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Exhibitions

Wonder Tales exhibition of work by Penelope O'Gara and Rowena J Draper

Folk­lore, Freaks & Floozies. A col­lec­tion of oth­er­world­ly beings and paint­ings inspired by fan­ta­sy & imagination.

Touches of vintage, circus, steampunk and fairy tales in a wild world of wonder.

Rowena Draper As a self-taught artist, Rowena Draper generally works with acrylics on canvas or wood, and recently has been adding recycled objects such as ornate frames, fabric, cogs or other “trinkets and treasures” from her fantastical travels as a travelling mural artist, from Mexico to California, India to New Zealand. Rowena’s art depicts magical creatures and fairytale archetypes, her paintings narrating their stories and exploring her own relationship with these characters.

Penelope O’Gara Dolls as medium spoke to Penelope O’Gara not only because of her career experience in theatre and costume design, but more deeply because of the symbolic resonance of their historical use as totems. Her work explores ritual objects, archetypes and symbolism. At the heart of what she creates is a narrative, and Penelope’s calling is to go deeper. She Burrows into the treasure trove of English folklore and local fauna and creates hand-stitched dolls of totem animals like rabbits, which symbolise fertility and immortality and are common in Avalonian iconography using recycled cotton cloth, silk scraps, antique lace and old velvets. Each character has a unique tale to share – She explores ways to stitch in symbolic elements to further deepen the narrative.