Fewings uses forgotten items from drawers to create art. Photo: Cannery Arts Centre.
Elaine Fewings said she often grappled with household clutter but she recently found a way to blend her disorganisation and creative flare into a new exhibition.
The Esperance artist used miscellaneous objects from around her house to form “Love and Carelessness: The Curated Junk Drawer”, which is displayed at the Cannery’s art gallery room until July 13.
“I’ve got four children – I’m not blaming them – but I have struggled to keep on top of clutter in my home and I think that’s fairly relatable,” Ms Fewings said.
“I know some people have clean and tidy houses but mine, I’ve been told, is like the whole house is an art studio so there’s always something for the children to make something out of.
“They love crafting things, they love painting and drawing and so do I, so it’s a very creative space and part of that is byproduct and it’s a never-ending chore to clean up basically – the odds and ends kind of things.”
Fewings said she started working on her gallery a couple of weeks ago and collaborated with her girls on a couple of pieces too.
“It’s about accessing that childlike creative play mode and just having fun with it like the children do, to just enjoy art making,” she said.
“Normally I paint and I find that a real challenge, and I have to challenge the way I think about how I paint because I want to make something that looks unique and beautiful and perfect but it’s not always achievable so it’s getting out of that restricted mindset into a free state.”
Fewings said she liked to create “inroads with art” and said some of her inspiration came from moving houses often and finding miscellaneous items of little use.
“It’s something that might trigger a memory or that might be relatable and that might make them think ‘I struggle with that too, I’m not alone’ or ‘I really like the way that colour evokes a certain feeling’ or ‘wow that must have been fun and I can have fun as well…’,” she said.
The free exhibition started on June 19.
Fewings will be at the Cannery every Thursday from 10-4 throughout her exhibition for a chat about her work.
