Tag: street art

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SALA Festival 2023 – A Successful Event for us

The SALA Festival 2023 is officially finished and it has been a very successful exhibition for us here at Tong and Chic Creations. We had our work displayed at 3 locations, The Top of the Torrens Gallery, The Springton Town Hall, and a solo exhibition at the Lyndoch Lavender Farm. In all we had 35 pieces on display and for sale. The end result was 21 pieces sold over the 3 venues, and it was certainly a surprise to us both. We also got a couple of commission pieces to make as well

The pick axe fish and grass trees proved to be very popular at all venues. Demonstrations at the Lyndoch Lavender Farm on metal rose making inspired people to buy some hand made roses. The bonus is that $10 from each rose sold is donated to the Hills Murraylands Military Brotherhood MMC to support veterans in the local area.

Having three exhibitions at once was quite a challenge, especially when it came to making artworks for display. As you can see in the gallery below, there were some similar items in each exhibition, but each one had its own identity. This is not a complete list of our works on display but it is the majority of exhibited work.

The final weekend of SALA, I was invited for an interview on radio station 5AA with Michael Keelan. The interview went well, and we discussed how long I had been creating metal art. Michael was surprised to find that I had only been doing this since 2019. They had obviously done their research as they were discussing a previous emu I made with welding goggles on. I had to take the opportunity to put in a plug for each of the exhibitions we were connected with as well as Ann’s glass artworks

Now we are starting all over again to create art for Brighton Jetty Sculptures! Watch this space

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Getting Ready for the Brighton Jetty Sculptures

We have been talking about doing this for some time and now we are actually doing it. October had us working on some exhibits for the Brighton Jetty Sculptures. This is SA’s biggest sculpture exhibition and will be on display from 18 January to 29 January 2023. This will give us some statewide exposure for our work The bonus is that there is some serious prize money up for grabs. We both caught Covid at the beginning of the month so isolation meant we had the time to immerse ourselves in our art.

Little Red Roo exhibit for the Brighton Jetty Sculptures
Little Red Roo

Metal Exhibits

On the metal side I have revamped a couple of previously displayed items for this exhibition. My Little Red Roo from the SALA exhibition was missing something. Once I worked out what it was, it was a simple case of adding some more structure and sealing up the rust. The other item that was very popular in SALA was my horse shoe Goanna. This was displayed with a cyprus pine log. After a bit of procrastination, I reworked some steel and created a steel stringy bark tree trunk. The Goanna will remain on the sealed clean steel and the stringy bark has been rusted and sealed.

Goanna exhibit for the Brighton Jetty Sculptures
Joanna the Perentie

The third item is a new one that I have been wanting to make specifically for this exhibition. Those that know me well have an idea on what I have planned, and work has started in earnest on this sculpture.

Glass Exhibits

Ann hasn’t been a slouch either and is currently working on 2 items for the Brighton Jetty Sculptures. Needless to say there is glass involved and these are totally different to what she has done in the past. I wont spoil the surprise just yet so you are just going to have to keep following us on Facebook and here for the latest news.

Class Update

The first beginners leadlight class is almost finished now and more will be run in the new year. Ann is looking at doing a 1 day Christmas decoration class where students can make some glass decorations for the Christmas tree. She is well into the planning now and more details will be available soon………. Watch this space!

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What happened to September 22?

Well time really does fly when you are having fun. Before we knew it September 22 had come and gone and what have got to show for it?

Studio Ribbon Cutting in September 22
The Studio is officially open now

Well firstly, we officially opened the glass studio and launched our first group of lessons in leadlight creation. Ann has been busy creating her leadlight manuals for students to use. They must be good because our first students are loving what they are learning and doing. So much so that they stay on for overtime after the class has finished!

Metal Emu Left Side

In the forge, things have been slow but steady. After moving Ann into the studio, September 22 was a good time to re-organise the working areas. There is now a dedicated sheet metalwork area as well as forging, woodworking and welding areas. Because I have been using the plasma cutter more I also built a cutting table to keep the cutting slag to an isolated area.

A long overdue emu commission was getting the final touches and work has begun on a street art commission for the local gallery.

We were advised in the beginning of September that the local gallery (Top of the Torrens Gallery), was successful in securing a grant for some street sculptures. Exciting times ahead for sure in the forge area.

So we are well into October now and there is more news on the horizon. You will have to come back and see what October brings before the end of the month.