town hosting two concurrent art exhibitions.
The Creswick Arts Pavilion is staging both its Creswick Spring Art Show at the town’s Neighbourhood Centre and also the Creswick Old Masters’ exhibition celebrating the wealth of artistic talent the town has fomented over the decades.
This includes Australia’s historically famed Lindsay family with five of its talented members getting a look-in at the Old Masters’ show staged in the town’s Havilah Masonic Lodge Hall.
Creswick Arts Pavilion president Andrew Bell says the hall itself is an artwork of sorts with the
exhibition affording a rare chance for art lovers to check out its interior.
“We feature the hall itself because the interior is rather intricately painted and that’s a feature in
itself,” he says.
The purchase of a $5 ticket will get you into both the Old Masters’ Show and the concurrent
Creswick Spring Art Show which launches 7pm on Friday, October 28 with the announcement of the
winning artist, who will take the $1000 prize.
Tickets to the 7pm opening event are $15 at the door, and the evening will feature a performance
of live baroque music by Newlyn and Hepburn players. They will be accompanied by the vocal
talents of Hepburn Shire’s own mayor, Cr Tim Drylie – a lyric tenor.
Andrew says artworks across a wide range of media including painting and sculpture will be on
show with entries from across the state to be judged by Ballarat Art Gallery curator Kiri Smart.
“Last year we had 120 works entered from 70 different artists and we’re expecting
we will end up with about the same this time as well,” Andrew says.
Among local talent preparing to enter work is sculptor and blacksmith, Ernie
Terry who produces his imposing works at his Lucky Monkey Blacksmith forge in
Creswick’s Albert Street.
“Ernie won first prize at our mid-year Park Lake Art Show and for this show he is
donating one of our raffle prizes – a beautiful forged iron sculptural piece featuring a
eucalyptus leaf design,” Andrew says.
Another of the raffle prizes up for grabs is a beautiful stone birdbath made by
Creswick’s David Barclay.
The Spring Art Exhibition also offers a People’s Choice award – “that will be
awarded at the end of the exhibition on the Tuesday night when the raffle will also be
drawn,” Andrew says.
He says the Old Masters’ exhibition will this year feature 20 works highlighting
some of Creswick’s most noteworthy yesteryear arts talent including Earl Milton de la
Lande, Ali van Beveren and Allan Bernaldo.
A self-confessed arts lover and retired advertising creative, Andrew says the main
aim of staging the events is to celebrate Creswick’s significant place on the nation’s
arts heritage map.
“We’ve got it in our blood,” he says.
Both exhibitions will run over the Melbourne Cup long weekend from Saturday,
October 29 to Tuesday, November 1.

Words & image: Eve Lamb