It's always heartening to see a group of like minded people getting together to do their thing for no other reason than to participate in the sharing.  That's what Wandie is all about.  It is a meeting place in a semi-rural environment where women can take part in an equal exchange of creative skills and ideas.  It is a place where established artists adept in a variety of artforms, work with emerging artists in an egalitarian atmosphere to encourage, support and promote cultural and artistic diversity via workshops and discussion groups.

And if you assume this heady concept is just an excuse to justify poor quality work, think again and go see the art and craft these women are producing.  The original work displayed in this first foray into the public eye are fine examples of skill and creativity, by known and unknown artists.  But most of all, one is charmed by the honesty that radiates from each piece.

While viewing the 88 exhibits on show in the workshop and gallery, it becomes obvious that age, culture, level of skill or choice of artform is not as important as the collaboration and exchange within the group, and the nurturing and growing of the individuals involved.  I was drawn to so many works for very different reasons.  For example Sheryl Osborne's Sand Crabs is a fascinating exhibit that blurs the boundaries between textiles, sculpture, installation, and furniture design.  This large piece involves beautifully printed fabric, hosting little round 'pockets' and small embroidered crabs, stretched over a pyramidal frame that encloses a florescent light.  Meanwhile, words can't describe Osborne's Stump & Fungi exhibit, it must be seen!

Just as flimsy fabric can evoke a sense of strength in nature, the smallest of rocks can suggest the power of Stonehenge.  Jill Johnson's collection of smooth river stones and pebbles, the tiniest encased in open weave wire 'blankets', are piled one atop another on hand made paper to form mini monuments that belie their diminutive size.  Small too and equally intriguing are the haunting open weave exhibits by Denise Coates.  Here, black and white cotton netting is stretched taut in a frame only to be pushed out into the form of a face by a thin skin of resin.  Both exhibitors evoke interest in the surface and engage the imagination, but most of all we just want to touch them.

Tactile inspection too is demanded when viewing the series of stoneware pots by Trudi Pollard.  Slabs and rolls of clay have been expertly wound, wrinkled, pressed together, scratched, stamped, combed and constructed into vase forms, then topped with small clay 'seed pods' dangling from leather thongs.  But if the ruggedness of these clay forms do not inspire you, look to the fine works in glass by Marlene Stanley.  Her beautiful 15 piece slumped glass Sushi Set uses the simplicity of Japanese design to enhance the elegance and function of the set.

If it's painting you prefer you'll find a collection of styles from traditional Aboriginal motifs to pictorial realism.  I was especially taken by Twin Thing a collaborative effort by Julie Dowling and her sister Carol Oats.  The one painting consists of two interpretations of the landscape, the upper half depicts a European rendition of a verdant Australian vista which is supported by the lower half of a vibrant Indigenous pattern in red and yellow.  The two are separated by a central band the contains a narrative of how the spirits of the land are of more value to us than the wealth cultivated on it's surface or dug from its ground.

The whole exhibition stands as an artistic celebration of collaboration and discovery, which together with the fine exhibits, makes for a highly enjoyable experience.  I look forward to seeing more of these women's efforts as the group grows.