Returning as The Gallery Mogo's “Featured Artist” is well known identity, Portia Dunn. Portia has lived most of her life in Batemans Bay and has been painting for approximately 15 years. Equally at home working on various types of papers as she is on large canvases, experimental art is a passion. Portia has developed a distinctive way of working to produce the fluid, high gloss effect and seemingly flawless finish of her paintings. She loves to experiment and explore new ideas and techniques, saying, “Painting is a part of my soul”.
In her large painting, ‘Tubular Motion’, a vortex of blues and greens she captures the essential energy of a surfer’s dream wave, and in turn a subtle spume of white froth and foam balances and grounds the swirling movement.
Portia also has works in Mixed Media as well as utilitarian art works, “Lazy Susan's” and occasional (coffee) tables on display.
As one of the original ‘Towrang Artists’, Portia joined renowned local artist the late Beth Monahan to work in various watermedia, inks and acrylics. She later workshopped resin finishes with Gold Coast artist Colin Sweeney. Portia’s experience as a salon (hair) colourist has no doubt put her in good stead to work with this difficult chemical process.
Portia’s works can be found in many homes throughout Australia and she has won a number of major art prizes. Her paintings will be showing at The Gallery up until the March 11.
The Gallery, Mogo is a co-operative venture of Creative Arts Batemans Bay Incorporated (CABBI), which is a society open to local arts and crafts practitioners. People interested in finding out more about CABBI should drop in to The Gallery or phone 02 4474 2243.
