After a lifetime of living and working in Eltham Jenni Mitchell and Mervyn Hannan will be relocating Studios & Gallery to Hamilton in the Western District Victoria in the New Year.
Both the Gallery and the Mudbrick house on the adjoining property are now on the market for sale.
Mervyn and I have bought a property in the Western District at Hamilton and will be relocating the Studios & Gallery at the end of the year. If you know our property you will realise we have a huge task with packing up the studios and our family goods and arts works.
We have begun to set up a studio clearance of art books, artworks and studio items to help us ‘downsize’ before the move.
We will also be holding our LAST ELTHAM EXHIBITION later in the year – details to be posted in the near future.
Classes will continue until the end of October and the Picture Framing with Mervyn @ STUDIO FRAMING will continue until the end of the year unless settlement takes place sooner.
Do come and see what we have on show – we will have works that have not been see before as well as selected Studio Pieces of the family including: Jenni Mitchell, Grace Mitchell, Mervyn Hannan, Joe Hannan and Sonia Skipper.
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A special book launch will be held in conjunction with Eltham Bookshop, Text Publishing and Eltham South Fine Art Gallery
Wednesday 10 August
Entry: $60 includes a copy of the book or a $45 gift voucher, a glass of wine and refreshments.
Book by phone: 9439 8700 or elthambookshop@bigpond.com
When he died in 1992 Brett Whiteley left behind decades of ceaseless activity—some works bound to a particular place or time, others that are masterpieces of light and line.
Whiteley had arrived in Europe in 1960 determined to make an impression. Before long he was the youngest artist to have work acquired by the Tate. With his wife, Wendy, and daughter, Arkie, Whiteley then immersed himself in bohemian New York. But within two years he fled, having failed to break through.
Back in Sydney, he soon became Australia’s most celebrated artist. He won the Archibald, Wynne and Sulman prizes in the same year—his prices soared, as did his fame. Among his friends were Francis Bacon and Patrick White, Billy Connolly and Dire Straits. Yet addiction was taking its toll: Whiteley struggled in vain to separate his talent from his disease, and an inglorious end approached.
Written with unprecedented behind-the-scenes access, and handsomely illustrated with classic Whiteley artworks, rare notebook sketches and candid family photos, this dazzling biography reveals for the first time the full portrait of a mercurial artist.
This gallery contains 8 photos.
New Exhibition of recent Works on Paper by Jenni Mitchell & Mervyn Hannan. Included are pastel, watercolour, gouache and photography from outback Australia, Western District and Eltham. Continue reading
This gallery contains 6 photos.
Eltham South Fine Art: Studios & Gallery in conga action with Eltham Bookshop and Melbourne University Press invite you to a special evening with the authors to launch MODERN LOVE – The Lives of John & Sunday Reed. For bookings … Continue reading
Our next special event at the gallery is a book launch in conjunction with Eltham Bookshop and Melbourne University Press –
Modern Love: The Lives of John & Sunday Reed.
Read the flyer below for details and all bookings to be made through the bookshop. Book soon as seating will be limited.
The gallery has been re-hung with paintings and works on paper after our return from our painting trip.
Winter is a lovely time to come and attend a painting class or workshop in our warm gallery environment. There are currently vacancies in the Thursday and Friday morning sessions. If your are interested in Saturday afternoon please contact the gallery and we will will resume that session too.
We will run a series of exciting workshops in the coming weeks – details soon to be finalised.
Usual gallery days for gallery viewing, classes and Picture framing (Studio Framing) are Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. We are generally contactable and available for viewing and picture framing outside of these days too by arrangement. Please phone Jenni (0417 585 102) or Mervyn (0411 423 886) to make a time.
Look forward to seeing you soon in the gallery.
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Our first exhibition for the year is a collection of recent works on paper by Jenni Mitchell and Mervyn Hannan. These works have been made in the field on travels to the Outback Queensland gem fields of Sapphire, Emerald and Lightning Ridge, Tibooburra and White Cliffs North West New South Wales, Digby and Portland in Victoria’s Western District.
