Living Arts Festival under way

Sala15  TBW Newsgroup
PRETTY AS A PICTURE: Karen Talanskas with her bouquet of appreciation from the gallery, and the bouquet she crafted from stone. Picture: AMY MAYNARD

Sala15  TBW Newsgroup
PRETTY AS A PICTURE: Karen Talanskas with her bouquet of appreciation from the gallery, and the bouquet she crafted from stone. Picture: AMY MAYNARD

THE South Australian Living Arts Festival kicked off in Millicent on Friday with the opening of The Otherness of Light, an exhibition featuring a cohort of talented artists working in a variety of mediums.

Millicent artist Karen Talanskas was one of several artists to exhibit work at the town’s gallery, with a variety of mosaics on display with several taking months to complete.

“It’s about getting it perfect before starting the grouting, because once the grouting is done there’s no going back,” she said.

Karen used a variety of materials in her mosaics, many of which were three dimensional, crafted with tiles, crockery, glass, buttons and stone.

“I remember going to a friend’s house and seeing they had a mosaic on their table,” she said, reflecting on the inspiration to start her craft.

“And at the back of my mind I just thought, ‘I’m going to do that one day’.

“Now I just do it in my spare time and each piece takes roughly three to four months to complete.”

The care and attention to detail that Karen and the other artists bring to their pieces was highlighted in a speech by deputy mayor Moira Neagle, who served as emcee on the night.

“The materials used in the work were designed to combine and contrast,” Ms Neagle said.

“The essence of art is to provoke response.

“Otherness is that which is different and light can make us see things differently by enhancing the whole.”

The artists featured in the exhibition were Bernadette Clifford, Kay McDonnell, Merryn Marshall, Sandra Hart, Julie Ann McEwen, Marg Hage, Tanya Hunter, Carol Baxter and Karen Talanskas.

After Ms Neagle’s speech, Ms Hunter highlighted how the artists had supported each other in the lead-up to the opening.

“This is my first joint exhibition after being featured in competitions and it’s the result of exchanging ideas,” she said.