1st to 30th April 2012

ART lovers should consider a York visitation for some observations of creative inspirations this month. Running until April 30, it’s all part of the free exhibition Easter Inspirations from Toodyay-based artist Kaye Devlin at The York Mill’s Boiler Room gallery.

“The York Mill Gallery is a lovely historic building so when I was asked to hold a solo exhibition in the newly-refurbished Boiler Room gallery I was happy to accept,” Devlin said. “Starting a body of new works for an exhibition can be daunting but managing director John Langton had shown enormous enthusiasm towards the changes he was making to the gallery. “There is also an amazing atmosphere within the building that helped give me the inspiration I needed to create the works for Easter Inspirations. “The Boiler Room Gallery, reflecting as it does the colours of the Wheatbelt, is a beautiful space for artists to display their works, and for art lovers to view them.”

“The face, figure, flowers, birds and animals are my main subjects, although anything can inspire if an emotional connection is made,” she said.

“I usually work on paper, using Water-Colour or ink, incorporating materials such as acrylics, pigment, crayon, collage, varnish or oil pastel if I feel the subject needs it. “Although not overtly evident in my work, some artists who have inspired me are Modigliani for shape and colour, Turner for his use of light, Goya, Giacometti, Egon Schiele and the Fauvists.

First learning basic drawing and Water-Colour techniques in 1985, Devlin studied at Parkerville’s Trish Austin Art School in the mid-90s, Claremont School of Art in 2003 and advanced watercolour painting in the US in 2005. The studies have paid off – she has won 22 awards, been in 33 group exhibitions, has had major commissions from the Shire of Toodyay and Jane Brooke Estate Winery and her paintings are in collections held by Regional Development Minister Brendon Grylls, the CY O’Connor Institute and private collectors from Singapore, Europe, the UK and US.