General News
22 June, 2022
Artist opens first exhibition
LIFE has not always been kind to artist Jay Tindall, but the launch of his first exhibition last week was a step towards better days in part thanks to the “beautiful people of Terang”.
LIFE has not always beenkind to artist Jay Tindall, but the launch of his first exhibition last week was a step towards better days in part thanks to the “beautiful people of Terang”.
The Melbourne-based artist joined the community recently as part of the artist-in-residency program offered by Commercial Hotel proprietor Les Cameron, which aims to provide a haven for artists and performers to focus on their craft.
After learning about the program, Jay’s mother, Anne, picked up the phone.
The opportunity to stay at the Commercial Hotel became not only an opportunity for Jay to hone his skills, but to seek refuge in a community willing to support him, both creatively and personally.
He has struggled with homelessness, addiction, mental health issues and the loss of friends and lovers to suicide; a cycle of trauma in which he acknowledges art has at times been the only thing keeping him going.
“The lady who inspired “To love and to lose” (exhibition piece) had just died and our lease was under her name, so the real estate agent said I would have to move out,” Mr Tindall said.
“I was facing homelessness and had nowhere to go, and that’s when we called Les.”
He joined the artist-in-residency program at the Commercial Hotel for a month, the terms agreed prior to his joining, but Les Cameron’s intuition told him Jay’s time in Terang was not yet over.
He needed more time, but an extended stay came with a caveat; a leap of faith to bring his art to the public.
“I was not fit to leave; I’d be going back to a horrible scenario and I want something different for my life,” Mr Tindall said
“Les said I could stay another month, but I would have to do an exhibition."
“I never thought in a million years I could do it, but Les has been like a coach and the coach in him helped to encourage me."
“I cannot thank him enough.”
The encouragement paid off as Mr Tindall set about creating more artwork in the last six weeks than at any point prior.
He grappled with his own anxieties to open the exhibition in front of more than 50 enthusiastic attendees last Thursday night.
Among the attendees were Wayne and Anne Tindall, who had flown from Tasmania to support their son’s debut exhibition.
Exhibition viewers offered a standing ovation for the range of pieces, with a “street art” stylistic approach combining depth and dimension to draw the viewer in.
The darker tones matched the theme of each piece, often reflecting the dichotomy of internal struggle.
‘Minds of madness’ represents the debilitating struggles of schizophrenia yet offers hope for a fulfilling life, and ‘Let me in’ pays homage to prominent street artist Jean-Michel Basquiat in remembrance of the time security guards discriminately refused Basquiat entry to hisown exhibition.
Among the most personal works was an ode to lost love; encouraging viewers to love those in their lives despite imperfections “because you truly don’t know what you had until they are gone”.
“I don’t know where my art style comes from,” Mr Tindall said.
“All I can say is it comes from somewhere else."
“Putting my artwork out there is hard because there is a real part of my soul in every piece."
“I know what it represents, I just hope someone can see it and know what I’m going for.”
Mr Tindall said “the time to rest” the residency program afforded had helped him develop the confidence to forge a new future for himself.
“I have become more powerful since coming to the Commercial Hotel; it is testimony the formula Les has created is working,”he said.
“Les and Rosie (Knight) are two of the most beautiful people I have ever met, and the whole of Terang is full to the brim of the most beautiful people."
“If I could find a rental property around here, and I’ve been looking, I would never leave."
“I don’t know where I’m going after this but I know for sure now if I can pull this exhibition off, I can do anything.”
The exhibition of Jay Tindall’s works will remain open at the old Terang Courthouse, opposite the Commercial Hotel, for the remainder of June from 3pm-5pm daily.
