Wyndham Vale artist Ceardai Demelza is one of several locals whose work is featured in a new exhibition celebrating Wyndham’s emerging artists. It’s at the Wyndham Art Gallery, Werribee until November 17. Ceardia chats with Alesha Capone.
Tell me about your art.
I do many things, including drawing, painting, sewing, sculpture and costume making. I create these theatrical, life-size scenes – you put the sculpture in there, make costumes, I do the backdrop and then take a photo of that. Instead of using Photoshop, I create a real scene. With the model in the costume, sometimes in the past I’ve been the model. The photo at Wyndham Art Gallery is of another model. Five photos and one of the sculptures from one of the photos is on display. The scenes are about women and mythology, and creating modern-day myths. For the Wyndham Art Gallery exhibition, the woman in my art is named Dandelion. She is part dandelion, part woman, part snake and part electricity. She has the power to capture leaf-blowers and turn them into birds.
How did you first come up with the general concept for your artwork?
I’ve been doing a bachelor of arts with honours, this year at the VCA. I came up with this idea in my first year of study. I’ve come to the conclusion that I’m painting, but a very unconventional way of painting. I guess I like the method I’m using, it allows me to do lots of different things. It’s fun because I’m not just bound to one thing, I get to make lots of crazy things. For the photos in the Wyndham Art Gallery, I rented a hall and it became a big production over three days. I had about half a dozen people helping me. It wasn’t a photography studio, we had to get up on ladders and block out all the windows. It’s great to see the photos afterwards. They’re a lot of work, but I think it’s worth it.
What do you like about Wyndham Vale?
I really like where I live. It’s a very nice, quiet area. It feels a bit like the country to me. It’s a beautiful area in Wyndham Green, with lots of nice trees and parkland. You can also get into the city if you need to, but it’s like being in the country. I’ve been in this place since February. I was in Bendigo for three years before that, but I’ve been living in Wyndham on and off throughout my life. It’s got a really good art community. I’ve received great support from the Wyndham Art Gallery too.
See http://www.ceardaidemelza.com.au/ for details.
