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.

This collection of paintings is inspired by my experiences this year of travelling across continents and living ‘in between’ places - from the tranquil shores of Pittwater in Sydney to a wild headland above Roaring Beach in Tasmania and finally to Yunosato, a village in the forest in Japan. Even though each place is different in landscape, climate and culture I have found that they have similarities that connect them. Being surrounded by nature and these vast and beautiful environments whilst living in small humble shelters has also given me a sense of feeling grounded in each place.

This series is congruent with the artist’s wider art making practice that resonates with the notion of buildings as “guardians of identity “ and “silent witnesses” ( Alain de Botton, Architecture of Happiness 2006 ). The Central West has so many distinctive structures and scenes that tell stories of earlier lives and ongoing practices. These features exist in open space and light in a way that refresh and somehow comfort the city based artist.

Nerrida Parfitt’s oil paintings explore themes of solitude, impermanence, and the interplay between self and environment. In this exhibition titled 'Pause', she captures brooding landscapes and abandoned spaces, evoking a quiet tension through light, shadow, and profound stillness.

This collection focuses on an obsession with the light in the sky at dawn and at dusk. The paintings were inspired by wanderings and early commuting into the rising dawn and the setting sunlight. They are imbued with a sense of peace, calm and hope unique to the start of a new day and the sense of unwinding and drawing in at day's end.

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.

To honour and celebrate of a decade of cultivating and showcasing Australian talent, The Corner Store Gallery proudly presents a commemorative exhibition featuring ten of our distinguished artists from the past decade. Each artist has created two unique 10 x 10 inch works capturing the spirit of their practice and reflecting the gallery’s enduring commitment to artistic innovation.

TEN not only celebrates the last decade of The Corner Store Gallery, but also acknowledges the vibrant community of artists who have contributed to our success. Join us as we honour the past and look forward to the future with this milestone exhibition.

Working primarily with soft pastels, Rivers applies scraping and blending techniques to swiftly establish composition and colour arrangement, later refining the works with intricate marks. His experimentation with pastels yields both loose yet finely detailed drawings and paintings.

His latest collection, “Under Sandstone Skies,” invites audiences to immerse themselves in his experience of residing under towering cliffs and open skies, observing the ever shifting interplay of light, colour and distinct weather phenomena. From the glow of a solitary cloud illuminated by the morning sun to the dynamic shadows cast by drifting clouds, Rivers’ work shares his connection to these moments of transient beauty.

Pippita Bennett creates stitched landscapes of places lived in and visited. Her home on Dharug and Gundungurra country is the source of her practice; she uses leaves, bark and flowers from her surrounds and the wild places she travels to dye the threads and textiles she works with, gathering extra inspiration from thrifted materials. Her dyed fabrics are soaked with the memory of the place they were dyed; similarly thrifted fabric holds memory of its past use.

Andrea is a prolific artist who is represented by various Galleries within Australia and collections worldwide. She creates work that observe the ordinary, but celebrate the beauty within.

Andrea presents us with a collection of work that invites us to emerge from the blur of the last few years and find some clarity in the future. Using the landscape as reference, “Blur” envelopes the viewer in a haze that evokes comfort and hope.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Five female artists from across Australia respond to the landscape.

Abstract artists Daniela Cristallo, Fleur Stevenson, Jackie Anderson, Liz Wickramasinghe and Madeline Young have each created a series of works that celebrate a specific place or landscape. While these artists all have very different styles, this exhibition will bring them all together in a beautiful abstract landscape exhibition.

The Corner Store Gallery is celebrating our 6th anniversary this August with a Group Exhibition of new work exploring the notion on HOME in the time of Coronavirus lockdowns.

What a strange and unsettling year 2020 has been. Our world was turned upside down due to the Coronavirus epidemic and many of us have experience the most difficult few months of our lives. With forced lockdowns, quarantine and isolation rules, many of us have been spending a lot of time at home. Home means something different to everyone, and we’d like to hear your stories.

Applications care now closed

Four artists explore the beauty and mystery of trees through photography and paint. Each creates their own narrative by looking at silhouettes and patterns, light and shade, and the intrinsic nature of our arboreal relationships.

This August we’re celebrating 5 years in business here at The Corner Store Gallery. And what better way to honor such an achievement than to bring you a fabulous group exhibition of incredible artists that we admire.

AUSTRALIANA is a group exhibition featuring the work of seven artists from across NSW and the ACT.  Each artist has created work that celebrates the diversity and unique beauty of this land we call home.  From our iconic flora and fauna to the history and stories of our first peoples. Our scenic landscapes and countryside to the seemingly mundane streets of suburbia.  A snapshot of iconic Australian imagery, through the eyes of seven fantastic artists from different walks of life.

The Landscape is our second Group Exhibition for 2019. Artists from all over Australia were invited to submit work of any medium or style that featured the landscape as subject matter. We have selected 36 artworks from the 98 that were submitted for consideration.

There will be many different mediums and styles on display for 3 weeks; paintings, drawings, mixed media work, textiles, encaustic and much more, there is something for everyone!

When I started this series in 2017 my focus was the muted beauty of the Darling Barka.  The often sombre colours, the slope of banks and the light at different times of day. Since September 2018 when Four Corners exposed corruption, water theft, and an avalanche of media attention - these escalating conflicts have seeped into my images. A shift in colour intensity and thickness of paint -  a reflection on the strength of connections to this river system for myself and many others in awe of its presence.

A week creating, exhibiting and workshopping the concept of "small worlds" - the connections and coincidences found in our landscapes and shared histories.

Gaahna Bula are the Wiradjuri aboriginal words meaning two shoulders – or more commonly known as Mount Canobolas.

I am fortunate enough to live in a location with sweeping views of Mt Canobolas which I sit and admire daily. Many mornings, afternoons and late evenings are spent watching as the spectacular colours of the seasons move in and then out. Watching as the changing hues of the day move across the majestic peaks and fold into magnificent sunsets.

Our purpose is to share a sense of wonder, looking up and into the distance. Recording intricate details and natural patterns gathered in clouds, on land and in water. The artworks encourage people to look closely at the everyday in their environment. These Images work from afar but the closer you step, the more you see of the natural patterns found in nature, describing our days observations as artists.
Floating lands, a sense of wonder - discovering and creating.

"In this particular series of works, I have reflected on my time spent in the Central West. I have focused mainly on the ever changing afternoon sky, its kaleidoscope of colours, the clouds, its transformative effect on the land and its vastness. It’s about the end of the drive, you’re almost home and nature is putting on its final show before the night sky creeps in." - Fiona Barrett-Clark