Jo Fernandez is a landscape artist living on the outskirts of the historic village of Millthorpe, in the NSW Central Tablelands. Her work draws deep inspiration from the region’s expansive skies, open land, and the shifting light and colour brought by its distinct seasons. Rooted in a landscape that is personal and close to home, Jo’s paintings begin with an emotional response to her surroundings. She seeks out elements that resonate deeply, using colour, tone, and atmosphere to distil their essence. Her technique of glazing—applying transparent layers of oil paint—brings a luminous depth to her works.

Exhibiting Artists: Pippita Bennett, Lea Durie, Christina McLean and Karlie Simring

Four artists, each rooted in the mediums of ceramics and textiles, unite in an exploration of materiality. This exhibition invites the audience on a sensory journey of earth and fiber. Through their distinct yet interconnected practices, the artists celebrate the tactile essence of these ancient materials, revealing stories of tradition, innovation, and the profound relationship between maker and medium.

A few years ago, I felt this strong desire to paint these fascinating birds. I hadn’t paid much attention to them until I moved to Bathurst, where they became impossible to ignore. I started to notice something unique about Magpies—they don’t just glance at you like other birds; they actually stare. At first, I found them a bit intimidating, but even more so, I was captivated by their boldness. Magpies exude confidence, strutting around with an air of coolness, and their expressions can range from cheeky to downright intense. This exhibition aims to capture their playful spirit and the vibrant moods they convey.

Spending most of her time living and working on a cattle property in Texas, Qld,  Jane Henry uses her rural surroundings as a constant inspiration for her creative artworks.

A mostly self-taught artist who enjoys blending various mediums, recently including her own individual style of fibre art. She is constantly extending the capabilities of hand stitching on archival paper with foraged natural fibres and objects creating extremely unique artworks.

These recent intricate botanical creations combine Jane’s love of Australian native flora as well as paying homage to her mother & grandmothers who passed down the skill and appreciation of slow needlework.

Natasha is an award-winning designer and artist based in Molong, NSW, on Wiradjuri Country. Since completing her Bachelor of Arts in Graphic and Web Design in 2004, Natasha has built a diverse career spanning design agencies, state government, higher education, and now local government. Currently, she leads a creative team in Orange, managing major design and communication projects. When she's not fulfilling her role as Chief Snack Officer at home, Natasha is busy developing websites and crafting brand identities at work. In her spare time, she enjoys experimenting with timber and paint in her shed, exploring shape, composition, and colour. Natasha's creative journey was shaped by her studies at university and her time as a Senior Creative at a Sydney design agency. Drawing inspiration from the Bauhaus and Swiss Design movements, she blends design, fine art, and craft. Her evolving process reflects this intersection, as she continually experiments with function, materials, and colour.

Artists were invited to submit one landscape artwork of any medium (video excluded) to be judged by a panel of experts. This competition is open to emerging and established artists living in regional, rural and outback Australia. Artworks submitted may depict any type of landscape, eg. traditional, rural, arial, abstract, suburban, imagined etc.The finalist exhibition will include the most exciting and original artworks submitted for selection from artists all over regional, rural and outback Australia.

Time to Reflect is the latest series of paintings by Jo Fernandez.  The works feature water as a prompt for personal reflection.  The central subject is the reflection of land and sky, and although inspired by specific locations, it could be anywhere, as the artist works from intuition as well as observation.

Jo's works are representational of elements within the landscape she responds to emotionally; editing and isolating what she considers to be the core significance.  Be it the transient quality of light and atmosphere, the drama of colour and tone in cloud formations, her works convey a sense of calm and nostalgia. The artist invites the viewer to pause, reflect and restore a sense of place in nature.

Four artists with a shared history of common ground explore connection to place, the concept of feeling at one with a landscape, and the ways these bring us together.

Through their works in paper, silver and photography, and woven with the written word, the artists each interpret the land and nature as the core of belonging.  The exhibition ponders vast landscapes with the minutiae of life they nurture, and the way these are carried in our identities and personal stories.

How does exploring a new place make you feel ? Do you find yourself taking note of the differences in landscape, mentally jotting down the colours and shapes?

Recently I’ve been lucky enough to experience some travel and found myself taking note of these changes unable to quiet my mind until I’ve brought those new colours and compositions to the canvas.

‘Field Notes’ celebrates finding beauty in the things that surround us…whether that be noticing the new colours with the changing of seasons or taking note of the beautiful shapes from little flowers in our very own backyards.

My hope for this exhibit is that it will bring joy to each viewer and reason to take note of the beauty within colours and shadows of our everyday surrounds.

Within this body of work, Jane explores the natural beauty, the ecological importance and essential habitat sanctuary that bushland and wilderness areas provide - A Refuge, where flora, fauna and biodiversity can thrive. Conservation, regeneration and the re-wilding of country are integral to a healthy, bio-diverse environment.

