I am the very grateful recipient of several grants over the past decade. The latest grant from Creative Victoria - Sustaining Creative Workers Initiative was to provide support post the impact of Covid19 restrictions.

As part of the grant I participated in a 6 month mentorship program 'Evolve' with Amy Kennedy and 8 other artists. We caught up weekly online and I had one on one sessions with our mentor Amy every two weeks. The mentorship was crucial for me to progress, refine and redefine my art practice. The Evolve mentorship provided essential supportive and objective critique of my work and helped develop clarity and confidence in my creative pursuits as well as advice on updating my cv, website and better photography of my work.
(see http://amy-kennedy-nqu6.squarespace.com/evolve for more information on the Evolve program)

During the grant period I was able to exhibit more widely, taking my art to the city for a solo at the Malvern Artist Society Gallery. This was well attended and I had great feedback and good sales.

There was also an invitation to exhibit at the CLAD gallery in the Bendigo Pottery which I also undertook during the grant period. As this is a large tourist centre, my works were seen by many thousands of people and I had a great response and sales - with one of my large sculptural pieces going to New Zealand.

Many thanks to Creative Victoria, Amy Kennedy and the other wonderful artists in the program, Sally and the team at Bendigo Pottery and the Malvern Artist Society Gallery.

Open - Thursday 3rd until Sunday 6th November
Hours – Thurs & Fri 11am – 6pm *  Sat & Sun 10am – 5pm

Official Opening & Artist Talk – 2pm Saturday 5th November
 
Gallery - Malvern Artists’ Society
Address -1297-1299 High Street, Malvern

Contact – Ri Van Veen 0439 353359
Email – ri.v.creations@gmail.com

My life and art have had periods of metamorphosis and I perceive cocoons and seeds as referencing the stages of creating – solitude is needed for contemplation, then a period of confusion as the ideas, skills and knowledge come in staggered and in stages before finally transforming into something new and this also relates to healing. When I first became sick with Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome in 2004 my life was completely changed forever; the outer me was no longer physically capable of doing much more than get out of bed and my inner self was struggling to comprehend and was fighting what was happening. As I grappled with the physical, mental and social fallout of this illness, I had to go within and I asked myself what did I have to learn?  I tried to focus on what it gave me rather than all that it had erased. I had been forced into a cocoon state, I felt vulnerable, I was in the dark about what lay ahead and it was only through surrendering that I was able to find a new path.
I found clay and it saved me, it transformed my life, saved my sanity and nurtured my soul.
Clay is still my safe space, my play space, where creativity flows and grows.
 
Clay is the miraculous mud that seeds ideas ready for transformation.

This exhibition was supported by the Creative Victoria - Sustaining Creative Workers Initiative Grant
 

Ri Van Veen
Ri Creations – 2022 A Muddy Busy Year!

There has been so much going on and still to come for 2022 that I thought I would share it in the form of a newsletter and this blog post. Please let me know if you would like to be added to the email list for newsletters, invitations to exhibitions, workshops and classes. 
  
SOLO EXHIBITION -
​SEEDS OF TRANSFORMATION
I am very excited to have my second solo exhibition for the year to be held at the Malvern Art Society Gallery at 1297 High St, Malvern. 
 
The opening of ‘Seeds of Transformation’ is on Thursday 3rd Nov and runs until Sunday 6th Nov – I will be at the gallery for the duration of the exhibition and would love to see you there.
Stay tuned for the invite and more details.

Currently, I am in full production mode and experimenting with different forms and ideas that have been percolating for some years. This exhibition relates to how Chronic Fatigue Syndrome changed my life and how clay has transformed it. Clay is the seed for my ideas and this exhibition uses the metaphor and inspiration of seed pods and cocoons in relation to personal transformation and growth.
 
I am having lots of fun experimenting and there are lots of images of my work, progress, process and firings on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/rivanveenceramicartist/ 
and Instagram -  https://www.instagram.com/ri_creations_/  
if you would like to follow along.

​LAND AND SKY EXHIBITION – May- June 2022

I was invited by the Bendigo Pottery to have a solo exhibition in the CLAD Gallery.  The inspiration for the Land and Sky exhibition came from all the beauty that surrounds us, from the micro to the macro and was a showcase of all the variety and beauty that can be created with Raku firing.  
 
This was a wonderful time to return to Bendigo as this is where I completed my Bachelor of Visual Arts and once lived. After the Covid lockdowns it was like a reunion seeing many friends and family from around the state that I hadn’t seen for many years. I had lots of wonderful feedback, sales and the whole event was a fabulous experience and I look forward to exhibiting there again in the future. 
 
​

The Trentham Little Gallery has finally come back home to a fabulous new space. What started out as a small renovation became a major rebuild. Thankfully the Little Gallery team were able to find a pop up shop just down the road for the 18mths whilst the new home came to fruition and it was well worth the wait...what a fabulous light filled space! 

The Opening Night was a full house with much excitement to see the long awaited new gallery and works. 

Rose Wilson welcomes everyone to the opening and introduces the Trentham Little Gallery team Helen Cottle, Ri Van Veen, Kim Haughie and resident artists Llael MacDonald and Larissa Gray.