Land and Spirit Exhibition

Rosemary McKenry uses colour to depict the feelings she experiences in particular environments, and detailed shapes to symbolise the geography of a landscape. She uses a stain painting technique which requires multiple layers of transparent acrylic paint on untreated canvas. 

Rosemary and her partner Bruce Mitchell have travelled extensively in outback Australia. Bruce's photographs inspire Rosie's paintings, especially those taken from the air. 

 

An example of this is her painting The mighty Fitzroy River. 
The Fitzroy River in the Kimberley region of Western Australia begins in rugged rocks that were formed many millions of years ago as a coral reef, then flows through the Fitzroy Valley to the sea at Derby. The Great Sandy Desert lies south of the river with large expanses of sand dunes. 

Rosemary has exaggerated colours to depict the heat and wide expanse of the desert. She used detailed shapes to show the intricacies of the ranges and gorges, and vivid colour to illustrate the power of the river that links the two.

Other paintings in her exhibition include stylised maps and landscapes based on patterns in nature. 

View the Land and Spirit gallery

Her exhibition was opened by Cherry Tennant, a well-known and respected Castlemaine artist who introduced Rosemary to the stain painting technique she uses in her work.

Exhibition times
The exhibition has now finished.
Venue: Phee Broadway Theatre Foyer, Mechanics Lane, Castlemaine, Victoria
Dates: 7–28 Oct 2009

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