Time spent Bushwalking and forest bathing Shinrin-yoku, are integral in the development of Jane’s arts practice, providing an endless source of creative nourishment and compositional inspiration.

In our busy, modern lives, where many daylight hour are spent indoors, it is easy to feel a disconnection from nature. The lives we live, the resources we consume and the impact our choices have upon the natural environment are often out of sight, out of mind.

To celebrate our 9th anniversary, Gallery Director Madeline Young has curated a group exhibition of 21 artists from across varied and diverse practices. Many have exhibited with The Corner Store Gallery before with some joining us for the first time. Artists were invited to create two artworks each exploring the term “Quiet”.

Exhibiting Artists

Michelle Arnott, Laura Baker, Emily Birks, Kim Bizo, Clare Dubina, Liss Finney, Andrea Hopgood, Matt James, Ingrid Kwong, Sandon Gibbs O’Neil, Stacey McCall, Brendan Nicholl, Amanda Ogilby, Nerrida Parfitt, Sarah Randall, Ruth Rawle, Daniel Rivers, Georgina Sambell, Andrea Shaw, Meg Walters, Alex Watts.

Finalists

Karlie Simring, Katie Bullock, Susan Shortridge, Sonia Martignon, Mary Zammit, Amanda Holman, Simone Hale, David King, Keith Betts, Nicola Jones, Amanda Twyford, Andrew Sleeman, Kirsty Gautheron, Sarah Field, Alice Watson, Gina Andree, Tracy Waite, Jane Forbes, Donna Legovini, Nastia Gladushchenko, Tim Austin, Paula Kos, Leree Lindsay, Kiandra Buchanan, Claire Cummack, Julie Lynch, Pippita Bennett, Hilary Rookyard, Ingrid Kwong, Olwen Henstridge, Deb Michell-Smith, Kate Quinn, Michelle Arnott, Fran Max, Andrew Duffin, Brendan Langfield, Jules Bulleid, Amanda Ogilby, Leah Early, Kelly Anne Shaw, Jason McDonald, Jo Fernandez, Jo Dunsmuir.

Robin Meiklejohn is an Orange based watercolour artist . Growing up in the Blue Mountains completely surrounded by natural bush land Robin developed a life long appreciation of the beauty and fragility of her natural environment. It is her love of this environment that underpins much of her art practice today.

Rogue Sculptors Incorporated (the group) brings Altered States to showcase their diversity of thinking, their multiplicity of styles and their individuality in considering altered states of everything.

Passionate about sculpture, Rogues will seek to delight audiences with their newest selection of works which involve all manner of materials.

Exhibiting artists: Aileen Francis, Alison Dent, Chris Cowell, Christine Lanham, Dianne O’Neile, Glenn Hoyle, Jane Tyack, Jaq Davies, Jude Keogh, Karin Smith, Kerry Mahony, Linda Chant, Lanny Mackenzie, Merissa Reid, Michael Priest, Natalie Reid, Ralph Tikerpae, Trish Lovecek.

Terrain brings together some of our wonderful, female landscape painters who have exhibited with The Corner Store Gallery over the past few years. Each artist portrays their environment in unique and personal ways. Some with precise and finite detail, some loosely and freely.

Their connection to particular places and landscapes is heartfelt and joyous, each celebrating the beauty and complexity that surrounds them.

Exhibiting Artists: Natasha Daniloff, Inel Date, Jo Fernandez, Ann Gordon, Amanda Holman, Rishelle Kent, Pennie McKibbin, Petra Pinn, Dee Roberts, Chanel Sohier, Allison Taplin, Jane Tonks.

Exhibiting Artists: Lily Platts, Yani Lenehan, Domenica Russo, Gavin Coote, Liz Wickramasinghe, Sky Jasper Mooney, Jude Keogh, Rina Bernabei, Elizabeth Lewis, Sue Wearne, Sophie Corks, Jaq Davies, Korynn Morrison, Lauren Tausend, Naomi Lawler, Jennifer Rosnell, Ana Anderson, Raphe Coombes, Jason McDonald, Helena Newcombe.

Untitled brings together the work of many artists from across Australia, some Corner Store Gallery alumni and some brand new to our space. These artists work across different, and sometimes unusual mediums and ideas. Each artist has been hand-picked by Curator Madeline Young for their unique and striking work. This exhibition will be a joyous, quirky and amusing celebration of a wonderful group of contemporary artists.

Our extremely popular Group Show INSIDE THIS BOX is back for another year with 88 artworks on display from all over Australia. Artists were invited to submit wall-mountable artworks of any style, size, genre, medium and subject matter that fit within a 30x30cm size limit. We had over 200 submissions and have chosen the very best finalists for your eyes to feast upon!

