▶ LEZLIE TILLEY + MAJOR ARTISTS, MAJOR WORKS, CLOSING 3 MARCH

A gentle reminder to visit the solo exhibition by LEZLIE TILLEY and the group show MAJOR ARTISTS, MAJOR WORKS before they both close on Saturday 3 March.

The angular and abstracted forms of Lezlie Tilley's current exhibition were created by connecting the 'a's' on a page from a novel. The shapes have then been laser cut in predominantly bright red, coloured acrylic which makes for an amazingly dynamic show. Due to the ongoing nature of the concept of the 'a-less novel', further works can also be commissioned in a wide range of materials including timber, metal and ply.

From Senden Blackwood's sensual, one tonne basalt sculpture to the minute watercolour figures, deftly hidden in Mylyn Nguyen's found chairs, the Major Artists, Major Works exhibition highlights the diversity of talent present in the Gallery's stable of artists.

Our next exhibitions during Art Month, will feature work by represented artists, James Guppy and Will Coles, from Tuesday March 6. If you are already on our notification list, we will send you an email as soon as the work arrives in the Gallery.

▶ JIM CROKE IN 'SCULPTURE 2012'

Jim Croke, 'The Short' 2011, steel, 14 x 60 x 3cm
Jim Croke, 'Freeze' 2011, steel, 14 x 51 x 5cm
Jim Croke, 'The Long' 2011, steel, 14 x 61 x 3cm
Jim Croke, 'Deco' 2011, steel, 61 x 14 x 3cm

"Relief sculpture is very different to sculpture in the round. It must sit on the wall and interact with it not simply be a "piece of jewellery" decorating the wall. It must have a undeniable presence in the space while not actually occupying much of it.

A series of sculptures of a similar theme and scale can help each other tell the story of the work." - Jim Croke, 2011

▶ NEW IN THE STOCKROOM: JIM CROKE 'ALL SORTS' & 'OUT OF SORTS'

Left: Jim Croke, 'All Sorts' 2011, steel, 11 x 13 x 12cm 

Right: Jim Croke, 'Out of Sorts' 2010, steel, 8 x 14 x 14cm 

‘All Sorts’ and ‘Out of Sorts’ display Jim Croke’s ability to create lively sculptures out of heavy materials. When viewed from above, there is an illusionary endless depth to both works, as the blocks are piled on top of each other with little breathing space. Once given a side-view, the cubes seem to bubble above their bases, adding lightness to these dense, compact pieces. Conjuring thoughts of liquorice cubes in its title, ‘All Sorts’ displays a balancing act, as the solid chunks appear to be on the brink of toppling over. Reminiscent of sugar lumps, the blocks in ‘Out of Sorts’ are only just contained by their cubed base. Both sculptures are similar in nature and feel to Croke’s 2009 work ‘Looking at a River but Thinking of the Sea,’ in that they share the same sense of activity and tension. Where the larger work consumes the viewer in it’s jumbled and chaotic appearance, ‘All Sorts’ and ‘Out of Sorts’ are more like compact worlds about to explode.

▶ NEW IN THE STOCKROOM: JIM CROKE 'GRAVEYARD SHIFT'

There is rhythm without logic achieved in the seemingly random placement of curved metal objects that make up Jim Croke’s 'Graveyard Shift'. It is difficult to concentrate on one part of this work, as the scribble of materials sends the eye in all directions. Even the rectangle that frames the tubular shapes can’t contain them, as they burst out and over the edges. This lively piece is full of movement and activity, defying the weighty quality of its steel medium. By allowing the surface behind it to peep through, this wall-mounted sculpture utilizes the palette of the wall behind it, reveals its depth and creates shadows that further animate this work.

Jim Croke, 'Graveyard Shift' 2011, steel, 14 x 51 x 5cm

▶ FOCUS ON: JIM CROKE

Jim Croke, 'Accordion Music' 2004, steel, 68 x 174 x 10cm

Jim Croke's approaches the creation of each sculpture with a "sensitivity to materials, space, weight, light, form, line, shape, volume and mass." His linear and geometric constructions are composed with a range of materials including steel, wood, iron and found objects. The pieces he finds informs his work with the process of manipulating the objects central to the finished product. Croke is considered a mark maker in both his sculptures and works on canvas.

Jim Croke, 'Iron Curtain' 2004, steel, 117 x 320 x 4cm

The 2004 sculpture, 'Iron Curtain', illustrates Croke's concept of zen work. For the curtain, he meticulously straightened long strips of curled and coiled iron by hand. The discarded objects were reworked by Croke in the most difficult and labour intensive process possible. By straightening the coils, he makes each strip - an off-cut of industralised production - a unique entity as they each bear their straightening marks in a slightly different way.

Left: Jim Croke, 'All Tip' 2008, steel, 16 x 19 x 6cm
Right: Jim Croke, 'Vent' 2010, iron, steel, 27 x 15 x 5cm