Ballina’s art community turned out in force on Thursday night for the launch of the Spring season exhibition at the Northern Rivers Community Gallery (NRCG).

At the heart of the opening is the 14th Annual Grace Cruice Memorial Exhibition, named in honour of one of the founding members of BACCI (Ballina Arts and Crafts Centre Inc) — the group that drove the establishment of the gallery itself.

The exhibition is a once-a-year opportunity for BACCI members to showcase and sell their work in the gallery they helped bring to life. This year, works from 30 artists fill the walls.

Intricate craft and first-time exhibitors

Among the newcomers is Eddie Richards, who has turned to woodcraft since he and wife Mary retired from local business two years ago.

Mary Richards said Eddie’s intricate fretwork and large-scale wood pieces — including a painstakingly detailed bullock train — are the result of many months’ work.

 “Every single piece has to be cut, sanded and fitted,” she said.

“A piece like that can take him five or six months.”

Inspiration from afar

Fellow exhibitor Andrew Watson has been showing at NRCG for five years and says the event is always a highlight. 

His work is inspired by Japanese printmaking, particularly the traditional Gyotaku fish printing technique he learned in Japan. 

“During lockdown I went back to my printmaking roots, but I started using plants instead of fish,” he explained. 

“It’s developed into larger works on paper that still carry that same sense of detail and texture.”

Abstracts and colour

French-born artist Françoise Sauvere, who has been involved with BACCI exhibitions for four years, contributed two bold abstracts to the show.
“I always look forward to this exhibition,” she said.

“It’s beautiful to see so many different styles together.”

Lighthouse in the spotlight

Dominating the gallery’s main space is a striking painting of Ballina Lighthouse by first-time exhibitor Geoff Maclean. Although Maclean has painted around the world while working in international advertising, this is his debut at NRCG.

 “I’ve always admired the English artist David Hockney, and I try to strip my landscapes back to their simplest lines,” he said. “With the lighthouse, I wanted to capture its essence without overworking it.”

 After a career abroad in London, Dubai, China and Japan, Maclean returned to Ballina during COVID, following family ties to the region. “The Northern Rivers really is God’s own country,” he said.

A fellowship come full circle

The Spring season launch also features Jemima Patch-Taylor, who previously won NRCG’s student art prize and went on to receive a prestigious fellowship.

That grant took her to the Scottish Highlands, where she immersed herself in Celtic mythology and brooding landscapes.

Her new solo exhibition, unveiled on Thursday, is the result of that journey.

 “These works have been more than a year in the making,” she said. “I use just four colours – raw sienna, burnt sienna, yellow ochre and French ultramarine,” she said

“I love creating landscapes that feel like they have a persona, a story within them.”

For Jemima, (main photo above) the show is both a professional milestone and a personal one.

“It’s very special to bring these works back home to Ballina and share them with the community.”

Exhibition details

The 14th Grace Cruice Memorial Exhibition and Jemima Patch-Taylor’s solo show, Glimpse of Alba – Sealladh Air Alba –  continue at the Northern Rivers Community Gallery until October 12.

Also launching alongside these shows are Do We Choose? by Georgi Milln — a series of fine-line pen drawings probing the complexities of choice and free will — and Beneath the Fallen Petals – Uncovering the Seeds of Surrender by ceramicist Lauren Hotson, whose organic vessels reflect cycles of loss, resilience and renewal.