Local artist Sean James Cassidy has received an outstanding recognition by being invited to join the Australian Watercolour Institute (AWI). His nomination and subsequent induction, was a unanimous decision by the Institute based on the quality of his work.
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At the AWI's recent exhibition, Brushes with History, held at Lion's Gate Lodge at the Royal Botanical Gardens Sydney, Sean submitted a painting titled Melodies of Woven Light.
This work had been entirely created by him, including the paper, paints and binder. The paper was handmade from a variety of recycled products and included wood powder from the Paperbark tree. Kangaroo fur from the local area was also incorporated to strengthen the paper and to include some DNA from the Central West.
Sean used three colours in his work and made each of them. One colour was created from beetroot juice, purple carrot juice and red wine and produced a paint throwing hues of magenta, amethyst and lilac.
The yellow was made by crushing local ochre rock and adding turmeric. The white was also a crushed local rock. The binder used to set the colour to the paper was a mixture of Cootamundra Wattle sap, homemade vinegar and locally-sourced honey.
Sean was delighted to sell his work which was bought by Sophia Lacey, a scientist/botanist and Relationships Manager and Philanthropy Strategist for the Botanical Gardens.
This latest recognition for Sean has come after a recent cultural exchange with the Archaeology Faculty at the University of The Philippines. He was hosted by Alfred Galvez, an artist, muralist and art school director who is passionate about patterns and designs from the past and uses art as a means of recording history.
Based on Sean's previous contributions to exhibitions at the university, he was invited to study an intensive course in understanding the discipline of archaeology, to participate in skill sharing with doctoral student Mr Timothy James Vitales and to accompany a group of archaeologists on two expeditions.
He was also asked to conceptualise an exhibition based on the expeditions' findings, in collaboration with the National Museum of The Philippines and National Geographic. During his visit,
Sean was invited to view museums and galleries, in the process of being built, to house the country's important archaeological collections from Colonial and Pre-colonial history and to speak on the article co-written with Kerrie Peden, Excavating Bridges for Future Streams. In the future, Sean will be using the knowledge gained to explore his own Celtic history through its patterns and iconography. He plans to study in Northern Ireland while researching his convict ancestry.
