The show I participated in last month, Dreaming Hazel Dooney (via long distance) was a  success. Here are some of the lovely details:

Dreaming Hazel Dooney Show submission with artist, Hazel Dooney in Meborne AU, 2011

Above is a picture of the framed piece at the show in the  Latrobe Contemporary Gallery with artist Hazel Dooney. Yes it is tiny. I generally abhor thinly matted photographs & could not afford to send a larger frame. So my tiny gem of a nude was on display…

Media interest focused on the theme of the show, as well as internet use by a majority of emerging artists. Below are portions of articles  from the La Trobe Valley Express Newspaper. Click on the titles for links to entire article.

BY JARROD WHITTAKER

08 Sep, 2011 01:00 AM

THE power of the internet to break down barriers to an artistic career will be explored at a new exhibition which will draw an array of international artists to Morwell this weekend.

Titled ‘Dreaming Hazel Dooney’, the exhibition at Latrobe Contemporary Galley will look at the career of renowned Australian artist Hazel Dooney; who eschewed the gallery system in favour using online technology to develop a successful art career.

She said the rise of online technology had “enabled artists to directly contact their audience”. This allowed artists to create careers for themselves through hard work.

The exhibition will feature work by 29 international artists at different stages of their careers from countries such as Nigeria, the United States and Canada, and will include their interpretations of Ms Dooney and her career.

BY NIKITA VAZ

26 Sep, 2011 01:00 AM

UNCONVENTIONAL artist Hazel Dooney’s “extraordinary depth” and knack for walking along the edge of the unusual has inspired a local artist to champion her outlook through an international medium.

Latrobe Contemporary Gallery owner and artist Stephanie Shields played host to a project which attracted artists across the globe to portray works symbolising the ideology behind Hazel Dooney.

Ms Shields said the exhibition ‘Dreaming Hazel Dooney’ was a body of work “inspired by the online persona of the controversial Australian artist and feminist provocateur”.

“I started following Hazel Dooney back in 2009 and I came up with this idea of a project that reflected artists who, like her, went against the conventional gallery system,” Ms Shields said.

“All the works were contemporary… and were from artists across the globe like Laos, South Africa, France, Holland. It portrayed people following in her footsteps and trying to establish themselves online.”

For more information visit www.latrobecontemporarygallery.co m.au or email lcontemporaryg@gmail.com

You can view a blog detailing work from the show with links to many of the artists sites at http://dreaminghazeldooneylcg.blogspot.com/

Below is the piece in detail with the art statement (revised) for the show. Limited edition prints available soon.

Passion of the Self Portrait, Lisa Byrne 2010

“Meeting Hazel Dooney online had a profound effect upon me. Reading her blog was life changing and “Self Vs Self” challenged my notion of what it meant to be a professional artist. Apparently, I had sold myself short. For the first time in my life I began to take my career seriously. Almost two years have passed since the initial discovery of her website, but the momentum generated continues to move me forward.”

“I chose this artwork, “Passion of the Self Portrait” for submission to this show for several reasons: firstly, because it is how I feel now, shameless, with nothing to hide; it is a private act of self discovery shared. On deeper levels there is more. It’s a reflection of a reflection of my body in a mirror. What you see in print is different from what exists in reality. I struggle with a chronic illness which is often painful, though isn’t visible here. When I use my body to create (or when I model) this is transformed somehow, which I love!”

“Passion of the Self Portrait” is one image in a self-portrait series of 365 that is still underway. I plan to keep exploring the female nude in my work as well as continue art modeling.

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