Art of Hope 2009

“Art of Hope” was the single fund raising activity that was conducted on the night of the “Ray of Hope” dinner at the Art Gallery of New South Wales on August 13, 2009. Five lucky attendees who bought raffle tickets had the opportunity to choose from five pieces of art that have been gifted to Ray of Hope through the incredible generosity of five extremely talented and celebrated female artists.

These women artists have all been moved by the struggle that other women have experienced through the fight against breast cancer, and have chosen to gift artworks they have painted, so that additional funds can be raised on the night of the “Ray of Hope” event.

“Art of Hope” raffle tickets were priced at $100 each, and three of the artists attended on the night and volunteered their time to sell tickets and raise money for the Ray of Hope.

The Artists

Laura Matthews

	Contact details:	This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
	Title of work:	“Solitude” (2009)
	Dimensions:	135cmx115cm, Mixed media on canvas
	Represented by:	Art Equity (Sydney); Metro (Melbourne)
	Next Exhibition:	Opening 24th May till 31st May, 2010 at Jane Street Gallery, Darlinghurst, Sydney

Laura Matthews’ stunning landscape works are evidence of the high acclaim Laura continues to receive since she migrated to Australia from the United Kingdom in 2002. A twice recipient of the International Elizabeth Greenshield Bursary, Laura studied at the prestigious Slade School of Fine Art, London University where her work matured under the tutelage of the greatest modern British painters including Sir Lawrence Gowing. In Australia, Laura has been selected twice as a finalist in the Portia Geach Memorial Award for Portraiture held at the SH Ervin Gallery, which is recognised as one of the most important celebrations of the talents and creativity of Australian female portrait painters. She has also been a finalist in the Fleurieu, Glover and Paddington Art Prizes. Her stunning landscapes are held in many private collections in Europe, the USA and Australia with her works achieving prices ranging from $5,000 - $22,000.

Suey McEnnally

	Contact details:	http://www.sueymcennally.com.au/
	Title of work:	“Let the Earth Bring Forth” (2008)
	Dimensions:	120cmx180cms Oil pastel on paper – already framed behind glass
	Next exhibition:	Next exhibition opening 1st July till 19th July, 2010 at Charles Hewitt Gallery, South Dowling Street, Darlinghurst, Sydney

Suey McEnnally is from the Australian bush and paints large, luminous, light filled works on paper or canvas with oil pastels that seem to shimmer with the light filled palette of the natural grasses and paddocks of Australian landscape. Graduating from the University of New South Wales with a Masters in Art in 2001, Suey’s stunning and unusual art works have seen her selected as a finalist in many prestigious art prizes including the Sulman Prize at the Art Gallery of NSW, the Blake Prize for Religious Art, and from the Wynne Prize in the Salon des Refuses. Suey has been a finalist three times in the prestigious Paddington Art Prize, and was “Peoples Choice “ winner in 2006 and in the the Redlands Westpac Art Prize in 2004, winning the Hunters Hill Art Prize in 2007. Suey has also been a finalist in the Dobell Prize for drawing at the AGNSW and is collected by The Macquarie Bank in its Australian Landscape Collection as well as by many private collectors. She is represented in Sydney by Sydney Metropolitan Art Gallery, smartgallery.com.au and in Perth by the Gadfly Gallery, gadflygallery.com. Her artworks range in price from $1,900 for the smaller pieces to up to $17,000 for her larger works.

Sophie Gralton

	Contact details:	This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
	Title of work:	“Girl with the very long skipping rope” (2009)
	Dimensions:	120cm x 120cm, oil on canvas
	Represented by:	Charles Hewitt Gallery http://www.charleshewitt.com.au/
	Next exhibition:	21st October - 8th November, 2010 Charles Hewitt Gallery, Darlinghurst, Sydney

