Details

Last Updated: Friday, 14 October 2022 15:17

Published: Friday, 14 October 2022 07:42

An invitation to explore Crows Nest’s natural surroundings is partly the inspiration behind Samantha Nolan’s exhibition, Rewilding, which is on display at Crows Nest Gallery from October 19 to November 13, 2022.

Samantha, who has been painting in the Toowoomba Region for 20 years, paints predominantly in oils and acrylics.

Artworks in Rewilding depict her relationship with the natural environment and her sense of the natural world’s vibrancy and magic.

The paintings have been inspired by visits to the Crows Nest National Park, Fraser Island and family bush walks in the surrounding district.

Rewilding features a series of mixed media paintings that represent a longing for reconnecting with nature and a desire to be lost or immersed in a world beyond the contemporary built or digital realms.

The works depict detailed, realistic figures that are hiding and exploring expressive, and at times, semi-abstract, natural landscapes.

Materials and styles contrast in each painting. Some reference the media and style of US realist painter and printmaker Edward Hopper, with lone figures completed in a tight, realistic style in acrylic paint.

The lone inhabitants swap their static stance and staid built environment for a more adventurous experience climbing through a joyful, Impressionistic natural landscape.

The exhibition invites viewers to reflect on their connections with nature. Many of the landscapes reference locations in Crows Nest National Park.

The exhibition is intended as an invitation to walk from the gallery to rediscover the district’s bushland, rivers and waterfalls.

Half of the proceeds from exhibition sales will be donated to the Australian Conservation Foundation.

The exhibition’s artist talk will be held at the Gallery from 11am on Sunday, October 23, 2022.

This is a free event and no bookings are required.

For more information on the exhibition, please visit the events register

Enquiries about the exhibition can be directed to Crows Nest Gallery on (07) 4698 1687 or crowsnestart@tr.qld.gov.au 

Crows Nest Gallery, at the corner of the New England Highway and William Street is open from 10.30am to 3.30pm Wednesday to Sunday. It is closed on Monday, Tuesday and public holidays.

Detail:
1. Samantha NOLAN / In the banksia swamp 2022 / oil and acrylic on canvas / 50x60cm / © Samantha Nolan (Top)
2. Samantha NOLAN / in the Fraser swamplands 2022 / oil and acrylic on canvas / 40x40cm / © Samantha Nolan
3. Samantha NOLAN / In the guava grove 2022 / oil and acrylic on canvas / 60x50cm / © Samantha Nolan (bottom)