fbpx

In the press

The following contains newspaper articles and photographs about Angela and her art.

Eating Out: The Table restaurant

AKATTABL
There were ructions within the Cheng family – Mr. Dunstan’s partners – which are not relevant here and so it is that we have The Table run by proprietor Ka Chun (Chilli) Cheng, front of house Caesar Baluyot and chef Darren Mate. That trio should perhaps be a quartet since the most striking new feature of the makeover is the paintings by South East artist, Angela Kirby, which grace the walls.Grace is very much the word. The original Don’s Table contained many Dunstonian flourishes, a superb piece of stained glass by Cedar Prest and lots of tributes to Dunstan’s hero, William Morris, together with pictures from his own collection. The effect was strikingly original.

The particular Painting Angela is showing here won the Merit Award in May 1999 – Royal SA Society of Art, “Portraits, People & Pots”, Adelaide SA – Merit Award

Enter Miss Kirby. The Table exudes elegance. The linked dining rooms are beautifully executed with an eye to perspective, and the tobacco-coloured, slightly distressed walls have a rich manorial grandeur. Angela Kirby uses a palette which, by the happiest coincidence, ideally compliments them. Art experts will chortle or sneer at the very notion of walls matching paintings or vice versa. To which I can only add … go to The Table and look around you.Chilli Cheng has taken a bold decision in adapting the original concept and I wish him well – and I suspect it was a rather more expensive lunch than my credit card imprint suggests, since Lili is now nagging me to buy an Angela Kirby.

Tony Baker – The Advertiser, Wednesday, August 11, 1999

The Table has now reopened, the tradition continues. Host, Caesar Baluyot, invites you to experience innovative food and fine wines in a classically stylish setting. William Morris furnishings set the scene for an exhibition of paintings by South Australian artist Angela Kirby.

The Advertiser, Thursday, August 19, 1999

New look for an old favourite – The Table restaurant As well as the stylish fabrics of Dunstan’s hero, William Morris, Mr. Cheng has added impact with an impressive collection of vibrant paintings by South-east artist Angela Kirby.

The Advertiser, Thursday, August 19, 1999

The art is in the eating – or is it? Dining and art have gone hand-in-hand through history and, as Jewel Topsfield discovers, the perfect match is still a winner:Diners at The Table, Norwood, could be forgiven for being confused about whether they had walked in to a house, an art gallery or a restaurant.

The adjoining dining rooms in the bluestone mansion, a former private residence, are all decorated with the vibrant paintings of Mount Gambier artist Angela Kirby. The art is such a feature of the restaurant that diners have been known to speculate over the name and history of a white, mongrel dog who makes an appearance in several of the paintings.

Ms. Kirby, who moved to Adelaide 18 months ago, said “trying to get paintings in to the front part of galleries usually involved a two year waiting list. Displaying art in restaurants makes the work available to a lot of people who might not go to galleries.”

“I think it’s a good idea because it lets people know the art world is still happening and may encourage them to go and visit art galleries. I think we all feed off each other.” Ms. Kirby said diners were also better able to envisage a painting in their own homes when they saw it in a “homely” restaurant setting rather than on the stark walls of a gallery. In the two months that her paintings have been on display at The Table, Ms. Kirby has already sold five, priced between $180 and $3,500.

She approached proprietor Ka Chun (Chilli) Cheng with the concept after dining at The Table and noticing how bare the walls were. “At night time the light is very soft and the paintings look extraordinary and very real,” Mr Cheng said. He said the paintings matched the decor and when guests had finished eating they would often wander through the rooms admiring the art.

Eastern Courier, September 29, 1999

Maitland Art Prize Winner announced

AKECPHO2 Art lovers swooned over many of the works entered in this year’s Maitland art Prize at Friday night’s official opening. In its 40th year, the art prize was judged by  NSW Art Gallery director Edmund Capon with Angela Kirby winning the Section “C” for local artists for the oil on canvas “Scenic Views”.

The Mercury, 1997

Angela with NSW Art Gallery director Edmund Capon at the 40th Maitland Art Show.

MECURY2A Angela Kirby of Windella Downs and Peter Speight of Tighes Hill at the opening of the 40th Maitland Art Show. Angela’s painting “Must Be The Pavers” is in the background.

The Mercury, 1997

“New Moves” Exhibition – Maitland, NSW

 

HUNTERP2

Angela Kirby with one of paintings in her “New Moves” exhibition on show at Maitland’s Different Image Art Gallery.

 

The Mercury, 1996

 

LIZARDS1

“Lizard Series No. 1”, Oil on canvas by Angela Kirby of Windella Downs NSW.

“Australian Artist” May, 1996

 

Scholarship Winner

Mount Gambier artist, Ms Angela Kirby, has won one of five $3,000 scholarships awarded by Foundation SA under a new Country Arts Sponsorship Program. The scholarships were announced by Foundation SA Arts Trustee, Ms Penny Ramsay. She said the $15,000 in scholarships was in addition to the Foundation’s general country arts sponsorships of more than $54,000.

Foundation SA has also made available up to $20,000 annually to support smaller arts projects in regional areas of South Australia. Each sponsorship will provide support up to $1,000 and five have been decided so far.

Ms Ramsay said the Foundation was pleased to be supporting such a wide cross section of country artists and projects in regional SA.

“There is a number of arts projects around the State which, with a little assistance, could have considerable local impact” she said. “We hope to be the catalyst for this and, in the process, increase the accessibility of art and artists in country areas.”

Applications for the 1994 Foundation SA Country Artists Scholarships close on September 30.

The Border Watch, 1993

Angela’s exhibition work popular

Popular Mount Gambier artist, Angela “Frizz” Kirby, had a successful launch of her exhibition entitled “Double Entendre”. More than 200 people attended the launch in the community gallery of the Riddoch Art Gallery earlier this week.
DOUBLEET A spokesperson from the gallery said Angela was a popular artist because she was “local” and displayed a variety of interesting works.The exhibition features some landscapes including those of Mount Gambier but take on a female form. The exhibition will be on display until December 12.

The Border Watch, 1993

Artist Angela “Frizz” Kirby… with one of her paintings on display in the community gallery at the Riddoch Art Gallery.

First Roxby exhibition proves a big success

FRIZZKBY “Singula Persona” was the title of an art exhibition by Angela Kirby in Roxby Downs recently.The exhibition was opened on October 22 by Olympic Dam Operations Mine Superintendent, Mr. Greg Hall.Large numbers of people have visited the exhibition with the last day of viewing tomorrow.
Ms. Kirby, or Frizz as she is more widely known, has an Associate Diploma in Fine Arts and has exhibited her paintings previously in Mount Gambier, Blackwood, North Adelaide and Andamooka.This is, however, the first solo exhibition she has conducted and indeed the first ever held in Roxby Downs. Ms. Kirby has been living in Roxby Downs since 1988 and says her work is strongly influenced by the local environment. She paints in oils, with some use of charcoal for linear perspective.The majority are abstract and impressionist works. She has sold many paintings since the opening of the exhibition.

Roxby Downs Press,1989