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Viz City Down Under: Wonderground Barossa

Kirsty Kingsley, “Realms” Acrylic on Canvas
Kirsty Kingsley, “Realms” Acrylic on Canvas

This is Sandy Brown Jensen, and you’re listening to Viz City, KLCC’s arts review program!

Interior of the spacious Wonderground Gallery, which shows in five rooms
Interior of the spacious Wonderground Gallery, which shows in five rooms

G'day from the Barossa Valley in South Australia! I didn't need to head to Adelaide's grand galleries, as I discovered a truly remarkable one right here in Seppeltsfield: Wonderground.

Co-owner of Wonderground Gallery, Kirsty Kingsley, receives art from a local potter
Sandy Brown Jensen
Co-owner of Wonderground Gallery, Kirsty Kingsley, receives art from a local potter

Wonderground is a brave, new, immersive contemporary art gallery that boldly celebrates awe and wonder through art and wine. Gallerists and artists Renee de Saxe and Kirsty Kingsley imagined a space elevating regional contemporary art. It's both a dedicated art gallery and a cellar door, inviting you to enjoy a glass of wine while immersing yourself in the current exhibition.

Emma Young, Prickly Pear Collection
Emma Young, Prickly Pear Collection

I met co-owner Kirsty Kingsley, who painted one of my favorites, a large acrylic titled “Esse,” or “Everything.” It's a cheerful yellow abstract appearing to hurtle through space with metallic seed pods. This piece evokes an exciting, future-positive feeling.

Kirsty Kingsley, “Esse”
Kirsty Kingsley, “Esse”

A second painting by Kirsty I loved is “Realms.” This vibrant abstract painting features a harmonious blend of blues, greens, and yellows, accented with pops of white, pink, and deep red, creating a joyful and lively sense of blooming forms and sunlit waters. The dynamic brushstrokes and playful shapes evoke a feeling of exuberant growth and carefree delight.

Karen Slape “Light Falls#2”
Karen Slape “Light Falls#2”

It's always fascinating when a title contrasts with what I see. Karen Slape's abstract “Harvest Bleeds #2” portrays, to me, an explosion of spiritual ascension.

Karen Slape, “Harvest Bleeds #2”
Karen Slape, “Harvest Bleeds #2”

I’m thrilled by its glowing gold spiral of the sun with a whispered hint of a guardian presence in the mist. I also loved her “Light Falls #2,” a gorgeous dawn-colored sky with an Impressionistic row of trees that seem to exude their own vibrant presence. You can see these images on my KLCC Viz City blog.

Lisa Temple, “Passage #5”
Lisa Temple, “Passage #5”

This is Sandy Brown Jensen way Down Under for KLCC.

This large etched glass Greek-style bowl sold for $12,000 while I was at the gallery.
This large etched glass Greek-style bowl sold for $12,000 while I was at the gallery.

Sandy Brown Jensen has an MFA in Poetry and is a retired writing instructor from Lane Community College. She is an artist and a photographer with a lifetime interest in looking at and talking about art. Sandy hosts KLCC's long-running arts review program Viz City.