Finalists:

Jo Dunsmuir, Christina McLean, Jennifer Rosnell, Naomi Lawler, Karlie Simring, Andria Beighton, Daniel Rivers, Veronica O’Leary, Chris de Hoog, Tara Axford, Megan McInerney, Kim Bizo, Wendy Tsai, Alice Trow, Tracy Waite, Jaq Davies, Rishelle Kent, Margaret Taylor, Daniela Cristallo, Clare McCartney, Nicola Jones, Christine Appleby, Annie Pavlovic, Natasha Daniloff, Inel Date, Ruth Rawle, Trevor Armitage, Nastia Gladushchenko, Yvette Hugill, Fleur Stevenson, Raphe Coombes, Helena Newcombe, Yani Lenehan, Jennifer Mullen, Sonia Martignon, Narelle Higson, Whitton Park, Helen Chegwidden, Emily Day, Andrew Sleeman, Alicia Cornwell, Sophie Corks, Karlijn Sas, Vicki Potter, Hilary Willing, Fiona Verdouw, Jason McDonald, Robyn Lees-West, Karen Backus, Nerrida Parfitt, Amelia Jajko, Giną Andree, Imogen Rowe, Jane Tonks, Sarah McGrath, Eliza Koch, Jan Spencer, Lynda McKay, Amanda Ogilby, Jane Henry, Libby Moore, Patrice Wills, Monique Fedor, Simon Palmer, Christine Moult, Kate Wheeler, Amanda Holman, Sue Rowsell, Jarrah Johnson, Nell Symonds, Leree Lindsay, Zoe Sernack, Greta Hounslow, Kim Harding, Kate Quinn, Kate Owen, Jo Fernandez, Amy Raymond, Amanda Twyford, Michelle Arnott, Natasha Ruschka, Rachel Prince, Claire Farrell, Fran Max, Mary Zammit, Samantha Dollar, Claire Cummack, Andrew Duffin.

“The last couple of years have been tough in the arts. Lockdowns and loss of work ran right across all artforms. Live shows took a hammering. We wanted to help by creating opportunities for those most affected,” said exhibition curator, Arts OutWest’s Steven Cavanagh.

“In 2021 Arts OutWest commissioned 15 Central West songwriters to each write a track reflecting their experiences of 2020. We created a compilation album of original music titled While the World Waits,” Mr Cavanagh explains, “Then we opened the conversation up to visual artists to see what they were feeling.”

Jo Fernandez is a representational landscape artist living in the historic village of Millthorpe, in the Central Tablelands of NSW. Her work is inspired by the landscape of this region - the expanses of land and sky, distinct seasons and their impact on light and colour.

Known for her cloudscapes, her works invite us to pause, reflect and restore a sense of our place in nature.

Artists are invited to submit one landscape artwork of any medium (video excluded) to be judged by a panel of experts. This competition is open to emerging and established artists living in regional, rural and outback Australia. Artworks submitted may depict any type of landscape, eg. traditional, rural, arial, abstract, suburban, imagined etc. The finalist exhibition will include the most exciting and original artworks submitted for selection from artists all over regional, rural and outback Australia.

For this body of work my focus is to bring out the fundamental highlights of life. Becoming a father and dialing into the journeys and adventures of our lives so far, with an ever evolving response to landscape, a celebration of it’s diverse beauty.

Through my practice, it is important to keep my hands on the materials. From cutting the timber to size, building the supports and finally to finish framing the works, my love and respect of materials is my entry point into my creative process.

Landscape painting is to me, like being in a massive garden and responding to the energy and experience I find there. Reimagining the land to create my own visual world. This is a way to connect and engage with the landscape on a level that expands past my human self, something more, my higher self.

I acknowledge the Traditional Owners of this land, the Gumbainggir people and deep gratitude for allowing my stay on country.

Ana Anderson is a contemporary Australian artist, she holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts (2007) Honours from the National Art School. Ana’s work focuses on the Australian landscape and our connection to nature, exploring the line between reality and abstraction.

In this body of work Ana represents the places of solace that she often retreats to, they are the quiet spaces where she finds connection to something larger, where she can escape and just breathe, they are the spaces between the trees. These compositions were created with multiple layers, tuning into the works in a push and pull intuitive process, creating a balance between reality and abstraction.

Is creativity learned? Or is it genetic, is it in the blood?

BLOOD is a collaborative body of work between mother and son duo Madeline Young and Magnus Young-Holborow. This body of work was born of a creative block, some necessary multitasking and an accident.

Exhibiting Artists: Amanda Tye, Andrea Shaw, Ellie Hannon, Nicola Woodcock, Simon Palmer, Sky Jasper-Mooney.