Included are watercolour, pastel, gouache and photography.
Do come and join us for a celebration treat on Sunday, 21 February from 2.00pm or come anytime soon for a preview.
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Also on exhibition are a number of Exotic Textiles, Silks, Silver and precious stone Jewellery, Bronze Sculpture, Photography, ceramics and many other wonderful things.
Painting Classes with Jenni Mitchell and held at the Gallery Studios weekly on Thursday, Friday and Saturday mornings and Thursday afternoons. As needed we also hold a special Saturday afternoon class and have spaces available for private tuition one on one. Contact Gallery for further details.
We have been operating STUDIO FRAMING Custom Picture Framing for our location since 1988. Clients and artists needing picture framing may now come directly through the gallery at 6 Mt. Pleasant Road Eltham when the gallery is open or phone for an appointment and call directly into the framing studio at 19 Fordhams Road Eltham (same property access from back on Fordhams Road). Mervyn can be reached on 0411 423 886 or phone Jenni 0417 585 102 or gallery on (03) 9439 3458.
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Summer Break Dates
Eltham South Fine Art Gallery will be closed between Christmas and New Year and open periodically throughout January. Look for the Red umbrella or phone for times. M. 0417 585 102.
We wish all of our friends, students, colleagues and new visitors to our gallery a Happy and SAFE summer period and look forward to seeing you in and gallery in the New Year.
Jenni and Mervyn
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Stairway to Heaven: Exotic Textiles & Other Beautiful Things is an eclectic collection of beautiful hand woven and embroidered textiles from around the world along with local ceramic works by Geoff Davidson, paintings and works on paper by various Mongolian artists, Jenni Mitchell, Grace Mitchell and Mervyn Hannan. There are colourful Turkish Ceramic pieces, garden porcelain and African carved wood pieces.
We are also introducing to the gallery White Cliffs jeweller Linda George. We met Linda recently while on our painting trip to Tibooburra and White Cliffs. She is an extraordinary artist working with gold and silver using both local and other Australian Opal in her settings along with pearls and fine gemstones. Linda works from her underground opal mine home.
We have a selection of jewellery in our showcase by Linda.
The exhibition will continue through until end of December and is open Thursday to Sunday. Hours Thur – Sat 10.00 – 5.30 and Sunday 11.00 – 5.00. (Note: Please check first re: Sunday as on occasion the gallery will be closed on a Sunday).
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Hal Barton (1927 – 2015)
Hal Barton, a former Eltham artist identity recently passed away. Hal had been living in Noosa on the Queensland Sunshine Coats for many years where he has continued to paint and exhibit his work. Hal was fine Australian Landscape painter and Portrait painter; becoming a finalist in the Doug Moran Portrait Prize in 1992. He was very much part of the artistic community during the heady days of Eltham in the 60s and 70s. 
News:
The Etching Press will be available this Saturday Afternoon 21 February 2pm – 5pm for students and artists who attended the recent LinoPrint workshop. It will be available once a month for printing.
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Painting the Yarra River with Jenni Mitchell
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Two upcoming events for Eltham South Fine Art include A LATE SUNDAY AFTERNOON LITERARY with SIGMUND JO
RGENSEN. Sunday 15 February 3.00 – 5.00.
For further details and bookings click here… Late Sunday Afternoon with Sigmund Jorgensen.
