Careful, measured meaning is mapped out by artist Billie Baxter before she loads up her paintbrush.

A compass, protractor and sometimes even a trusty nail, string and pencil to get a really big circle are the tools of trade for the Buderim artist.

Billie is the featured artist at the annual Graceville Art Festival, which runs from 22 to 25 June in Nambour.

The festival is a celebration of art and community connection. Local artists as well as people with a disability and/or mental health concern will be selling and displaying their works at the festival, as well as being a weekend packed with workshops and activities.

Graceville Centre is a mental health and disability service based in Nambour.

Billie will have several of her unique surfboard artworks on display. She also paints on recycled records and CDs.

The process of preparing and painting the surfboard surface takes careful work.

First you strip, sand and thoroughly wash the board to get rid of any oils.

“Then you paint and finish off with a top coat to make it super hard and really strong,” she said.

“I like working with acrylics, especially metallics and pearls. Gold is great to use because when you have it in the sun it looks one way but when you move it, it totally changes.”

Mandalas – which are symbolic shapes used in meditation practice – are a recurring motif.

“The process of setting out a mandala is all about measurement,” she said.

“When you are marking it out it can take longer than the actual painting because there is so much measurement involved.

“You have to work out how many mandala circles fit on your materials, every degree has to be measured or it just doesn’t look right.

“I use protractors and a compass and something called a stanley compass which gives me a bigger circle. If you want a really big circle there’s the good old nail and string with a pencil at the end. You just learn and adapt your methods.”

Billie has experienced two major health incidents that have really dictated the way she paints. A brain haemorrhage in her 20s and spinal cord damage more recently mean she has had to re-learn how to draw twice.

“So I moved to painting dot mandalas, the small movements and precision is actually really well suited to my limited range of movement,” she said.

“Mandala painting really gives you peace of mind because it is repetitive you get into a meditative state. It’s good for your mind. The world is such a busy, stressful place that it’s really calming for your mind.

“I love doing art, but it’s also my therapy.”

Billie ‘s art is not her only spiritual fuel. She is a keen community volunteer with the Dignity Circle at the Nambour Community Centre.

She is passionate about older women and homelessness.

“The Dignity Circle is a place of belonging and a place of achievement. Dignity Circle and the community centre support people to find housing options for older women. People my age are the fastest growing group of homeless people. Until recently my housing situation has been insecure so this is a really important area to contribute to.”

www.gracevilleartfestival.org.au

Smooth and refined, Graceville client Peter is making some beautiful chopping boards.

The keen woodworker will be selling his wares at the Graceville Art Festival in June and possibly even Eumundi markets!

For more info on Graceville’s own art festival, head to www.gracevilleartfestival.org.au

An annual event of art, creative workshops and a mini market celebrating community inclusion kicks off on Saturday June 18.

The annual Graceville Art Festival will be held at St Luke’s Lutheran Church in Nambour and runs Saturday and Sunday June 18 and 19.

Graceville Centre in Nambour offers mental health and disability support, as well as offering onsite Supported Independent Living.

The theme of the festival is Create Together, Belong Together and embraces people from the wider community, Graceville clients and the local St Luke’s Lutheran congregation.

Sunshine Coast artist Deby Taylor is excited to see her work on display. About six years ago she had a stroke which prompted her to take a ‘now or never’ approach to painting.

“I had been doing art, dabbling for a few years … I’d had a stroke and just decided that now was the time, stop putting it off,” she said.

“My eldest sister was the artist in the family. So this will be a surprise for them to see me as an artist. My sister passed away quite suddenly and so that’s what’s behind the attitude to not putting things off. If I want to give something a go I will.”

Another keen artist at the event is Graceville Centre client Jason Rosendahl.

Jason has been painting for many years and loves to work in bold colours, drawing inspiration from what he sees around him and from his imagination.

He will be running an interactive mural workshop, where festival-goers can collaborate on a large scale artwork (9am-11, Saturday, free).

There are two sessions of the Paint & Sip Tea workshop (12pm-1.30 and 2pm-3.30, Saturday, $25/$10).

Sunday features Worship on the Green (9am) and a line dancing workshop (11am-12pm, free).

Click here for the program.

Phone 07 5441 4682 for more information.

Between COVID lockdowns and the floods that devastated South East Queensland, it’s been a very challenging time for all of us.

Our staff have gone above and beyond to ensure our clients and residents have felt safe, supported and comfortable during the last few months.

We celebrate our staff and the commitment they’ve shown.

Every staff member will receive a special gift pack full of goodies, including some lovely baked treats made and packed by Lutheran Youth Queensland.

Thank you to all our wonderful staff! We couldn’t do it without you.

Bridges Reconnect Team Leader Remi Kamo (pictured) is adding valuable insights to a project that maps the care systems supporting young people and their families in Logan.

Remi, who is completing her Masters in Psychology, was thrilled to contribute to the project, called Pathways in Place: Co-Creating Community Capabilities, with Griffith University.

For Richard, a resident at Graceville, spending time in his workshop goes beyond a simple hobby – his handmade planter boxes sell like hotcakes in the local community.

Richard also works as a volunteer in the local community. “I do volunteer work every week, today I helped a lady with a disability just like me,” he says.

December 3 also happens to be International Day of People with Disability – and what a wonderful example Richard sets!

Staff, residents and clients gathered at Graceville in Nambour to celebrate the centre’s 50th anniversary.

St Luke’s Pastor Matt led a rousing sing-along to the tune of ‘From Little Things, Big Things Grow’ to commemorate all that Graceville is to the local community.

Here’s to the next 50 years!

Download the celebratory booklet.

Pictured are Lutheran Services Chair Dr Leena Vuorinen and Rev Ben Hentschke cutting the cake.

This humble building is so much more than its four walls.

It has delivered on its mission of service for 50 years and is a significant part of Lutheran Services life.

Graceville Centre – as it is now known – was purchased for a bargain sum of $8000 for a 1971 opening as a hostel and place of employment for women.

Graceville celebrates its 50th birthday this month.

This photo was in a newspaper about the 1971 opening.