The iconic east coast Pandanus, or screw pine, screw palm or spring pandanus is neither a true palm, nor a pine. The ripe fruit has a nutty flavour and was usually roasted by coastal First Nations people

“Pandanus”  by Betty Williams  Acrylic on canvas  $55  BW22  Finished size framed 44 x34cm

After the terrible fires of 2019 Summer, the burnt forest blazed a different beauty in the aftermath.

“The Avenue” - Deongwar by Betty Williams Acrylic on canvas $600 BW21  Finished size framed 72 x 103 cm 

Cool shady trees give vantage points for those on the look out! This kookaburra is patiently not looking at the picnic below, waiting for an opportunity.

“Picnic at The Gantry”  by Betty Williams Acrylic on deep canvas  $65  BW19  Finished size deep canvas. 30 x 30cm 

Trees are such a useful resource. This old stump is still a sound  fence post, but as it begins to rot it has a new life as a host for a  young Prickly Pear plant. 

“Life Supported” by Betty Williams Acrylic on canvas  $60  BW18  Finished size unframed 28.5 x 38.5cm 

Xanthorrhoea, commonly called Grass Trees, are iconic plants that  epitomise the Australian bush. They are structurally beautiful, ancient,  hardy, thrive in nutrient-poor soils and respond to wildfire by flowering  profusely. 

“Grandad Xanthorrhoea”  by Betty Williams Acrylic on canvas $115 BW15 

Finished size framed 38 x 58 cm 

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The rain was never coming and the land dried up. Odd storms came through, but the Frazier’s had gone. The irony is that denuding the natural forest so completely, caused a change in weather patterns!

“Too Late” by Betty Williams Watercolour $50 BW12 Finished size framed 40 x 33cm

In the Display Cabinets

turned and carved works by featured artist

Christopher J Hegney

Creative Woodturning Artists Statement: Christopher J Hegney

After I retired I was looking for something interesting to do. A neighbour introduced me to woodturning and I joined my local Wood Club in Ipswich in 2003.  My experience with metal lathes allowed me to smoothly transition to working on the wood lathes. 

I learned and developed skills on how the different woods reacted to being turned as well as using different tools and machines.  The skew chisel soon became my tool of choice.   An elderly Club member coached me in it use as a skew chisel can be difficult to master. A challenge I enjoyed. 

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Why turn wood? I’m not sure there is a straightforward answer but possibly because wood and trees are something we see as strong and very tactile. Wood can be warm, silky and smooth and have a wonderful characteristic smell that can help identify it.  Handling wood can give a pleasant experience like few other materials, the textures, grain, patterning and colour variations are some examples. The challenge is figuring out how best to make something that brings out the characteristics of that particular wood piece.  Sometimes the final product is nothing like you imagined!

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I found a great variety of Tasmanian timbers after visiting the Tasmanian Wooden Boat Festival with a friend in 2007. We came home with half a vehicle stacked with a variety of Tassie timbers. One of my favourites is Huon Pine. 

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It can be very satisfying to turn a piece of raw wood into a finished article. Woodturning lends itself to this in different ways. It also opens up opportunities to use other materials.  I found I could use ‘acrylics’, which can be very brittle, to broaden my experience.  Acrylics require unique polishing techniques that can achieve a startling finish. 

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Woodturning always seems able to deliver something new.  It’s also the use of a simple and fundamentally ancient machine and tools to turn natural materials into something needed, useful or inspiring. A wood lathe spins a piece of wood at a variety of speeds depending on the wood type, grain and its moisture content. This can be a challenge only learned by experience.  It is a very old technique although modern machines have an electric motor drive the basic principles are the same.  The turner holds the tools and by the feel and observation can produce an article that is useful, tactile and enjoyable to feel, use or look at. 

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I enjoyed sharing my skills and experience with other Club members.  I also enjoyed demonstrating woodturning techniques for Companies on their new machines this included a major Machine Company that were branching into wood working machinery.  It was an opportunity to share information and learn what was new both in machinery and accessories.  

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I hope you enjoy the exhibition. 

Chris