Glenbrook

 Art Exhibition in the Community Hall

On Sunday we drove up to Glenbrook in the lower Blue Mountains to visit The Nepean Art Society's Summer Exhibition in the local Community Hall.  This Exhibition is popular with the local community and also collectors, as there are many gift items as well as paintings for sale.  The Nepean Art Society was formed in 1967 by a small group of local artists and continues to be a vibrant Society today with over 150 members.

Glenbrook is located 63 kilometres west of Sydney at an elevation of 163 metres and has a population of over 5,000 people. Glenbrook is over the Nepean River and at the top of Lapstone Hill.  It is a lovely little township, conveniently located just off the Great Western Highway, with many trendy cafes and boutiques along its main street.  There is also an entrance road, through the township, into the Blue Mountains National Park.

 

Along the Highway, before entering the town, there is a great Visitor Information Centre. 🠊 

It also stocks maps, books and a good range of gift ideas.  The staff are very helpful and they were able to give me information regarding the closure of the road in the Blue Mountains National Park due to floooding of the causeway during recent rain.  We are hoping to explore this region soon.

🠈 The Community Hall, where the art exhibition took place, is behind this stone wall.  The Glenbrook Cinema is also here, alongside the Community Hall.  

The wall announces that Glenbrook is the gateway to the Blue Mountains.

This oil painting is titled "Silverton". 🠊

Silverton is a small town in the far west of New South Wales and 26 kilometres north-west of Broken Hill.  

Silverton has attracted artists, photographers and cinematographers for many years due to its stunning landscape and superb light.  

Silverton thrived back in the late 1800's during the Gold rush days.

🠈"On the Murray (Barham NSW)".  Barham is a small town on the banks of the Murray River.  It  is a pretty town surrounded by rich river flats.

From the early 1870's timber cutters began to set up camps and log the River Red Gums that grow in the surrounding forests.  Koondrook, on the Victorian side, developed more quickly than Barham and soon became the centre of a large forest industry with the timber being used to build boats and paddle steamers.

 

One of my favourite birds is the Pelican and I think this is a lovely painting of a Pelican.🠊

I have seen Pelicans in the Nepean and Hawkesbury regions.  They are large water birds characterized by a long beak and a large throat pouch used for catching prey and draining water from the scooped-up contents before swallowing.  Their plumage is mostly white.

 

🠈"A view from Streeton Lookout" at Freeman's Reach, New South Wales overlooking the Hawkesbury River with views from the edge of the escarpmnt over the Richmond Lowlands and looking towards the Blue Mountains.

This is a popular spot where local artists gather to paint or sketch the landscape from this historic location.

The lookout is named after Sir Arthur Streeton (1867 - 1943).  Sir Arthur visited the Hawkesbury in 1896 and it was here that he painted some of Australia's most famous paintings.

We have an oil painting called Hawkesbury River which we purchased in recent years and it looks very much like this painting.  I wouldn't be surprised if it was painted from this same lookout. 

These are just a small selection of the many outstanding paintings at the Exhibition that took my fancy.  Despite the rain over the 3 days of the Exhibition I believe it was their most successful Exhibition ever with sales of  oils, water colours, pastels, acryllics, pen and ink, paper toille, sculptures and gift cards.

Acknowledgments

1.  Silverton destination brokenhill.com.au

2.  Wikipedia (information about Barham)

3.  Australian Bird Life (information about Pelicans)

4.  Hawkesbury People and Places (information about Streeton Lookout)

5.  Nepean Art Society Facebook page.