Bonnie Hanlon and Shay Downer’s art on show

Sunbury artists Bonnie Hanlon and Shay Downer. Picture: Shawn Smits

The creations of two Sunbury artists – also winners of Hume council’s 2016 Arts Awards – are on show in Craigieburn.

Exhibitions by Bonnie Hanlon and Shay Downer are both inspired by an intimate perspective of human experience and feature together in the Gee Lee-Wik Doleen Gallery.

Hanlon’s exhibition Chemical Chance, highlights humans’ tiny but significant place in the universe through an intricate collection of works made of watercolour and cotton thread.

“A lot of my work is to do with the connections that we share between each other and the world around us,” Hanlon said.

The young artist graduated from art school in 2008 and currently works in framing and art supply retail while practising as an artist.

Hanlon has had a handful of group and solo exhibitions over the past decade, with several at Kyneton’s Stockroom.

She said she was excited for her first exhibition in Hume.

“It’s really nice to be involved in a council show and to be involved with your community,” Hanlon said.

Shay Downer’s exhibition Visible Mending features charcoal drawings that reflect upon the human condition and strive to evoke an emotional reaction.

The artist said she hoped her work could convey the importance of compassion and the healing power of human connection in a world that seemed increasingly hostile and divided.

The works of both artists are on display at the Hume Global Learning Centre – Craigieburn until Sunday, October 15.