Following the success of their combined exhibition in 2003, Blender Gallery is excited about launch the new works of local artists Nadine Saacks and Vanessa Hegarty.

Both artists work stems from personal life experience and cross cultures utilising a variety of mediums.

2004 was a year of introspection for Nadine Saacks, the South African-born artist and photographer, who has been living and working in Sydney on and off for the past 14 years.
Aptly entitled “Introspection” her new collection of work follows her successful exhibition in 2003 “African Innocence” which was also shown at Blender Gallery.
Indeed, there is still a discernable African flavour in her work, as can be seen from the rich earthy colours. But now the influence of her life in Australia is starting to appear in the stark and sometimes barren openness of her landscapes, with the promise of greener pastures just beyond the hills.

By reflecting light on her textured surfaces, a throw-back to her ceramic background, she evokes a sense of vastness. Her strong ties to her family are again represented by the home and a silhouette representing the artist is seen in most of her work, cast by the strong late afternoon light.
Nadine uses strong textures created from clay, adding lighter acrylic colours to a dark undercoat. Light and texture are accentuated cleverly by the use of oil paint.

An Arts graduate from Cape Town University, Nadine also holds a diploma in Interior Design. She studied oil painting and ceramics during her 5 years in Philadelphia. Now in her third major exhibition, she has included etchings and mixed media to her already impressive repertoire of artistic skills.

Vanessa Hegarty’s exhibition “The Way We Are’ stems from her thoughts on the way people live, work and play with the choices, if any, that they are given.
‘Some of us are very fortunate to have a multitude of choices combined with freedom to live without fear and prejudice’ Hegarty explains.
Vanessa Hegarty is a city dweller and many of her paintings depict people in an urban environment. However, she also explores those who live in other areas either by choice or discrimination, and this is shown in her work of rural or abstract environments, which may appear constricting and threatening. Hegarty’s paintings endeavor to portray " The way we are" but she also leaves it open to the individual’s interpretation.

“Introspection” by Nadine Saacks and “The Way We Are” by Vanessa Hegarty will open at Blender Gallery on Thursday December 2nd 2004. The exhibition will run until December 21st 2004.