Zoo in Katoomba

“visited the blue mountains on a Saturday and it was absolutely breathtaking! we’ve been planning fr this trip fr months and i couldn’t be more excited that we finally did it. it was one of those hikes that made us reflect on how much beauty there is in life to appreciate and enjoy:) will totally return again!”

“The semblance of things: portraits by Nick Stathopoulos; exhibition opened on Friday night 3 Feb 23. This selection of portraits covers a 30 year span of the artist’s work, and is beautifully curated by Rilka Oakley. In addition to the portraits, there are videos of Nick’s painting process, historically significant photographs and sketchbooks showing the artist’s preparatory ideas. It was especially interesting to see some of the subjects of the portraits moving about the exhibition. It added another level of realism to Stathopoulos’ photorealistic style. The evening was ably supported by violin and vocal virtuoso Maizy Coombes, performing in the foyer at the gallery entrance. Maizy uses looping to layer violin and vocal harmonies; in order to create often syncopated polyrhythms and complex tonal structures. A magnificent evening, and the exhibition is a must see. Artist Talk with Nick Stathopoulos Sat 4 Feb 11am-12pm: For a man who purports to shy away from crowds, Nick’s address to an admiring audience was anything but subdued; in fact it was a compelling, highly engaging and regularly amusing oratory. Maybe he was buoyed by an obviously adoring audience; and let’s face it, who doesn’t love to be adored. Stathopoulos guided us on his Archibald journey, from his first portrait of “Mr Squiggle”, through a matrix of subjects (models), seemingly ordered more by serendipity and happenstance, than considered logic. From standing in a queue with David Stratton, to having the man with the red beard gazing in his studio window. Every portrait has its own, most-often complex history. Mr Squiggle was completed in 3 days to meet a deadline, despite a freshly implanted stint. By contrast Deng took 5 months. It appears there’s no formula to creativity. I don’t know if Nick’s talk was recorded; for others to share and appreciate, but I will check.”