Rainforests inspire art exhibition opening in Bellingen Coffs Coast Nambucca Valley by News Of The Area - Modern Media - October 4, 2024 Rainforest by Chris Campbell. MOUNTAINS and Forests is a new exhibition opening at Bellingen’s Nexus Community Gallery in The Studio. The works by Macksville artist Chris Campbell come from her passion for painting outside in forests. Advertise with News of The Area today. It’s worth it for your business. Message us. Phone us – (02) 4981 8882. Email us – media@newsofthearea.com.au The exhibition runs from 6 October until 1 November. Chris will be hosting an opening event at the gallery from Noon to 2pm on Sunday, 6 October, and is keen to chat with visitors about her work. “My paintings are works done using acrylic and oil paint on canvas,” she told the News Of The Area. While living in the bush behind Bowraville for three decades, Chris walked as she drew the scenery around her. She then brought those drawings home to work on paintings in her studio. After her home was burnt down in the 2019 bushfires and she and her partner John relocated to Macksville, she continued to paint outside. “I still paint en plein air (outside) in the hills near my old home and rejoice in the recovery and regeneration of the vegetation, although many burnt trees are still a stark reminder of events four years ago. “Much of the inspiration for my paintings now comes from visits to nearby rainforests like Way Way National Park near Scotts Head, the Dorrigo rainforest and visits further north to Lamington in Queensland and south of Nambucca Valley to Barrington Tops near the Manning Valley.” Chris takes photos and sketches in these places to help her depict the richness and diversity of life. Streams flowing from distant mountains arrive in the foreground of her pictures as lakes and creeks, while waterfalls flow through rainforests, and bark, branches and roots of trees support other forms of life. Recently, a feeling of unease about the fragility of the environment has appeared in her work. “[What is happening] around me and in a broader context in the wider world, has instigated ideas for paintings depicting the degradation of the environment,” Chris said. “Such as my painting titled ‘Fragmented Landscape’ and another named ‘Antarctic Beech’.” By Andrea FERRARI Artist Chris Campbell brings her new exhibition to The Studio at Nexus Community Gallery. Fragmented Landscape by Chris Campbell.
