Marianne Newman Gallery

In The Great Divide Alison Jane Rice and Patrick Shirvington explore eastern NSW. Not only the region of inspiration, the Great Divide also refers to the very different stylistic rendering of both artists. Rice captures the flora, fauna and oceanic imagery of the region in her detailed paintings, drawings and prints, while Shirvington paints lively and rich interpretations of the Australian bush and mountain landscapes.

The exhibition will be opened by artist Graham Marchant on Friday 15th October. Shirvington's paintings and drawings have a sense of movement and freedom in the loose but strong line work that composes the landscape of Bundanon. From subtle black and white to unexpected colour palettes these images bring bushland to life. Shirvington has an observative nature and looks for beauty within. Approaching his artwork with an expressionistic perspective Shirvington does not aim to directly copy what the eye sees onto paper, instead he captures the moods and emotions of both landscape and viewer combined. As he stated in an interview, "The landscape is what always inspires me. Landscape can't argue with you, if you paint a landscape I interpret the landscape how I see it."

This exhibition features delicate works in oil, watercolour, pencil and etchings that illustrate both coastal landscapes and architectural landmarks as well as numerous examples of flora and fauna including some more scientific drawings.

The Great Divide are on show at Marianne Newman Gallery, 1 Albany Street, Crows Nest from 15 October - 13 November.
Gallery Hours: Tuesday to Saturday 10am - 5pm