Big is Beautiful Large Format Art Exhibition at Port Stephens Community Arts Centre Nelson Bay (Tomaree Peninsula areas) Port Stephens News by News Of The Area - Modern Media - July 28, 2019 Port Stephens Community Arts Centre’s Diana Atkinson with some of her works. BIG is beautiful. The artists of the Port Stephens Community Arts Centre (PSCAC) has a display of “Large Modern Canvases” until 30 July. The Exhibition is an eclectic presentation covering the explosive elements of creative art on large canvasses. Elements featuring in the works include line, form, shape, volume, mass, colour, texture, space, time, and motion. Being creative is one of the joys of painting. The variety of the large canvases will suit modern homes. Meryl Miller told News Of The Area, “The Second exhibition is “Quilting to warm your home” where Our Quilters have prepared items to put warmth into your home & bedroom with one of these colourful quilts.” Pam Riddel is the centres Feature Potter. Diana Atkinson is the Feature Artist until 30 July. Diana took up art on her retirement in 2008. Other than art classes at school in New Zealand, where the materials used were butchers’ paper and poster paint, she had not pursued her interest in drawing and painting and decided art was a good way to meet and make new friends with similar interests upon her retirement. She attended workshops run by the Orange Art Society and gradually developed skills in the areas of painting with watercolours and oils. Diana is influenced by great Australian landscape artists such as Tom Roberts and Albert Namatjira. Her style has developed to take in many subjects and styles, but Diana is also greatly influenced by the colours of the Australian scenery. “She has successfully exhibited and sold art works in Molong, and through the Orange Regional Gallery and the Orange Art Society as well as Port Stephens Library and at the Port Stephens Community Arts Centre.” Since moving to Port Stephens in 2017 Diana has experimented with Acrylics and Pastels and thoroughly enjoys the camaraderie, mentoring and encouragement offered by members of the Arts Centre. “Recently Di has been travelling to Newcastle to experiment with Pastels through classes run by Gwendolin Lewis through the Newcastle Art Society. “Di has been fortunate to become an enthusiastic member of the PSCAC and exhibits regularly with fellow artists,” she said. Admission is free, the Gallery is open 10-4pm daily and is found on the hill at Cultural Close, off Shoal Bay Road in Nelson Bay. By Marian SAMPSON