Glimmers of Life
Naomi Cobcroft, Deneka Lay, Jacqui Mancuso, Rachel McInerney, Rachel Pepper & Emma Ralph
Homestead Gallery 2, 18 November - 12 December
Glimmers of Life (2026) is a body of mixed media work created by six local artists who have been meeting monthly as a women’s group since late 2023. We connected in an art therapy context and have evolved into a friendship group, continuing to support and energise each other’s creative endeavours. Our art reflects a combined pursuit of wellbeing. By capturing glimmers in our lives, we keep moving towards joy & hope despite what gets thrown into our paths. We channel our emotion through creativity and retreat from the pace of modern life. By regularly allowing ourselves to become inwardly quiet and listen for the threads of inspiration that emerge, we have been following each other’s lives via visual metaphors. Throughout serious illness, death of loved ones and mental health challenges, we continue to show up for connection and creation. Using a variety of mediums such as watercolour, drawing, relief printing, textiles, collage and clay, this body of work depicts diverse subject matter. This includes encounters with wild creatures, sweet moments with beloved pets, natural landscapes, plant life, and explorations of embodiment, amongst other things. The breadth of our mediums and styles reflects the strength of groups, our varied voices and perspectives coming together to form a harmony, the sum being greater than its parts. Overall, this series invites the viewer to celebrate the richness of life, and awaken the possibility that there is goodness and aliveness present in the minutiae of everyday life if we can make space for it.
Artists
Deneka Lay
Being creative and inspired requires space. I know I'm balancing life when I have creative space - mentally, spiritually, physically. As a gauge for how I am living and thriving, for me creativity and creating is essential.
Emma Ralph
When you’re recovering from a serious illness, you’re encouraged to focus on positive things. I use visual journalling as a way of capturing small moments of joy and delight every day regardless of how difficult the rest of the day might be.
Rachel Pepper
My artistic practice is connected to mental health and emotional release. In a world that is often loud and demanding, I use my art as an anchor - a space where I can consciously quiet my world and focus my energy. It allows me to stop, be present and find the beauty in life’s subtle moments.
Jacqui Mancuso
For me art making is always prompted by an inner aliveness that I feel when I connect with a particular subject matter, such as the movement of a snail gliding on a rainy path. To go into image making is to merge further with that aliveness
Naomi Cobcroft
Art gives me the space to pause and reflect, grounding me in the present moment. Working with different mediums, and technique's helps me translate my inner world into something tangible and hones my artistic creativity.
Rachel McInerney
Sometimes my emotions get to big and I feel overwhelmed, coming to this group has allowed me to explore my feelings and release them via my artwork. It has provided me with a safe and enjoyable space to get in touch with myself.