Artisans in the Garden - Art Festival in Sydney's Royal Botanical Gardens

Kathie Najar's "Bumble bee" is part of the new Artisans in the Gardens exhibition at The Royal Botanic Gardens.

Works by local North Shore artisans feature in the annual Artisans in the Gardens exhibition at the Royal Botanic Gardens.

8-16 October 2011, Royal Botanic Gardens, Sydney. Free Entry

Works by North Shore artisans Tim Hankinson from Brock Metalwork (West Pymble) and Kathie Najar (Chatswood) will be featured in the annual Artisans in the Gardens, exhibition in the Royal Botanic Gardens in October. Artisans in the Gardens is an annual exhibition of fine art and sculpture presented by the Friends of the Botanic Gardens. This exhibition of vibrant works from some of Australia’s most innovative and exciting artisans will be held in the beautiful surrounds of the Royal Botanic Garden Sydney from 8–16 October, 2011. Entry to the exhibition is free.

Tim Hankinson began working fas an artisan ull time following a successful professional career in product design and manufacturing. His inspiration is to explore the potential of a material, such as steel, to create fluid and lifelike forms from it. Forms he feels are recognisable from nature but ones we pass by often without observing.

Inspired by Islamic culture, Kathie Najar’s work incorporates native Australian plants and insects into her stunning hand-painted tiles. With a fine arts degree from the College of Fine Arts, Kathie started hand painting tiles in the 1990s. For the past 20 years she has focused on tile painting, drawing and collage works winning awards and recognition nationally.

Now in its eleventh year, the popular Artisans in the Gardens exhibition showcases the highly individual works of emerging, contemporary and traditional artisans who draw their inspiration for their extraordinary hand-wrought works from the beauty of nature. The 2011 exhibition features the diverse works of new and emerging artisans together with a number of favourite exhibitors, invited back by popular request.

With artisans from as far a field as Tasmania, the exhibition will present works of glass, sculpture, exquisite jewellery, sculptural embroidery, hand made bags, hand painted tiles, pochoir prints, ceramics, wooden boats and bowls. For the outdoor enthusiasts; outdoor sculptures, whimsical weather vanes and engaging metal works will be framed against the perfect backdrop of the Royal Botanic Garden in spring.

Artisans in the Gardens curator Peta Rattray says, “The 2011 Artisans exhibition is filled with the fresh and innovative works of predominantly new exhibitors to this event. All of our talented artisans draw their inspiration from the natural world around them and this year that love of nature shines through in a menagerie of fanciful creatures. From bogan moths to seahorses, from delicate coral embroidery to fascinating fireflies, this exhibition will delight and surprise visitors to the beautiful Royal Botanic Garden, Sydney.”

THE ARTISANS IN THE GARDENS EXHIBITION:
Saturday 8 October to Sunday 16 October 2011, 10am to 4pm daily.