Nationally acclaimed, Moree born and bred artist Lucinda Kirkby is set to exhibit her latest collection of ceramics as part of the upcoming group show at The Moree Gallery. She has been referred to as one of Australia’s most exciting emerging talents with her delicate ceramic masterpieces piquing the attention of galleries and curators across the nation. For this Moree local artist, the beautiful Australian landscape remains her greatest source of inspiration. The Moree Gallery will be hosting not just Kirkby, but a powerhouse group of female artists at their next exhibition. The group includes Sarah Bishop, Catherine Stewart and Anna Smith.
In 2017 Kirkby received her Bachelor of Fine Arts from RMIT in Melbourne. During her time at university and after, she has built up an impressive resume with exhibitions at the Chelsea College of Arts in London, Brunswick Street Gallery and RMIT Gallery. She was also a finalist in the 2018 Toorak Village Sculpture Exhibition and winner of the Mayors Award in the 2018 Woollahra Small Sculpture Prize. Despite this extensive list of achievements Kirkby’s homecoming exhibit at Moree she explains, is one of the greatest privileges. “It’s always been a dream to exhibit at The Moree Gallery,” she said. “I’ve long had a keen interest in art and visited the gallery often in my youth – the delicious smells, the gentle music, those vibrant green walls – they’re formative memories that I carry with me everywhere.”
The impressive female talents continue with Sarah Bishop, another Moree Gallery favourite. Having grown up on a sheep and cattle property in the Merriwa district, Bishop also credits this nature-filled childhood as the foundation upon which her path as an artist formed. “The yearning for rain and constant looking up at the horizon has given me a new palette and a new appreciation and awareness,” said Bishop. “That magical feeling in the air before it rains, the chance of rain , the build, the shift in pressure or the warmth of the mid-morning on a summers day, the cry of a bird on the wind, the sound of a windmill turning.” Her contribution to the exhibition, is a combination of these moments and feelings that Bishop remembers so well.
Catherine Stewart is also no stranger to the Moree audience, with her popular works often featured in the gallery. “This is my fourth exhibition in Moree,” Stewart said. “And it’s always a delight to exhibit to such an appreciative and artistically aware community. I have a very loyal following in the Moree region and I’m always very appreciative of their support.”
Nyngan’s Anna Smith of Andrena Sculptures is also an artist that needs no introduction, her eye-catching wire sculptures at home in many a local garden. Inspired by her own personal frustration of wire litter, shared no doubt by scores of local graziers, Anna has converted this pet hate into tangible artworks of beauty and creativity. “My work is imperfect and totally individual,” said Smith. “And the beauty of garden art is that it provides a totally unique focal point in the garden, and one that doesn’t require water or maintenance which is a bonus.”
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