Bright Easter Art Exhibition
This easter, Bright Chalet is home to a collection of artworks from local artist Maegan Oberhardt.
Maegan is a recognised young talent accomplishing notable achievements at this early stage in her professional artistic career. She is a Resident Artist at the renowned Morpeth Gallery in the Hunter Valley where her work hangs alongside Masters in Realism. She was juried as a Semi-finalist for the 2020 Art Renewal Centre's International Salon Competition, and early in 2021 she was juried as an Associate Member of the Society of Animal Artists.
First popularised by surrealist greats such as Wolfgang Paalen and Salvadore Dali; ‘Fumage’ is the highly specialised technique of dancing a flame underneath paper to leave a layer of soot.
Working from her Bobinawarrah Studio (near Milawa) in North East Victoria; Maegan takes this several steps further by etching the soot away with various tools to leave an incredibly realistic image of the subject. She refers to it as ‘Painting with Fire’ - the literal translation of how she creates her hyper-realistic artworks of wildlife species at risk. The burnt paper reflects the impact that man has on nature and the consequent effect on wildlife.
The exhibition will feature over 60 pieces from her body of work from 2018 to 2021:
From 2018 where she created a collection of Wildlife Portraits of North American species at risk;
From 2019 through 2021 where her focus has remained on Australian Wildlife - as portraits, in complex composition, and most recently higher focus on landscape and environments;
Her 'Renegades' - where she has expanded on her wildlife subjects to include various continents. These Original Artwork "one-offs" - will be available for purchase!
Her most recent piece "Heartbeat on Buffalo River' - (displayed as a Limited Edition Print - as the Original is included in the Bright Art Gallery Autumn Art Exhibition;
Heartbeat on Buffalo River - Artist Statement
A year of flame, isolation, and plague; through hardships and trust we stand.
Charred skin trees with hollow, ghostly frames; shadeless silhouettes, like scars on the land.
Giant guardians remain still, even after the rains; Buffalo River’s spirit finds a heartbeat on the sand.
-------- Maegan Oberhardt
Her Original Artworks, Limited Edition Prints (both framed and unframed), and her Hand-foiled Greeting Cards will be available for purchase. Eftpos services available
From 11 am to 3 pm, Maegan will be available to mingle with guests as well as conduct interactive demonstrations of how she applies her ‘Painting with Fire’ technique to her drawings.
Free Entry:
Open daily 11am - 3pm
Thursday 1st through Monday 5th April
We invite you to enjoy a drink and devonshire tea from Leif & Co. while taking in Meagans amazing artwork.
As Maegan will be attending during all opening times, feel free to take a short break during the heat of the day for some refreshment and to meet one of North East Victoria’s Local Artists!
Please adhere to Covid-safe rules and sign in on entry.
To see examples of Meagans art, or to read more on her story, please visit her website - https://www.maeganoberhardt.com/
