The Moree Gallery  
The Max Centre, Heber st Moree NSW
Ph 02 67523927
3 December - 24 December 2010
official opening Friday 3 december 2010: 6pm - 8pm 

exhibition description

An exhibition of recent work by Christine Porter - framed and unframed rural paintings , new etchings and more of the remembering how to fly bird miniatures. 

artist statement

Christine's practice as a full time artist has taken her across rural Qld and NSW with each property she visits describing its character and history in the shearing sheds and other buildings.  Included in the project, that becomes like a portrait of the place at this time, is artwork about the small things: objects that hold the narrative, she says, as much as the grand images.

The invitation painting for this exhibition “a box of horseshoes” was such a subject. Part of Christine’s major painting project for 2010, about a sheep and cattle property on the Mole River west of Tenterfield, it describes  how important horse power had been, until quite recently, in the everyday running of the place. This painting could also be a metaphor for the way Christine constructs her residency projects: collecting images from all that she sees and hears, and using her artist’s eye and skill to keep these images safely for posterity.

An extension of that metaphor may suggest that the title also describes the way that Christine’s full time art practice this last 20 years has diversified and how the apparently disparate elements of it are represented in this exhibition. There is a large collection of the  rural Australian watercolours that she is well known for - recent work from 2009 and 2010:  a new suite of small multi plate colour etchings of the sort that have been an important part of her practice for 15 years or so, and more pieces from the 2009 series Remembering how to fly. These miniature acrylic paintings and drawings on board that are 29 mm (about 1 inch) square have not been shown in Moree before.

installation

The work was hung to tell the multiples stories of this exhibition. The rural paintings were hung as loose collections of sheds, cattle, interiors on the walls that are the startling rich green that sets the paintings off so well. The unframed (matted and cello-wrapped) work was placed so that people could see them closely. Etchings from the new dragonfly diaries, I saw a flower in my garden and her well known other people's treasures suites were hung together having all been framed similarly. The birds were displayed behind the desk on three large white boards. Hold your cursor over each picture to read the caption.

reviews

Moree Life November 2010 p10
Border Living Summer 2010 p45
Border Living Autumn 2011

artwork

	Artwork exhibited were watercolour paintings from the bodies of work entitled  west of Tenterfield, image: the end of the shed 2010 watercolour on paper 14 x 15cm
	... a station down the Mole, as well as from other selected rural painting series. image: hook 2010 watercolour on paper cm
	Etchings exhibited were from the ongoing other people's treasures suite (pictured left), sheds and new work from 2010: the dragonfly diaries (pictured right) and I saw a flower in my garden. image left: don't let other people tell you who you should love 2004 multi-plate colour etching image right: sundancer 2010 multi-plate colour etching
	There were several hundred of the miniature bird painting and drawings from the remembering how to fly series image: remembering how to fly #584 (private collection) #315, #283 , 2009/10  acrylic and pencil on board 29 x 29

 post exhibition availability/sales

Much of the artwork that was on display is still available at various galleries, including The Moree Gallery and Christine's studio/gallery in Lismore ( by appointment. 02 66225733) . Contact us to find out the current whereabouts, availability and or pricing of any of the artwork mentioned.