By Jed Lanyon
As borders close and interstate travel is restricted with Covid-19 outbreaks, two local artists are bringing a taste of Western Australia to Warburton with a new exhibition at the Waterwheel Gallery.
Pastel painter Gina Baines and photographer Paul Colcheedas are hosting a co-exhibition titled, The Kimberley and Beyond, which highlights some of the stunning landscapes and flora fauna of the Western Australia outback.
The two artists share their experiences of the region, in which they both spent a significant amount of time travelling.
“My husband and I went for a trip up there,” Ms Baines said. “It was to fulfill a yearning I had for 25 years to go to Purnululu ever since I saw some photos from someone who went there. I had always wanted to go there.”
“My wife and I travelled around the Kimberley around about the same time Gina did. We didn’t bump into her there,” Mr Colcheedas said. “It made sense to do it considering we both visited these respective places.”
“We spent two years away and probably travelled 50,000 kilometres throughout Australia and probably spent most of our time in Western Australia. I’m a horticulturist as well as a photographer, so the wildflowers in WA were just amazing.”
“Hopefully they (visitors) get a glimpse of the Kimbereley through our eyes really and hopefully encourage people to go out there as well. It’s an amazing place. There’s a baroness about it but there’s an awesome beauty about it as well.”
Ms Baines, a long time East Warburton resident, describes herself as a self-taught artist who works exclusively with pastel paintings.
“It’s so vastly different to the Yarra Valley. We have a lot of beauty and greenness and up there it’s a whole different colour scheme and different plants and wildlife,” she said. “I hope it encourages people to see it from another set of eyes as well. There’s a very rich Indigneous presence up there that remains untouched.”
“A lot of people yearn to look at the north west and other people might not be aware of how beautiful it is and they’ll be pleasantly surprised.”
The Kimberley and Beyond opened on Thursday 1 July and will be exhibiting for three weeks at the Warburton Waterwheel Gallery.