Sophie Gralton studied fashion and textile design and worked as a designer before completing a Bachelor or Arts at the National Art School Sydney in the early 90’s. Since then she has exhibited to wide acclaim in Sydney and across Australia with 10 solo shows and 15 group shows since 1994. Her last show at Charles Hewitt Gallery in Sydney was an immediate sell-out and she has a loyal following both in Australia and overseas, which strengthens with each new release of her works. Sophie’s exquisite paintings take the observer on a trip down memory lane into a child’s world of fresh-faced innocence and simple pleasures. Her 5 year old daughter is often muse and model in her work but the paintings are not biographical but an exploration of the universal emotions of childhood. Sophie seeks out old objects deemed obsolete and gives them a new life in her works: discarded pieces of textiles, children’s clothing, books and postage stamps are applied directly onto the canvas. Sophie has been a finalist in the Portia Geach Memorial Award for Portraiture held at the SH Ervin Gallery, as well as a finalist in the prestigious Paddington Art Prize (Sydney) to name but a few in a long list of achievements. Her gorgeous large canvases of nostalgic childhood images from bygone Australian eras continue to be incredibly popular among experienced collectors and first-time buyers alike. Her works sell from $1,200 through to $10,000 for larger canvases.

Caroline Magerl

	Contact details:	http://www.cmagerl.com.au/
	Title of work:	“Portrait with Striped Sleeves” (2009)
	Dimensions:	40cm x 50 cm, oil on board
	Represented by:	Libby Edwards Gallery (Melbourne); The Gallery Eumundi (Qld); Milton House Gallery Mackay,(Qld);
	Next exhibition:	New paintings currently being prepared for Libby Edwards Gallery, Melbourne

Caroline was born in Germany in 1964 and spent many of her formative years in Sydney and then sailing Australian waters with her mariner parents. She has enjoyed tremendous popularity as an illustrator for childrens literature starting with the publication of her first picture book in 2001, “Grandma’s Shoes” by Libby Hathorn (which won that year’s Chrichton Award). This is the Australian Children’s Book Council’s award for best debut picture book artist. Caroline’s second book, Sky Boy, was short listed for the 2002 Queensland Premier’s literary award. Caroline is currently working on picture book projects with Allen and Unwin and Penguin Books. After the birth of her daughter Jennifer, Caroline began to paint with oils, which has evolved into her current and very personal style. After being viewed by UK based agent Chele Simpson, her paintings were exhibited in successful UK shows at Birmingham, Henley on Thames and Winchester galleries. Caroline enjoys incredible popularity and exhibits frequently at the The Gallery Eumundi, Australia which is near her home on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast. Her larger oils sell for around $6,000.

Philippa Blair

	Contact details:	http://www.evabreuerartdealer.com.au/
	Title of work:	“Zhi Zhu (Branch/out)” (2007)
	Dimensions:	76cms x 76cms, oil on canvas
	Represented by:	Eva BreuerArt Dealer (Sydney)
	Next Exhibitions:	Current online exhibition of Works on Paper at Warwick Henderson Gallery, Parnell, Auckland NZ www.warwickhenderson.co.nz.

Philippa Blair is a New Zealand born artist residing in the USA. She received her Diploma of Fine Arts specializing in Painting at Canterbury University, Christchurch, New Zealand in 1967, undertook BA studies in Art History and English from Massey and Auckland Universities 1968, 1973-74 - and an Art Teaching Diploma from the Secondary Teachers College, Auckland, New Zealand (1976). She has been exhibiting her work internationally and teaching for 4 decades with over 100 solo exhibitions and over 160 group exhibitions to her credit. She divides her time between Auckland, New Zealand and Los Angeles, USA, and frequently accepts “visiting artist” and “Artist in Residence” invitations from art faculties and institutions in each of these countries. She regularly conducts painting workshops in the USA and in Florence, Italy – the next of which is slated for August 6-27 this year. Since arriving in Los Angeles in 1995, Philippa has been developing largely experimental and visual language of drawing, collage and painting relating to musical scores and mapping urban environments. The presence of nature in the city, transport, sound, noise, silence, music and movement all influence the creation of Philippa’s stunning abstract art works. She has twice received New Zealand’s prestigious Queen Elizabeth II Arts Council Grant as well as the Air New Zealand Queen Elizabeth II Arts Travel Award. Her work is held in many private and public collections overseas including in the USA, New Zealand and Europe. Philippa’s works are currently available in Australia at prices ranging from $3250 for smaller oils up to $12,000 for large pieces.