While the autumn leaves along Yinnar’s main street fall, the town’s gallery is unseasonably green.
Botanica is arc Yinnar’s latest open exhibition in the main gallery, which combines the work of several Gippsland artists.
“The passion for plant life, its shapes, its structure, its colour, all of this has come to life and been expressed in some way or another in this exhibition,” arc Yinnar spokeswoman and Newborough artist Sheena Jones said.
Plants grown and donated by arc members spill into the foyer of arc Yinnar from a kitchen-themed installation in the special projects space curated by Newborough artist Sharon Anderson.
Tiny succulents grow in tea cups and mini gardens fill fry pans and all are for sale to raise money for the gallery.
The botanical theme spreads even deeper into the gallery, with the works produced in Boolarra printmaker Jenny Peterson’s residency in Yinnar.
She spent 10 days at arc Yinnar, finishing on Friday, and offered four workshops to the public to create prints out of natural items found in their own garden.
Veins of fallen autumn leaves, tiny grass seeds and pine needles are some of the textures printed on paper.
Ms Peterson said this type of art-making went back centuries.
“It was the first way they would identify the different species of plant and they used it in what they called the herbals, the reference books for medicines,” Ms Peterson said.
“If you were going to make, you know, an ointment or a tea from a plant, you needed to know it wasn’t poisonous.”
She said the best way to print the plant matter was to let it dry for several weeks under firm pressure, because the green leaves would not accept the ink very well and the process would “squish the green sap everywhere” of fresh plant life.
The Autumn Garden Print Project was delivered by Creative Gippsland and administered through Latrobe City.
Botanica will be on display this week at arc Yinnar and will be on display until Saturday night when the next Open Stage event is on at 7pm.
Anyone can perform on the Switchroom stage, audience attendance is $2 and alcoholic drinks are available from the bar.
