Founder and owner of Gallery 11:11
Melony Kara Smirniotis, a textural expressionist, is the founder and owner of Gallery 11:11 Studio and art space in the leafy suburb of North Epping. Completing a Bachelor of Fine Arts at the University of Western Sydney, Nepean in 1998 marked the beginning of taking her artwork to a new level. Post University studies, teaching, exhibiting and curating have been Melony's key areas of focus in the past two decades.
“The art making process nourishes, challenges, provokes, humbles and provides grounding and perspective. My surroundings constantly influence her technique and choice of materials”.
Melony has been exhibiting her work since 2004 and works from her gallery / studio in North Epping.
Texture and colour, light and movement remain a constant source of painting inspiration. Such elements are observed and recorded on a conscious and subconscious level daily. This collection of thoughts and experiences tend to build and then eventually pour out into the canvas. She remains open to the concept of change pushing herself to engage in the exploration of tools and mediums. Her constant is the tactility of her work and the subject matter that being nature. Melony aspires to create work that evokes emotion and warms the soul, celebrating natural surroundings.
Kristine Ballard is an artist and art educator with a passion for colour and expressive paint.
After spending over two decades in the Design Industry she made the jump to full time Artist and Art Educator and never looked back.
Kristine’ has been working on developing her style called ‘Fragmatism®’ a painting style focusing on colour and abstraction. Her subjects centre around still life and landscape. Human connections to the environment and the objects that fill them, continue to inspire her creative practice.
Kristine has exhibited internationally and nationally and continues to be an active member in the arts community with solo and group shows annually. She has completed art residencies in the USA, Venice, Fiji and at Monsalvat (Australia’s oldest art colony). She has art licensing contracts where her artwork is reproduced for wall art and fabric collections internationally.
Kristine loves helping others uncover and develop their own creativity through teaching and mentoring in the arts. She ran a partnership in the Northshore School of Art in Mosman for over 12 years, has conducted hundreds of art events and been an arts presenter of EDTV, where art classes were streamed live to students in the outer regions of Australia. She runs an annual Art Retreat in Fiji and teaches the local students there. She facilitates many workshops and conducts art mentoring and specialised one-to-one art tuition. Her experience of Design and Fine Art equip her for preparing students for the merging worlds of Art and Design.
Demonstrating a passion for the Arts since a young age, Rebecca graduated in 1998 with a Bachelor of Visual Arts from the University Of Western Sydney. In 1999, she completed a Graduate Diploma in Secondary Education from the Australia Catholic University, Strathfield.
Her passion and enthusiasm for teaching and learning in the Visual Arts enabled her ability as a highly skilled classroom teacher to bring an immense repertoire of art practice to the young people in her classroom for the past 20 years.
Since her first exhibition at the Foyer Gallery in 1997, Rebecca is an award winning artist who has continued to create and exhibit works both nationally and internationally including exhibitions at Penrith Regional Gallery, Tap Gallery, Darlinghurst, Art Moment Gallery, Bondi, MLC Gallery, Ultimo and Sydney Art 09,12,13 at the Royal Hall of Industries, Moore Park and more recently at Fairfield City Museum /Gallery, Casula Powerhouse and Palazzo Velli Gallery, Rome, Italy.
Rebecca is now an established designer, fusing art and design together. Rathenart Designs is a multi-facetted business servicing Art, Design and Custom Printing. Her first range from her collection Rathenart was launched in the Summer of 2011 at Las Vegas Fashion Week and continues to capture the imagination of the world with its vibrant and bespoke textile design.
Jan Cristaudo
“Colour has always fascinated me. It is the first thing I see, then comes shape and form. As an abstract artist I use colour to interpret the way I see the world.”
Jan Cristaudo lives on the Pittwater Peninsular among Sydney’s northern beaches. This idyllic location provides endless inspiration for her paintings that rely on the use of colour as a means of expression. Jan has always been fascinated by colour and has developed a distinctive abstract style using oils on canvas to interpret subjects that inspire her.
MAXIM, a renowned Czech-American painter, was born and raised in Prague before settling in the vibrant city of Los Angeles, California, in 1999. With an impressive international presence, MAXIM has showcased his artwork in prestigious exhibitions held in Los Angeles, New York, Dublin, Prague, Pistoia, Mexico City, and Sydney, transforming each solo show into a captivating cultural experience.
From a young age, MAXIM's artistic journey was ignited within the captivating realms of his uncle's renowned "attic-art studio" in Prague. Lost amidst the intricate maze of colossal canvases, he was entranced by their grandeur, vibrant hues, and captivating interplay of colors.
MAXIM's formal artistic education began at the esteemed Graphic Arts school in Prague, where he pursued multiple degrees in graphic design, photography, lithography, calligraphy, and letterpress. Immersed in this creative environment, he also delved into the realms of drawing and painting, honing his skills and nurturing his passion.
While music initially served as his creative outlet, MAXIM mastered the guitar and drums, leading him to collaborate with various bands. His talent and dedication caught the attention of EMI, resulting in the release of several albums that garnered recognition and acclaim in his homeland, the Czech Republic.
At the age of 24, MAXIM embarked on an adventurous journey to the United States. His path led him through vibrant cities like San Francisco and Chicago, where he established himself as a respected graphic designer, leaving a lasting impression with his exceptional skills. However, it was in the captivating embrace of Los Angeles that MAXIM found his true artistic calling.
Immersing himself in the heart of Downtown Los Angeles, MAXIM found solace and inspiration within an atelier where he devoted himself entirely to the art of painting. His creations draw upon a rich tapestry of historical studies, observations of nature, scientific discoveries, and reflections on socioeconomic and political events, both past and present. These diverse influences fuel his artistic expression and give life to his thought-provoking and captivating works of art.
“My landscapes are an attempt to capture the light and dark of the natural environment. BIG SKY! I love cloud formations against weather affected skies. I am thrilled by the shifting hues across the ocean, moving shades of blues, greys, reds and silver. Post rain, hills and paddocks glisten with moisture where every colour is enhanced. The soil a rich red and the crops and trees displaying hints of deep blue and purple. My work is influenced by the connectedness of all things. I am constantly amazed at how the smallest organism can impact on the largest and vice versa.
I guess you could call me a multi-media artist with a leaning towards figurative expressionism. I am comfortable using a range of mediums including oil, acrylic and watercolour. The majority of recent works have been painted in oil on linen. While my preferred medium is oil, I recognise the need to exercise my craft through sketching using a range of mediums.
My aim is to continually expand on my art practice, experimenting with different mediums and subject matter. My most recent exhibition at Gallery 11:11 was titled ‘The Smell Before Rain’ and focused on the 2020 breaking of a two year drought in the State’s Central West. My current works are also based on water and the absolute necessity to keep our waterways clear, clean and healthy.
Narrative is extremely important when I paint - a solid, genuine narrative dedicated to a body of work empowers my approach.”
- Murray Walsh