September Highlights

Betty King is an esteemed painter and cultural leader from the Indulkana community, and one of ten women featured in our upcoming exhibition, Ngura pilunpa – Peaceful Country. King works from Iwantja Arts, the Indigenous-owned and -governed art centre on the Aṉangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara Lands of South Australia.

King’s paintings capture the beauty in the landscape of Watjapilla, a diverse soakage not far from the Indulkana community, teaming with fish, bird life, and many plants.

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Libby Wakefield’s paintings arise from the rivers and wetlands of the Southern Highlands, observed on foot and from her kayak and later translated into oil on board pieces in the studio. In her hands, water is alive: a reflective surface, a mirror of sky, a shifting register of time and season—evoking the luminous intensity of J.M.W. Turner.

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Living in Thirroul on the New South Wales coast, Anh Nguyen draws inspiration from her surroundings and everyday experiences. She embraces what British artist Sara Lee Roberts calls ‘percolation and interleaving’: “I find thinking time in the interruptions and distractions of daily life. Then when I do get studio time, everything flows out naturally.”

Nguyen paints quickly and confidently, trusting her instincts. “I try not to overthink or second-guess,” she says. “There’s something about the immediacy of working that feels honest.” Curator Amber Creswell Bell observes, “Her work has an ethereal, soft quality but is very assured. It captures the small moments that, stitched together, form the texture of a life.”

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David King’s paintings hum with atmosphere — coastal skies at the edge of stormlight, mountains lost in mist, and the quiet glow of a landscape between dusk and dark. A former principal baritone with Opera Australia, King has traded one stage for another, swapping arias for oils in a creative journey that feels both bold and inevitable.

Born in Dublin and now based in Bulli, King brings a striking new voice to the Light Colour Landscape showcase. His work is deeply rooted in the northern Illawarra — a region he captures in thick, expressive brushwork and moody, layered light. Mentored by acclaimed painter Paul Ryan, King embraces a “punk impasto” style that gives his scenes a raw, visceral edge.

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Nicola Woodcock is a British-born, Sydney-based artist whose practice is defined by her meticulous use of oil pastel to explore the Australian landscape and its native flora. Her fascination with the country’s plant life began nearly 25 years ago during her first visit, inspired by a Margaret Preston print she encountered on the wall of her accommodation. Through oil pastel, a medium that demands rapid execution and precision, Woodcock captures the essence of each specimen, creating works that convey emotion and presence rather than scientific exactitude.

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