Two new exciting exhibitions opening at the Manning Regional Art Gallery take us on a journey of perspectives of our natural environment, through the eyes of one local and three regional NSW artists.
Rod Spicer's 'Up River' is a collection of contemporary works which encapsulate the light, beauty and mood of the Australian landscape.
Reminiscent of Streeton or McCubbin, the canvases of lush paint, fluid brushstrokes and striking colour evoke admiration and awe of our natural landscape. Rod's mastery of his medium is evident with bold use of colour, capturing the mood and light of the changing times and seasons.
Spicer transcends time and explores the mythology of landscape, stirring sensations and emotions in the viewer. 'Up River' is set to celebrate colour in a suite of new works, exploring past themes and embracing new aspects of Rod's works.
Rod has lived in the Manning Valley for many years and is well known for his beautiful paintings of the local area, from the bush to the coast. Exhibiting regularly in the Hunter Valley and Sydney, his works are included in many private and corporate collections.
'S.E.E: Strange, Endangered and Exposed' presents works that respond to our immediate environment, inviting contemplation about the fragile nature of existence.
'Strange' by Susan Ryman transforms refuse into beautiful dancing ghosts, harbingers of our cultural disregard for so many precious things, including our fellow humans. Her images are precisely drawn using a technically laborious layering of coloured pencil and sealed with varnish.
In 'Endangered', Prue Sailer's paintings invite the viewer to engage with endangered species of NSW through the reciprocal gaze, in a purposefully intimate realisation of the price of extinction.
Lauren Potts' 'Eternal' comprises luminous and expressive drawings which ask much more than they reveal. Honest yet mysterious, they reflect the very human desire to find meaning and understanding.
The artists are connected through their backgrounds in Fine Art and postgraduate studies in Natural History Illustration (NHI) from the University of Newcastle. This discipline requires intensive study of our immediate world and, through technical rigour, seeks to simultaneously inform, inspire and question the nature of existence.
Both exhibitions will be launched at an opening event at The Gallery on Friday 9 April from 6pm. Hosted by the Friends of the Gallery and a fundraiser for the Gallery, everyone is welcome to attend, book tickets via Eventbrite and limited tickets will be available at the door.
To book tickets ($15) for the opening and find out more about Gallery exhibitions events, head to https://mrag.midcoast.nsw.gov.au.
Up River and S.E.E: are on exhibition at the Gallery until Saturday 22 May, admission is free.
