Meet Emily Devers // The Third Quarter
The Third Quarter is a Brisbane-based contemporary art gallery, bar, retail and event space that exists to connect artists to artists, and artists to community. They present high quality contemporary art from local, national and international artists in an elegant and accessible space, and curate exhibitions in creative spaces and pop-ups around Australia. The Third Quarter will be launching TQ CAPSULE - a temporary container exhibition during Horizon Festival featuring artworks by Brisbane and Sunshine Coast artists - crafting a new visual dialogue between these two communities. Included in the capsule will be an exhibition of small, affordable artworks, and a carefully curated store featuring publications, ceramics, apparel and prints.
We chat with Emily Devers, owner of The Third Quarter..
Who are you and what do you create?
My name is Emily Devers and I'm a Brisbane based painter, and gallery director of The Third Quarter. When I'm painting, I'm working on large scale artworks locally in Brisbane, around the country and overseas. When I'm at the gallery I'm hanging out with other creatives, programming exhibitions, connecting with the community at events and working on ways to grow the concept.
What materials and techniques do you use?
I use exterior grade acrylic paints to create large scale artworks on buildings, which gives them vibrant colours and a good lifespan. All of my designs are translated onto these surfaces using traditional scaling up techniques, and painted with different brush sizes. I've got a few other tips and tricks that I've learnt over the years which have all helped me to get quicker!
What kind of inspirations go into your work?
I'm inspired by lots of things, but it always starts with paying close attention to my environment and the locality of where I'm painting. Considering what might be important to that community, and what feels important to me while I'm there. At the moment I'm interested in creating broken apart still life arrangements, combining realism imagery with abstract, gestural mark making.
In what space do you like to create most?
I love working in the gallery, as it allows me to connect with my wonderful team and be around friends....but I'll never get sick of painting outside. I think I'll be a mural painter for as long as I can hold a brush.
What has been your favourite or most important work to date?
My favourite work to date was a mural artwork created in Hilo, Hawaii for Hawaiian organisation Temple Children. This collaborative duo strengthen communities through their regional art projects. With each project they connect and support like-minded creatives and combine visual arts, sustainability and adventure. I worked on an artwork in the centre of Hilo with artist Rick Hayward, and it was inspired by our hands-on immersion in the Waipiʻo Valley, in Hilo, Hawaii where we worked collectively with the community to restore a Taro patch (loʻi) for Pōhāhā I Ka Lani. The artwork celebrated the indigenous papaya (kapoho solo), passionfruit (liliko'i), taro (kalo) and turmeric flower (ʻōlena), with the phrase 'Land of Plenty' layered over imagery of these powerful big island foods. We were both really interested in food sustainability at the time and wanted to create something that made people think about the entire life cycle of food.
Tell us about The Third Quarter Gallery, and what you will be presenting during Horizon Festival.
The Third Quarter is a Brisbane-based contemporary art gallery, bar, retail and event space in Petrie Terrace. We present high quality contemporary art from local, national and international artists in an elegant and accessible space. Alongside this we support emerging artists and artists from the margins in our social inclusion space - the Cobalt Gallery - and connect these people with professional practicing artists in our Ochre Gallery. We facilitate public art projects across Australia, and host regular events such as panel discussions, workshops and industry jams.
The Third Quarter will be opening a Pop-Up gallery - the TQ Capsule - as part of this year's Horizon Festival. I'll be showing a small collection of my own artwork, alongside a collection of artworks by a Sunshine Coast artist. The space will also be presenting a carefully curated selection of store goods that gives a glimpse into our Brisbane space.
