April 14, 2014
A sale of rare artworks from a private collection drew a crowd of about 30 artists and art lovers to Kingaroy’s Nimue Gallery on Friday night.
The Gallery’s April exhibition features a mix of artworks from the 1920s to the 1980s which are being sold by a Sunshine Coast collector, along with a small number of new works by former South Burnett artist Mark Shellshear.
Well-known local artists packed into the gallery to view works by artists Irene Smythe, H.C. Simpson and Ossie Stehn which date back to the 1920s and 1930s, along with oils and watercolours by artists Kenneth Wenzel, Marjorie Feltham, Eric Whisson, Henk Guth, Eve Punchard and Helen Stout which date from the 1970s and early 1980s.
Irene Smythe’s three watercolours drew a lot of positive comments from guests on the night, and are expected to sell before the end of the month.
Several others by different artists were also snapped up as the opening proceeded.
Mark Shellshear paid a visit to the opening as well to farewell old friends and clients before he embarks on a move to the Philippines, where he has built up a following amongst Asian collectors for his works.
Mark’s iconic paintings of South Burnett landmarks such as the peanut silos, the Carrollee Hotel and Haly Street shopfronts grace the walls of many local collectors in the region.
Nimue curator Cherry Carroll said Mark’s presence would be sorely missed but added that thanks to the internet he’ll never be all that far away from his local fans either.
Mark will be relocating to Manila next month, where he’ll be exhibiting at one of the city’s oldest contemporary art galleries.
“Manila is a surprising place,” he told southburnett.com.au.
“There are 20 million people there – almost the population of Australia in one city – and while it was a terribly poor place 20 years ago there is a rapidly rising middle class emerging there now.
“Many global retailers who don’t have branches in Australia have opened shops there, and so have many luxury car dealers.”
Mark said that he finds a lot of inspiration in Manila’s tropical climate, and when he lived there several years ago he found that his work was very popular.
“The Asian market seems to enjoy Australian art. We have a much more bright and colourful style than many other countries and this seems to resonate with a lot of people there.”
- “Private Collector’s Sale” will remain on display at the Nimue Gallery at 6 King Street, Kingaroy, every Tuesday to Friday from 10:00am to 3:30pm and Saturdays from 10:00am to 1:30pm until the end of April.
