Echo in the Hollow, an exhibition of drawings inspired by the biyal*

2 November 2023 – 4 February 2024
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“The tree which moves some to tears of joy is in the eyes of others only a green thing which stands in the way.” William Blake, 1799.

The local river red gum is called biyal* in Dja Dja Wurrung language. It lives, reproduces and dies along creek lines, intermittent watercourses, swamps, billabongs, flood plains and inundated man-made water catchments. They rarely grow far from a watercourse, so if you take the time to observe, an old tree tells much about the history of country beneath its roots, from initial animal pathways to water flows and the activity of life. They live 500 to 1000 years, grow to 14 metres circumference and can be up to 40 metres high. First Nations people say they think of them as members of the family, providing food, medicine, vessels, shields and shelter, living many human generations. Thus they share stories marked in their limbs and trunks over centuries.

In the 18th Century the colonial invasion of Australia began. We killed many of the trees by clearing and cutting them for furniture and firewood rather than harvesting their living bounty. In the 20th Century water catchments were created which drowned great tracts of Bial along creeklines and rivers. But even the long-dead Bial provide shelter and habitat for fish, birds, reptiles, mammals, bees and many other invertebrates. In some parts of Australia there are projects underway to record carved trees before they tumble.

‘Plant blindness’ is a term used for our inability to see or notice the plants in our own environment, as if they were just wallpaper to our lives. It is particularly common in developed countries and affects the way we care for the world around us. Trees cool the climate around them and aid biodiversity as well as providing oxygen. Telling stories about trees helps evoke empathy for them and in doing so it helps us.

Many of my works are tree portraits as distinguished from landscapes. In this series I have been interested in the biomorphic patterns created by long-dead trees. Mirroring some images creates potentially reversible scenes - but what acts are reversible in our environment? I am also interested in reflections and duality in the world of the psyche and in anthropomorphising the gestures of trees.

​These trees, some mirrored, some morphing into creature-like forms through nature’s intervention - scars, carvings and patterns - spread tendrils which intertwine and puncture the intense hues in the water and sky like the viscera of our bodies. I draw attention to the tree, its significance and symbolism via myth in cultures throughout history, and begin to make a record of those closest to me on Dja Dja Wurrung Country. From ancient stories of the tree of life to the local tales of men who became trees along our creek lines - there are many ways of seeing a tree.

~ Tiffany Titshall, 2023

​*biyal in Dja Dja Wurrung language is the name for the local River Red Gum.
Pictured: This Tree Lives, 2023. acrylic, ink, pencil and charcoal on paper. 181 x 153 cm (unframed)

I am pleased to be showing new works in the food destination Talbot Provedore for a month from March 5th 2020.

Local, award winning chef and owner Christopher Howe together with chef Stephan are passionate about supporting local producers and showcasing both their food and wine in the Provedore and on the Eatery menus. A perfect setting for depictions of the local landscape.

​Open/viewing hours:
Thursday to Sunday 10am – 4pm 
Saturday Dinner from 6pm
42 Scandinavian Crescent, Talbot, Victoria.
talbotprovedore.com.au

Exhibition to be held in June in Central Goldfields Art Gallery pop up space

'Out of the fire'
18 June to 20 July 2020.
Opening 2pm Sat 20th June 2020.
Old Fire Station, Neill Street, Maryborough, Victoria.

While in Portugal in 2018 I was caught in the catastrophic bushfires that ravaged the country around the town of Pedrogao Grande and killed 69 people. Four months after returning home my mother passed away. This is a selection of works produced in the following months.

In Voir fountains burst forth and fecund plants grow out of fire. Lost loved ones visit me in my dreams and ignite ancient lights; a statue gazes lasciviously at a brilliantly polished table. I spend my time between night and day, life and death. My worlds burn brightly, smothered by luscious greenery and bright coloured snails. I am thrilled and horrified; I am spilling desire.
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The Chosen Vessel is a first time drawing and ceramics collaboration between artists Tiffany Titshall and Belinda Michael. 