Curated by: Madeline Young

Bold Landscapes is a group exhibition curated by Gallery Director Madeline Young. This exhibition brings together some of Australia’s most exciting emerging and established landscape artists with a focus on vibrant colour, lively mark-making and graphic compositions.

Each artist brings their own unique and distinct style to The Corner Store Gallery to celebrate this great land we call home.

Our extremely popular Group Show INSIDE THIS BOX is back for another year with 78 artworks on display from all over Australia. Artists were invited to submit artworks of any style, size, genre, medium and subject matter that fit within a 30x30cm size limit. We had over 200 submissions and have chosen the very best finalists for your eyes to feast upon!

Finalists:

Michele Arnott, Jillian Kelly, Fleur Stevenson, Christine Sadler, Jo Fernandez, Jane Tonks, Jan Spencer, Daniela Cristallo, Amy Raymond, Veronica O’Leary, Carolyn Cabena, Stu Doherty, Lee Leibrandt, Nell Symonds, Nerrida Parfitt, Amanda Ogilby, Jill Dunkerton, Yani Lenehan, Greta Hounslow, Nikita Sheth, Alexandra Mills, Jason McDonald, Eliza Koch, Cathy Usatoff, Judi Hall, Joel Tonks, Amanda Holman, Raphe Coombes, Kate Pittas, Jane Tyack, Kirsty Gautheron, Nicole Foxall, Rachel Prince, Michele Owen, Amanda Fuller, Libby Moore, PJ Smith, Judith Macrae, Ruth Rawle, Matt James, Kim Bizo, Inel Date, MAry Donnelly, Kate Quinn, Ingrid Kwong, Claire Cummack, Sophie Corks, Heather Froome, Patrice Wills, Natasha Townsend, Leree Lindsay, Natasha Daniloff, Alice Tilley, Rachel Gooden, Claire Stapleton, Natalie Turner, Jane Henry, Nastia Gladushchenko, Karlie Simring, Jack Buckley, Sonia MArtignon, Rishelle Kent, Robin Meiklejohn, Jackie Anderson, Emily Heath, Jennifer Roswell, Daniel Rivers, Sarah Randall, stacey Fish, Nicola Jones, Gill Cameron, Emily Day, Heather dunn, Zoe Berber, Clare Walker, Chris de Hoog, Monique Fedor.

In Safe Keeping pays homage to the natural treasures we gather, collect and study. I have long been fascinated with natural history collections, and through my horticultural background, herbarium specimens. There is a reverence to the taking and preservation of a single fragile specimen. When pulled from the crowd and treated with care, these individual beings are elevated to a position of great importance, capturing a moment in time and inviting study and appreciation through a quiet and still voice.

This body of work comprises ornithology, entomology, mycology and herbarium specimens and collections - a gathering of works in paper, as fragile as those they represent and intended to be observed closely and cherished in safe keeping.

In this most recent collection, Jason presents a delightful portrait series of his orphan animals - Loppy the kangaroo, Squeaker the magpie, Holly the honeyeater and Little Pipit. All rescued on the farm, they soon ingratiated into both home and heart providing pure talent for a quick photographer. We follow their free for all amongst the memorabilia of the lovingly restored Shearer’s Cottage Jason calls home. The stylised monochromatic compositions contrasted with colourful vintage objects and fresh cut flowers from his garden lead us to examine nostalgic notions of childhood, memory, colour and play.

This series of works explores the theme of belonging through the recurring motif of banksia integrifolia foliage, which is drawn, painted or scraped back into each artwork. Banksia integrifolia, or Coast Banksia is common along Newcastle’s coast and streets and the foliage of this plant is symbolic for me. I planted one of these trees on my birthday in Dad’s garden after he died. This is my sister’s garden now, so it’s where my nephews play.The familiarity of this iconic plant, and seeing it everyday in my neighbourhood, connects me to my own sense of belonging. Having a sense of belonging is something that I realise I actively need to cultivate for myself, and reconnecting to nature and making art are part of this active process for me.

This collection of still life and interiors paintings is my way of celebrating the everyday objects that keep me connected to loved ones and to places that have provided sanctuary… My coffee pot, favourite jug, tableware and pieces of cloth came from my apartment in Florence, where I lived and worked for 25 years; coloured glassware, ceramic vases and vintage teapots have been gathered in the 12 years since I returned to Australia; books have been bought on my travels or were left to me by my beloved mentor, Susan Nevelson. Functional household items have become deeply meaningful to me over the past year and I find myself mixing bolder colours and deliberately seeking out beauty and familiarity as a counter to heartbreaking news and the tyranny of distance.

The Ridgeway is one of the ancient roads criss-crossing Britain,

connecting places of significant spiritual importance.

The exhibition explores the nature of memory and place...