‘Wonderful World’
A couple weeks ago I drove down to New South Wales to visit the New England Contemporary Print Gallery in Armidale, NSW. Tim, Hugo and I went for a mini ‘work holiday’ so that I could deliver the artworks for a group exhibition. This is a new gallery for me so I was really looking forward to seeing the space and meeting curator, artist and owner, Lizzie Horne. ‘Wonderful World’ is a group exhibition including artists Marco Luccio, Damon Kowarsky, Lizzie Horne and myself. Four printmakers, more specifically etchers, that have different perspectives on place. The exhibition opened on the 14th of February and will run until the 24th of March. I had 8 framed artworks for this exhibition which I carefully chose, strongly inspired by different places including Riomaggiore, Monterosso, Paris, Venice, Bologna and Madrid. These etchings are smaller in size varying from approximately A5 to A3 in size. These smaller etchings that reflect on personal memories aim to create an intimate connection with the viewer.
‘Wonderful World’ has been running for a couple weeks now and I am thrilled that 4 pieces have already sold! I have send extra editions down to the gallery so if you happen to be visiting Armidale I still have a handful of original etchings available. Some print editions I am running out of and close to finishing the edition but you can always email me at hello@katepiekutowskiprintmaker if you have any questions.
After visiting the gallery, we drove back to the coast via Waterfall Way which is meant to be one of the most beautiful drives in Australia. We sadly had allot of rainfall and mist so the spectacular views weren’t quite as visible. But it was still a magical drive and we visited Wollomombi Falls which is about 45 minutes from Armidale. There are lots of tracks and we walked only about 15 minutes to the look out. I enjoyed how flat and accessible the path was, you could even take a stroller or wheelchair. The waterfalls were amazing from the look out and even on an overcast day you could see quite far into the distance. I really wanted to go on one of the longer walks but with a toddler it’s virtually impossible!
We then went to Bellingen which is in the NSW hinterland and about 30 minutes from Coffs Harbour. This has to be one of the most gorgeous towns in the area with quirky gift shops, cafes, a brewery and just lovely historic buildings. We’ve been here a handful of times and there’s always something new to explore. I’d highly recommend staying in Bellingen and then exploring the national parks from there. We were staying at Valla beach where my husbands family have a house. We love this area and it is quite a sentimental place for us. But getting from Valla to Armidale was a 5 hour return! We were pretty exhausted when we returned so we spent a few days just relaxing, going paddle boarding, swimming at the beach and visiting the local towns. The coast line near Coffs Harbour is gorgeous and you can visit so many places including Urunga, Nambucca Heads, Sawtell, Bellingen and Toormina. The beaches are absolutely fantastic and the seafood is so fresh and flavourful.
We are now back in Brisbane and I’ve been working on my annual print sale. I usually launch my sale at the beginning of February but between moving into our house, going to Hobart, NSW and having the flu and gastro everything has been delayed! I’ll be launching my sale any minute now so please subscribe to my website to be the first to know. I’ll have over 30 original etchings heavily discounted from $50.00 - $200.00. These are prints that have either minor marks, imperfections, possible paper marks, darker plate tone, some are older prints too and a few other things. But overall, these are all beautiful pieces! So if you’d like a KP original now is your chance!
Check out a few photos below from your trip to Armidale and holiday at Valla beach!
x
‘Romance in Monterosso’ Etching with gold leaf
Dropping the artworks in the gallery
‘Wine Bar in Cinque Terre’ Framed - a fan fave. Two editions sold already in the gallery!
Some of the work framed. These are all very similar size so look beautiful individually or as a collective.
‘Reminiscing At The Louvre’ is inspired by the first time I went to Paris and the Louvre.
Walking to the look out
Wollomombi Falls Picnic Area - look out
Nambucca Heads
Oysters at Toormina beach
Paddle boarding at Valla Beach
Thank you so much for checking out my latest blog post about visiting NSW and the gallery. Please subscribe to my website to check out the latest news and details!
Kate xx
