Visit to Gosford Regional Gallery

As previously mentioned, we have decided to promote art appreciation visits to various galleries in & around the Sydney area. To begin with, Gosford Regional Gallery was selected & a visit organised for last Wednesday, 19th May.

Yvette Pritchard; featured artist. We had to start somewhere to encourage you all to get out & about at other galleries and Gosford was ideal. The featured artist on display in the foyer gallery space was (and still is – until 20th. June!) Yvette Pritchard, who was mentioned here a few weeks ago. A wonderful artist with a real, almost tangible appreciation of the bush as one would expect from a plein air devotee. She used mostly pen on paper with a bold, confident style that comes from many years experience & success & this was enjoyed immensely by all of us. It might just lead to more members wishing to become plein air practitioners.

There’s more to see! As if this art work were not enough, we all enjoyed the Edogawa Gardens to the rear of the gallery. Beautifully laid out in the Japanese tradition, they feature formal ‘manicured’ plantings, meandering paths, a couple of wooden bridges, waterfall, lake, gazebo & tea house, not to forget many colourful koi & a squadron (?) of ducks. We have been visiting for years & never tire of the tranquil environment.

Then lunch in the cafe & a totally excusable spend in the gift shop; which has a wonderful selection of art books, ceramics, glassware, accessories & my favourite; a beautiful range of greeting cards by local artists: well worth collecting just for their own sake!

A bonus exhibition. Tucked away next to the Regional Gallery is an additional treat…Another gallery space, which is the location for the many local art groups’ exhibitions & on this occasion it was the potters, with a selection of ceramics in every size & shape including a quirky example of bathing beauties of generous proportions but modestly covered, so you can display them without fear!

See for yourself! Here’s a few pictures to get you going (or should it be coming?) for our next excursion. Don’t be shy; if you have any favourite galleries; share! We’ll put them on the list!

Our visit to Toukley

From our roving gallery scouts.

Worth a Visit. We have just had a most delightful visit to the Toukley and District Art Society and Gallery. It was really worth it. On arrival we enjoyed Devonshire Tea served by one of the volunteers and then viewed the exhibition. An exhibition of Members’ works were on display, as well as an exhibition and competition of local artists’ works, which included paintings, jewellery, ceramics and a variety of other art forms. It was great. The exhibitions are rotated every two months, so there is a continuous supply of new works. There was also a rolling display of artists’ works on a monitor, which we really enjoyed. The Gallery is on the western shore of Tuggerah Lakes, just over the bridge from Toukley towards Gorokan in a beautiful park which is perfect for a picnic. There are seats in the Park and a children’s playground. See their website. We had a lovely time there.

Hawkesbury Art Fair 2018

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What an absolute treat; not only did we get to see Greg Hansell’s studio but, since there was some time to spare, we went to the Hawkesbury Regional Gallery ‘on spec’ just to see if anything was on. We go often & it’s always well worthwhile as yesterday there was a fabulous selection of work from quite a number of local artists. The gallery was full with a variety of artistic groups showing paintings of many types, glassware, ceramics, metalwork & photography.

Each group had a number of artists showing work; too many to list individually, but each listed their respective artists’ works on their lists, which covered the following:

Greg Hansell
Basia Nowacki
Piggery Lane Studios
Hawkesbury Camera Club
Hawkesbury Community Arts Workshop
Macquarie Towns Arts Society
Ferry Artists’ Gallery & The Hawkesbury Artists & Artisans’ Trail.

This is a beautiful gallery & works such as these only make the experience better. The exhibition runs until 2nd. December so you have plenty of time. We’re going again; it’s that good! The Hawkesbury Regional Gallery, 300 George St. Windsor. (the old hospital site). Open from 10 am – 4 pm M – F closed Tuesdays; Saturday & Sunday 10 am – 3 pm. Closed public holidays.

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Quiet backroads of The Hawkesbury

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Yesterday we went to Windsor to see Greg Hansell’s ‘open studio’, where a fabulous selection of his work was on display.

