NAMBUCCA Valley Arts Council (NCAC) members have been busy again creating wonderful works for you to enjoy.

There are two stunning exhibition areas currently complementing the new look at the Nambucca Community and Arts Centre.

‘Countryside’, is the title of Evan Cleland’s watercolour exhibition, in which he presents landscapes of Nambucca and beyond.

Many works reveal idyllic country scenes, while others, a wilderness or wild coastline.

Working in watercolour (considered to be the most difficult of mediums), Evan reflects that, “The whole process takes a while.

“You see a scene, you take a photo, draw it up.

“When it comes time for the paint to go on, it can be quick.

“If something goes wrong, pause for a while.

“I used to think that watercolours were sudden death, but you can back out.”

A visit to Evan and his spouse Marie at their home, surrounded by a profusion of Spring blooms, would easily show that the pair have lived an interesting and creative life.

To help illustrate this, Evan provided the following story, which is so descriptive and eloquently expressed, you can almost imagine yourself actually being there.

“Kaputar National Park is within the Nandewar Range, an outlier of the Great Dividing Range.

“My painting is titled ‘Nandewar Spur’ and is inspired by a photo Marie took when we were there in 2006.

“We were last there in March 2020 just when everything was closing down because of the pandemic.

“The Park then was closed in by mountain fog making the fire devastated vegetation rather grandly spooky.

“I first noticed the Nandewars and Mount Kaputar in 1953, on a very frosty morning when as a young Jackeroo on a nearby station, we emerged on our horses from the timber belt and saw across the grassy plain the mountains standing, glistening on the horizon and me thinking ‘that must be just what snow looks like’.

“I discovered later that it was indeed snow that had fallen that night.

“It lasted a day or so.”

The Stringer Gallery is located in the Nambucca Community and Arts Centre, in Ridge Street, Nambucca Heads, and is also currently exhibiting a members’ show titled ‘All About Boats’.

The standard of work is outstanding!

‘Countryside’ is on exhibition from Wednesday 3 – Saturday 27 November.

‘All About Boats’ is on exhibition from Wednesday 6 October – Saturday 27 November.