NEXUS Community Art Gallery at the Old Butter Factory in Bellingen has two new exhibitions featuring the work of local artists Cynthia Miller, Lyndley McColl and Greg Coates, running from Sunday 9 October until 4 November.

In the Main Gallery Bellingen artist Cynthia Miller and Urunga artist Lyndell McColl present Remnants & Possibilities.

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“This exhibition combines my two great passions, painting and ceramics and is a culmination of experimentation
with both in a quest to develop a distinctive style in my work,” Cynthia told News Of The Area.

“Sculptural ceramics has excited me and creating flowers with a surreal character became my fascination.

“My horse sculptures relate to my lifelong love of these proud gentle creatures.”

Talking about painting, Cynthia said for her it has been a process of producing a large volume of work, “developing new ways of representing my chosen subject, hoping to achieve an authentic reflection of my personal style”.

“I’m loving what I’m doing and can’t wait to see what happens next.”

Lyndley McColl told NOTA that two of the paintings she has contributed to this exhibition are reflective of her current style.

“The triptych of the three mammal’s eyes, ‘Sentient Beings’ and the painting of ‘The Crack Where The Light Comes In’ reflect my art practice at the moment.

“One is my thought of the loss we are inflicting on the planet, including our own species and the other portrays a remnant coastal beauty; a tiny opening at the bottom of a rock that appeared after a storm.

“The tiny space allowed me to see the ocean on my hands and knees, birds flying and wonderful, colourful nooks and crannies.

“That vista disappeared in another storm twenty four hours later.

“I find watercolour can be bold, translucent as well as soft and tremulous.

“I love this medium,” she said.

In the Studio Gallery at Nexus, The Art of Greg Coates exhibition celebrates the Bonville artist’s passion for realism.

“My affiliation with art started from a very young age,” Greg tells NOTA.

“I initially studied with Joselyn Maughan in Sydney.

“My love for the work of American artist Andrew Wyeth led me to travel, work and show in New York.”

Throughout this journey in art there have been many approaches and techniques that Greg has utilised.

Watercolour, oil, acrylic and recently experiments with the patient process of egg tempera.

“This exploration of different mediums has been an essential component of the art making process within my work.
“This comes from an underlying desire to engage and enthral the viewer.”

What is evident in Greg’s work is a passion for realism which is enhanced by the application of primary and crisp clear colours.

“My work has many dimensions ranging from intricate floral cups to the detailed brickwork of inner-city housing or capturing a moment in time whether it be a bird delicately perched on a branch pre-flight, boats gently floating on still waters, or the silence of a tranquil forest.

“This ability to impart an emotional connection with my paintings is through their association with everyday occurrences,” he said.

By Andrea FERRARI