His studio, I should point out, is a classic representation of the subjects in many of Greg’s paintings – in other words, an old cow shed with a loft. Made from the basic materials of its time, it demonstrates the longevity associated with care & constant use, offering a combination of shed, retreat, studio & summerhouse. Built of corrugated iron & tree in the form of vertical split log siding, it takes you back to the early days of Windsor & is obviously much loved & used by its owner.

Inside there is a wonderful collection of Greg’s paintings; mostly in pastel, but some oils & a couple of etchings. Landscapes & old farm buildings predominate but there is a departure from his usual subject in the form of a painting of one of New South Wales Government Railways’ (NSWGR to special people of the more senior variety) Garratt locomotives, which is guaranteed to get your blood racing! These open studio days are really not to be missed & if you have, then you’ll just need to wait until next year. Keep your eyes open!

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Bowral Botanical Exhibition

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We took ourselves to Bowral again; this time to see the beautiful exhibition put on at the BDAS Gallery at 1 Short St, Bowral.

Set in a picturesque area with beautiful gardens giving just a taste of the botanical works on show inside. Most were watercolours but there were examples of colour pencil, graphite, charcoal & even etching to be appreciated. Colour & detail were amazing: just how so many talented people can produce such fine, precise work without going blind escapes me. I’m just glad that they do!

Keep your eyes open for the next one: it’s well worth the trip

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Of Memory and Change

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An exhibition by the 2017 Wallarobba Outstanding Local Artist; Lyndall Beck.

Many of you will be familiar with the works of Lyndall Beck & this exhibition is a marvellous opportunity to enjoy her many & varied artistic talents under one roof at one time. Lyndall has indeed done herself proud, virtually filling Wallarobba with a display of art in many categories, but all to do with the changing local suburban & regional environment & the attendant social impact resulting from this. As the catalogue says, “Of memory and change documents Lyndall’s personal attempt to grasp and hold onto a world that is slipping away into memory”. In this attempt she has succeeded & the time spent appreciating the work & chatting to the artist was thoroughly enjoyable.
Lyndall’s work is certainly varied & ranges from collagraphs, oil on canvas and mixed media, with a highlight being her film “Solastalgia” in three acts depicting yesterday, today & her perception of a possible tomorrow for the development of Hornsby.

On until Sunday, 11th November.

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The Romantics Art Exhibition

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The ninth annual Romantics Art Exhibition is on again, but you’ll have to be quick! Only today & tomorrow, on show from 10.00am at the Hunters Hill Town Hall; 22 Alexandra Street, Hunters Hill.

This event is a must on my calendar, as it brings Just so much enjoyment to the senses. There are five of Australia’s leading traditional artists exhibiting here who are also recognised globally & who have each received numerous awards. This is an unmissable opportunity to enjoy their collective talents under the one roof at the one time.

The exhibiting artists are: Ian Hansen, Ramon Ward-Thompson, Werner Filipich, James Hough and Max Mannix. Their work is simply superb. Exciting, satisfying, colourful & evocative! If you miss it just have a look at their respective websites & put it on your calendar for next year.

Check here for a quick view of their work. www.romanticsfineartexhibition.com.au

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OUTLIERS – An art exhibition in the mountains

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As the invitation says: ‘Four artists united by their admiration of the Australian landscape and their ambitions to express it artistically. They believe that this continual practice, this quest to interpret the unique beauty of the environment is a lifelong challenge, but definitely one that can provide much satisfaction. Join us in celebrating this fabulous exhibition.’

The four artists involved are Kristine Ballard, Tony Hook, Melony K. Smirniotis & Peter Porteous. Having had a quick look at their catalogue I can only say that I am really looking forward to seeing it in person at ‘gallery one88’, located at 188 Katoomba Street, Katoomba. As if the prospects of satisfying the mind & the eye were not enough, one of the artists, Melony has just joined Hornsby Art Society and her work may be seen in our 9 X 5 exhibition currently on at Wallarobba.

The official opening is on Saturday 18 August & it runs until 26 August. www.galleryone88finearts.com/exhibitions

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