Belinda Michael is creating large gourd-like vessels that might once have been used by women to cart water. The decoration responds to the form yet it tells a subverted story of female hedonism and sadism. 

The story is of a woman born on the goldfields who grows up to perform wild and powerful acts on a harem of enslaved men. The scene is an arid landscape surrounding an engineered and fluctuating body of water. The seemingly barren backdrop of the landscape could be the foundations for Bosch’s Garden of Earthly Delights.

Exhibition details to be announced during 2020. 

Biennale of Australian Art runs until November 6, 2018.

Voir will be on show at the George Farmer building, 328 Eureka Street, Ballarat (Oxygen college car park on the map). A favourite industrial space of the festival with its own bar. Venues are generally open from 10am until 5pm or later depending upon events.

Voir is one of 65 solo shows being held as part of the Biennale of Australian Art.

BOAA venues include:

CBD venues: Art Gallery of Ballarat; BOAA on Lydiard St; St Andrew's Hall; The Mining Exchange on Lydiard; St Andrew's church; out door installations in the CBD; Backspace gallery; Unicorn Lane Gallery; The Lost Ones Gallery; Trades Hall; Post Office Gallery; Alfred Deakin Place.
Eureka Village: George Farmer building; Ballarat Welcome Centre; Eureka Stockade.
Lake Wendouree Village: Lakeside sculpture walk & Botanical gardens.

Read about Voir in The Courier

In Voir fountains burst forth and fecund plants grow out of fire. Lost loved ones visit me in my dreams and ignite ancient lights; a statue gazes lasciviously at a brilliantly polished table. I spend my time between night and day, life and death. My worlds burn brightly, smothered by luscious greenery and bright coloured snails. I am thrilled and horrified; I am spilling desire.

All works are charcoal and ink on paper. 560mm square, unframed, $1800. Contact BOAA regarding sales. Or if any questions contact me tiffanytitshall@gmail.com (I can arrange framing). Titles are in the image captions.

#centralgoldfieldsartgallery #underthesky #exhibition2018 #centralgoldfields #exhibition #gallery #landscape

This Sunday 17th December 3-8pm
Including works by Rosie Ross, Kirsty Williams, Tiffany Makinson, Bill Sampson and Penny Peckham.
Limited edition artist wine labels will be available.
Taradale Wine & Produce
120 High Street
Taradale, Vic.

‘They remind me of many things, of ancient cave paintings I saw deep under the ground in Spanish caves, of beautiful illustrations in old books about hunters and their prey, of mythical creatures tearing at the innocent flesh of young girls and they make me think of the animalistic, primal side of me and others I've met.’

There is so much life and lust and passion and beauty conveyed through these images of wild beasts copulating. I think anyone looking at them must be confronted with their own raw desires and sexuality. I don't refer to those with an interest in bestiality but to the animal within all of us which though shackled by societies expectations attempts to free itself when given the opportunity.' - Elizabeth Johnstone, psychology student.

Tiffany Titshall exhibits at Central Goldfields Gallery & Space39 in Melbourne.

Shelf Life Gallery was established in 2009 and is located in the Taradale Wine and Produce Store in the picturesque town of Taradale, Central Victoria. Exhibitions are curated by Kate Osborne, reflecting the rich and vibrant cultural life of the area and showcasing the work of mainly local artists.
Exhibition openings are lively and friendly affairs, with local wine and wood fired pizzas provided by Mick Barrington and Marg Barry and music by local musician Adam Phillips.

There are six solo exhibitions per year, culminating in the Christmas Group Show. Limited edition wines are labelled with an image of each artist, creating ideal Christmas gifts for friends and family.

Opening hours:
Thur 4-6pm
Fri 11am-9pm
Sat 11am-6pm
Sun 11am-9pm

Artists are invited to contact Kate Osborne on createkate58@gmail.com if they are interested in exhibiting at Shelf Life Gallery.