Brewing Local Artists x Place Makers Gold Coast.
Live art by local artists at the Burleigh Taphouse.
First launched in 2016, our Brewing Local Artists initiative celebrates and showcases the work of emerging artists in our community and each year we award two bursaries for both a Peoples’ Choice and a Judges’ Choice winner.
Brewing Local Artists has not been immune from the challenges of 2020, but the artists and the arts community are more important than ever. So this year, we’ve reimagined and redirected our support.
In celebration of the reopening of our beloved Taphouse and in partnership with Placemakers Gold Coast, we have commissioning Steve Gorman, Samuel Leighton-Dore, Natalie Popvoski, Julian Reisinger and Sally Wright to produce a unique art work right here in the brewery. Created on a wall that both physically and symbolically protects our all-important Burleigh Brewing production operations. Over the course of five weeks, this amazing piece came to life. Together, let’s celebrate our talented, local arts community!
Each artist painted to the cultural rationale of a strong local connection and relationship to place explored through the artists individual mediums and aesthetics.
Samuel Leighton- Dore
“This work explores the idea of collectively ‘staying afloat’ throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, and in a way pays homage to the Gold Coast’s relaxed beachside lifestyle. My hope is that the work contributes to removing some of the social stigma around mental health conversations, particularly in a location where alcohol is served, and brings cathartic grins to patrons.”
Steve Gorman
Panel 1 – Left hand side: “An early evening view of Burleigh Hill from Ewart Street, Burleigh Heads. The hillside is a mix of bushland, old and new houses, and full of the sounds of birds at that time of day.”
Panel 2 – right hand side: “An early morning view looking south toward Tallebudgera Creek from the top of Tabilban Street, Burleigh. I like the view and have tried to paint a cheerful scene of coastal suburbia using a bright and fun colour palette.”
Sally Carole Wright
“The sprinkle of purple blooms indicating it is the season of abundant jacarandas is a welcome sight to South East Queenslanders. I love working with images of local trees and capturing them in linework. With black ink lines, I have drawn the elongated branches of jacaranda trees that camouflage amongst landscaped gardens until they ignite with gentle lilac colours. The delicate blossoms, like cherry blossoms, create a soft contrast. My bookend panels show a full tree at one end and a surprise of extra details at the other.”
Natalie Popovski
“I curated this scene with objects found from inside my own home to create a narrative. The items reflect my interpretation of the political system as we entered a global pandemic.”
“The magazine cover announcing “Time to Rethink Time”, as it sits above a roman numeral clock, is a statement on the constructs society is being forced to breakdown as we enter an unnerving “Global Reset”. The apple headphones frame the painting, revealing its purpose as the centre image of a playing card. Thematically linked is the book Alice in Wonderland – a story of a girl blurring the lines between reality and absurdist dream. It sits atop a collection of George Orwell stories alongside a porcelain mask, making subtle connections to an oppressive state and the unveiling of a truth.”
Julian Reisinger
“‘No Plan(et) B’ is a print series exploring the current and most terrifying crisis humanity is facing: Climate Change. All three images relate to the tragic Bushfires of 2019/2020 in my new home Australia.”
“The first print shows an almost forgotten memory of a world which once existed. The second print is the stage we are living in right now. The third print is the story of the evening. A call for taking on the battle and slowing the effects of climate change.”
