‘We Are Very Amused’ is a community exhibition celebrating the life and art of Christine Alison Ewert. Featuring paintings and drawings from Christine’s long career, this exhibition highlights the artist’s distinctive style that was authentically her own.
Christine was a long-time resident of Boroondara, having resided in Hawthorn for over 30 years. Her artworks are vibrant, colourful, entertaining and humorous. Each painting bursts with numerous images and themes, revealing themselves the longer you view them. Her works are thought-provoking and amusing, jam-packed with a myriad of imagery ranging from Aussie Rules football, local Melbourne icons, Ned Kelly helmets, dentures and Father Christmas, scattered over the canvas and at every angle.
A kaleidoscope of colour, images, themes and ideas, Christine’s artwork trademarks her unique personality and legacy.
Many of the artworks in this exhibition are for sale. You can buy an artwork on the Boroondara Arts shop website.
Image credit: Christine Alison Ewert, ‘Be Pert & Paramountly Amusing Kids’, 2015, oil on canvas, 20.3 x 40.6cm, image courtesy of the artist.
![In the foreground, six adult birds and three baby birds sit on a branch. The birds are white and grey with bright blue eyes, they are wearing regal red coats and crowns. The background is a blue sky. Across the bottom are the words ‘WE ARE VERY AMUSED!’, written in wobbly handwriting.](/sites/default/files/styles/council_photo_gallery_small/public/2024-01/1%20-%201200%20x%20675px.jpg?h=c74750f6&itok=dGLtOBcg)
![A school crossing supervisor wearing green stands in the foreground holding a stop sign. They have their back to the viewer. In front of them a woman with a crown, children, a dog and a helicopter cross the road. Painted in a cartoon style with thick black outlines.](/sites/default/files/styles/council_photo_gallery_small/public/2024-01/2%20-%201200%20x%20675px.jpg?h=c74750f6&itok=Y6s7Lq_O)
![A busy and whimsical scene that defies traditional composition. Across the painting there are white birds wearing crowns, figures wearing crowns, people playing football, a giraffe, a bicycle and an upside-down car. Set on a background that features green hills and a blue sky.](/sites/default/files/styles/council_photo_gallery_small/public/2024-01/3-1200%20x%20675px.jpg?h=c74750f6&itok=sbHTlMq1)
![A busy scene from top to bottom featuring children playing and several phrases including ‘I’m hungry’, ‘Keep out!’, ‘Stick ‘em up!’, ‘Sure Sarge’, ‘$100 please’. Painted in a cartoon style with thick black outlines.](/sites/default/files/styles/council_photo_gallery_small/public/2024-01/4%20-1200%20x%20675px%20%284%29.jpg?h=c74750f6&itok=QPwOQwDM)
![Multiple figures are walking from left to right across the frame. Two women are larger and more prominent. One wears a red regal coat and crown, the other wears a tartan jacket, mini skirt and hat. There are multiple hands up in a V sign.](/sites/default/files/styles/council_photo_gallery_small/public/2024-01/5%20-%201200%20x%20675px.jpg?h=c74750f6&itok=is4zExft)
![An homage to Steve Irwin, featuring (presumably) Steve in the centre of the painting in a boat hugging a crocodile. Below Steve are the words ‘Crikey RIP’ and ‘School with Stevo’. Painted in a cartoon style with thick black outlines.](/sites/default/files/styles/council_photo_gallery_small/public/2024-01/6%20-%201200%20x%20675px.jpg?h=c74750f6&itok=EbhCfxV1)
![A busy and whimsical scene that defies traditional composition. Loosely divided into thirds, the top section has a green background, the middle features small coloured squares and the bottom is light blue. Scattered throughout the painting there are figures, dentures, cars, a bus, and a ladder.](/sites/default/files/styles/council_photo_gallery_small/public/2024-01/7%20-1200%20x%20675px%20%281%29.jpg?h=c74750f6&itok=xmkIswEg)
![A busy painting featuring 13 figures very close together and occasionally overlapping or in unusual positions. Every figure has large teeth and red lips. Some are wearing crowns. The painting is cartoon in style with thick black outlines around each shape. The words ‘Be Pert + Paramountly Amusing Kids’ appear in the bottom left corner.](/sites/default/files/styles/council_photo_gallery_small/public/2024-01/8%20-%201200%20x%20675px.jpg?h=c74750f6&itok=dt7WnDdC)