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Two Orchard Painting Workshop for February will be held on Sunday 8th and Tuesday 17th. More information here… 
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The Eltham South Fine Art: Gallery & Studios will officially re-open for 2015 Thursday 29th January. (The gallery will be open on other days before the 29th if we are working in the studios.) The gallery will be open regularly Thursday, Friday, Saturday. Sundays – please check first. Eltham South Fine Art is an artist-run-space and to enable us to pursue our own artistic life will not be opening every Sunday in 2015. Eltham South Fine Art is a working studio, gallery and the family home of artists Jenni Mitchell and Mervyn Hannan. The gallery space permanently exhibits the family works of painting, print, sculpture, textile, jewellery and books by the Mitchell, Hannan and Skipper family; Jenni Mitchell, Grace Mitchell, Mervyn Hannan, Joe Hannan, Sonia Skipper. and Sigmund Jorgensen. The gallery also exhibits our contemporaries and has work from the early Eltham artists for a sense of Eltham history; Alan Martin, Leslie Sinclair, Peter Glass, George Chalmers, Piers Bateman and more. As well as the studio and gallery visitors are welcome to wander through the orchard garden which was originally established by Arthur and Grace Mitchell in 1948. Textile and jewellery from Afghanistan, Mongolia, Nepal, Timor and Turkey. We also offer custom Picture Framing and have been framing as Studio Framing since 1988.
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Painting classes are held with Jenni Mitchell and Mervyn Hannan and will be commencing for 2015 from Thursday 29th January.
Thursday 10.00am – 12.30
Thursday 4.30am – 6.30
Friday 10.00am – 12.30
Saturday 10.00 – 12.00
Saturday 2.30 – 4.30
Private sessions by arrangement.
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Painting and Drawing Workshops are organised throughout the year and held at the Studio, The Orchard Garden, The Yarra River and other Landscape locations. These will be posted at they are organised. There are currently places available in the Orchard Garden Workshops for February.
The Lino Print workshop for January is full at this time.
November is looking good at the Eltham South Fine Art: Studios & Gallery.
The Orchard Garden is in full bloom and producing an array of Spring Flowers and vegetables.
Several Garden Workshop dates have been organised for painting in the Orchard through to February 2015 and during the Summer break in January a two day linocut printmaking workshop will be held in the gallery. Bookings are now being taken for these workshops.
The Orchard Garden in Spring Bloom.
Jenni Mitchell and Mervyn Hannan’s private studios will be open for the next two weekends as part of the Nillumbik Shire Open Studio program. Come into the gallery studio and through the orchard to the visit their private working studios.
The current exhibition in the gallery is a selection of works by Jenni Mitchell and Mervyn Hannan.
New into the gallery are some beautiful silver and gemstone jewellery made by artists and craftsmen from ethnic Hill-tribe communities and work by several Nepalese women’s communities. We also have new work from Mongolia, Timor, Nepal and India.
‘Woman with Stone’ Jenni Mitchell Linocut Print.
Our next exciting exhibition is about: TWO MONGOLIAN JOURNEYS
This exhibition will showcase the PAINTING, PHOTOGRAPHY, TEXTILES & ARTEFACTS produced and collected from our two journeys to Mongolia in 2010 and 2012.
In 2010 we travelled with our Australian friends Marion and Peter to Mongolia to be with our Mongolian artist friend Tugsoo Sodnom. Tugsoo had come to Australia a few years earlier and travelled with us to paint in the Flinders Ranges. This resulted in the first exhibition DESERT SHARING held at Montsalvat Barn Gallery in 2005. We have continued the journey with travelling to the Central Mongolia landscape at Khorhorin, the North East to the Siberian Forest and later in 2012 South to the Gobi Desert with Tugsoo and her son Unench.
We camped in GERS along the way and made many small paintings and much photography and film which will be part of this exhibition. We will also be exhibiting some of the work Tugsoo made in the Australian Flinders Ranges.
Durning our 2010 visit we were invited to return and exhibit in the History Museum in Ullaanbaatar; being the first Australians to exhibit in the Museum. This was part of our reason for returning in 2012; and to travel to the Gobi to fulfil our DESERT SHARING with Tugsoo.
CLICK HERE FOR A LINK TO MONGOLIAN JOURNAL
The exhibition opens Sunday 10 November @ 2.00pm and continues through until the end of the year.
The exhibition will be open Thursday – Saturday 10.00 – 5.30, Sunday 10.00 – 5.00
all enquiries to: Jenni Mitchell: (03) 9439 3458, M. 0417 585 102 jenni@ElthamSouthFineArt.com.au
Artist Piers Bateman.
Petschel House: Gallery | studios |Gardens 