A love affair only six years in the making will be captured for eternity.
Artist Alison Tedesco’s passion for Frankston will be reflected in a series of paintings including our laneways, the Frankston Mechanics Institute, the Grand Hotel, street scenes and more.
She is excited to work on her pieces thanks to an Artist Project Grant from Frankston City Council.
“I moved from Sydney to Frankston six years ago to be closer to relatives who lived in the area. My family and I have not ‘looked back’ since. We love the beaches here, which we showcase when friends and family come to visit us,” Alison said.
The inspiration for her art project include Frankston’s significant landmarks, the pier and bay.
“I’m proud to live in Frankston and I know its community is, too. This particular avenue of art I hope represents all that Frankston is and what we have come to love about our suburb and surrounds,” Alison said.
While Alison has explored mediums including oils and acrylics, her medium of choice is watercolour.
She is keen to share her love of Frankston with the wider community and contribute to a sense of pride.
“It’s a wonderful opportunity to have my work seen by a broad section of the community. I hope it gives everyone a sense of pride to see their surrounds in art – encouraging a sense of inclusiveness and connection.”
Alison said being recognised with the grant had given her a major boost. “It’s great to be supported by Frankston Council in my artistic practice. This allows not only the opportunity for new work, but also fosters new partnerships and collaborations between local artists, residents and community groups.”
Frankston City Council has significantly expanded its Community and Business Grants program this year to support up to 16 artists and creatives.
This was a result of the $6.434 million Relief and Recovery Package, which the council created to help Frankston City recover from the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The arts grants are designed to help artists and those working in creative industries to pursue their passion while delivering culturally important work to the community.
They included Artist Project Grants up to $4000 each for eight artists to develop new works that can be presented online, on location or at a venue when restrictions allow.
There were also a further eight Creative Industries Professional Development Grants, each up to $2500, to support artists via further training, career development activities, mentorships and workshops.
Comic book artist Dean Rankine said he was excited to receive a Professional Development Grant from Frankston Council.
“I grew up in Rye and moved to Frankston City 25 years ago. I love it. This is my home and it’s where I’ve had my best experiences,” he said.
Dean is heavily influenced by animated cartoons, comics and pop culture.
“Being a comic a book artist in Australia can be kind of isolating. There’s only a handful of us working professionally in the country and options for professional development are limited,” he said.
“Most of the time I’m just making it up as I go along. But what’s great about this grant is that it means I can access training online through one of the Comic Art schools in the United States. And that’s extremely helpful.”
Dean said the grant would enable him to enhance his skills and make connections with other creators.
“I think comics still have a certain stigma attached to them; they are somehow considered not to be ‘real art’. For Frankston City to recognise comics as a legitimate art form and me as a practitioner means the world to me,” he added.
Animator and filmmaker Gary Friedman will receive an Artist Project Grant.
“I get inspired by what’s taking place in our world and the reactions of humans to their environments,” he said.
“I’m excited to interact and share my skills with people locally, either in person hopefully, or online. Last year, I did some filming for the Frankston City Council project ‘Love Where You Live’. Unfortunately, I couldn’t get too involved as I was travelling internationally the entire second half of 2019, conducting workshops in Asia and Europe.
“I am now excited about interacting and being able to share my work with the greater community of Frankston. Starting in October, I shall also be offering my workshops online, too.”
Gary bought a house in Langwarrin several years ago with enough space to build a film studio, which he subsequently did.
“I then began making stop-frame animation in my home-studio, in-between my travels teaching puppetry and stop-motion throughout Melbourne, Asia and Europe. Since 2020 began I’ve had to quickly change my work plans as I am no longer able to travel, either internationally or to schools,” he said.
“So I’ve continued making stop-motion film and recently started teaching online.”
Gary said he was Pleased to be recognised with the grant from Frankston Council.