Jannine Deneen, BIO, CELEBRATING PLEIN AIR OILS, FEB 2025
Throughout my life there has been a thread of creating things…. painting as a child at the kitchen table with my mother, exploring other craft works over the years, some crocheting, some knitting, some macramé, some embroidery, some bark painting, oil, watercolours, graphite…..pottery, so many different things.
A 2 yr Art Foundation Course at TAFE in Gundagai gave me some formal training. 1989/90 Under the irrepressible tutelage if Brian Wilde, a group of us were encouraged to paint every day of our lives, and to have work framed and to find a gallery to exhibit in. I still think without such an influence in my life I never would have done these things. He certainly was inspirational. However I didn’t live up to his admonition, but neither did I forget his words.
Then here at Tilligerry, early 1990’s, I met Jenny Crozier, where I spent time in her home attending oil painting lessons and going out plein air painting which I had learnt to love back in Gundagai. At the time I volunteered in the then Habitat Shop in the now demolished shopping centre, where local art works were exhibited before TAG Inc came into being. When the habitat moved into their new building, my art was shown there as well. Along the way I had caught Jenny’s dream of an artspace in the Tilligerry, but will come to that later.
In 2017/2018 I joined the PSCAC and recommenced my plein air adventures going out with artist Robyn Bailey and her group, around the Bay areas painting. Through this I was able to exhibit in various places that she had arranged including the library at Salamander Bay, and at PSCAC for plein air exhibitions.
Also at this time, to hone in on some drawing skills, I completed an intensive online course on Botanical Illustration through Newcastle Uni, very detailed graphite work was accomplished in 2017.
With all the fits and starts with my painting experience, I became separated from my first love by becoming manager of TAG Inc. in 2018. Yes, this was the dream, a gallery, a beautiful space to show art work in. I stopped going out and about , instead did rosters and schedules and all manner of things to keep things moving at the Gallery, until last year when I decided it was time for me to get back to my great love of plein air oil painting. I set myself an unimaginable goal of going on plein air Art Holidays, first to Central Australia and then to Western Australia. Some of my works from those two trips are in this exhibition. It was a steep learning curve, learning how to equip yourself for jumping on a plane, with almost only your art gear, no room for anything else, just the bare minimum of clothing to get you by.
These two trips were an absolute hoot, I met people from all over the country and made some great friends along the way.
As well as my recent oils, I enjoy using acrylic inks to create small bird and butterfly paintings, Some of these are on the pillars of this exhibition. They really are fun to work with.
Hope you enjoy seeing my show. It gives me lots of joy. Hope it makes you smile, and perhaps even inspires you to have a go yourself. J’Neen ART.
