Dena Ashbolt

As a perceptual artist, my works are made in front of the subject, I witness, draw the observation through my body, and respond with a mark. I work quickly, the eye leading and informing the hand, a practice that involves a concentration of looking, and intuitive hand/eye co-ordination devoid of distraction. I am fascinated by Time and my practice, cinematic drawing, engages with responses to the flow of time. My drawings respond to the flow of time as evinced by movement. In the life-drawing studio – the appearance disappearing of the life model in movement becomes my subject. Dena Ashbolt CV Dena Ashbolt is a recent doctorial graduate at Monash University, Melbourne, whose practice focuses on how the act of drawing may respond to the flow of time. Dena was born in London, United Kingdom, and graduated from the University of Westminster, London with a Bachelor of Arts – 1st Class Honours in Film and Photographic Arts. In 1987 she emigrated to Melbourne, Australia, where after years of working in the film industry she returned to her studio, her studio practice focused on the relationship between the photographic/cinematographic lens and observational drawing/painting. Awards, Prizes, Residencies, Conferences 2015 Drawing International Brisbane Symposium. Publication Paper: Cinematic Drawing: What might that be? CLICK TO DOWNLOAD 2014 Nillumbik Shire Art Prize, Finalist, Montsalvat, Victoria, Australia 2012 Rick Amor Drawing Prize, Finalist, Art Gallery of Ballarat, Victoria, Australia 2012 Paul Guest Prize, Finalist, Bendigo Art Gallery, Victoria, Australia 2012 The Nillumbik Prize, Highly Commended, Montsalvat, Victoria, Australia 2011 Artists Residency at Montsalvat, Victoria, Australia 2011 Nillumbik Shire Art Prize, Finalist, Montsalvat, Victoria, Australia 2010 36th Alice Prize, Finalist. Alice Springs, Northern Territory, Australia 2010 Rick Amor Drawing Prize, Finalist, Art Gallery of Ballarat, Victoria, Australia 2010 Williamstown Contemporary Art Prize Finalist. Williamstown, Victoria, Australia 2009 Williamstown Contemporary Art Prize Finalist 2009 Winner Nillumbik Shire Art Prize; Video Drawing, Wet Feet Under the Pier, judged by John Wolseley 2009 Monash University 2009 Colloquium Artist presentation of Video Drawing Hand on the Escalator 1992 Artist residency in Clifton Pugh’s paint studio, Dunmoochin, Victoria, Australia 1981 South Eastern Arts Council Award, United Kingdom Solo Exhibitions: 2015 Within the Buffer, PHD examination exhibition, Faculty Gallery Monash University, Melbourne, 2013 Witnessing Time, Alcaston Gallery, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia 2012 So when do you throw the flowers out? Alcaston Gallery, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia 2012 Project Space – Dena Ashbolt: Green Car on the Freeway, Art Gallery of Ballarat, Ballarat, Victoria, 2011 Drawing Time, Farfield Mill, 2K Gallery, Cumbria, England 2010 Tracing Space: Temporal Drawings, Gallerie du Viaduc, Montreal, Canada 2009 Drawing Space, Cube 37 & Federation Gallery, Frankston, Victoria, Australia 2009 Being There, emerging artist program at ACGA Gallery, Federation Square, Melbourne, Victoria, 2009 Video Drawings, Postgraduate Gallery, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia 2008 Stairs E,D &F. Brunswick Street Gallery – video space, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia 1983 Face, Silk Screen Print Exhibition, Frankfurt, Germany 1982 Facades, Print exhibition, Commission South Eastern Arts Council UK, Tunbridge Wells Art Gallery, 1980 Crossroads, (touring photographic exhibition on community nursing), Essex, England Selected Group Exhibitions: 2015 Collective Urge – Nillumbik Shire Collection, Montsalvat, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia 2014 Transience, Montsalvat, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia 2013 All About Art, Alcaston Gallery@Depot Gallery, Sydney, Australia 2012 Accumulate – Proliferate, c3 Contemporary Art Space, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia 2010 Tracing Space: Temporal Drawings, Solo show Gallerie du Viaduc, Montreal, Canada 2010 LOOP’10 – International Video Festival in Barcelona – Screening of Platform One 2009 Video Drawings, Masters show at Postgraduate Gallery, Monash University, Melbourne, 2009 Anxious Sight: Drawing Time Group show, Faculty Gallery Monash University, Melbourne, 2009 LOOP’09 – International Video Festival in Barcelona – Screening of Train Home 2009 Temporal Shift Group show, Cube 37, Frankston, Victoria, Australia 1981 Summer Show, Royal Academy of Arts, London. England Collections Nillumbik Shire Council Collection – Lloyds Bank Limited, United Kingdom – National Westminster Bank, United Kingdom – Museum of Melbourne – short documentary Heja “Portrait of a Potter” Academic Qualifications Monash University Faculty of Art, Design and Architecture PHD in Fine Art: Practice led research 2015 Within the Buffer – Drawing in response to the flow of Time Monash University Melbourne Masters in Fine Art: Practice led research 2009 Video Drawings, a visual investigation into ways that the human eye and the photographic – cinematographic lens perceive. University of Westminster, London, England. – 1st Class BA Honours in Film and Photographic Arts.