Artist at The Shed - Hamilton
/Hi Peter, I’m not much of a writer and not at all a story teller but I do have such fond memories of my associations with Jugglers and I am forever grateful to you for giving an ageing woman dreaming of being an artist, the opportunity to share space at The Shed all those years ago. So a few words I’ve put together below:
Although I have been drawing and painting most of my life and did lots of weekend and evening workshops, it was only after I retired from my public service job that I was able to go to proper Art School. I can’t remember exactly when it was but around 2012-2013 I was lucky enough to be offered a studio space at The Shed. I was in heaven. Having a studio at The Shed was perfect for me as I lived in Hendra, a 5 minute drive away. My space was on the Mezzanine level and I shared that space with Mel and later, Rose Moxham. Downstairs were the wonderful glass artists Jo Bone and Aaron Micallef and Paul Harris working on his highly expressive portraits. Other artworks were sprinkled around the ground floor and occasionally there was performance art.
I loved the shed - the studio looked out across a bitumen tarmac (now Eat Street) to the river and across the river to Colmslie and the boat building sheds. This scene was the subject of many of my works. Mostly my time in the studio however, was spent gazing out the window at the boats and the birds, never a boring moment. Forever grateful to Peter Breen and Jugglers for the opportunity and the experiences to nurture my and many other’s creative spirit.
Joy McDonald
Across the river
From the shed studio