20 May – 25 June 2006

Sandstone escarpment, Laura, Cape York Collection: Carrick Hill, Adelaide

Mission tank, Cape York,. C.1958 1990-1996, Private Collection Cairns

Click here to view the Public Program

Click here to download Education Kit

Experience the work of one of Australia’s most popular and respected artists at the National Trust S.H. Ervin Gallery this winter.

Encounters with country: landscapes of Ray Crooke, is a touring survey exhibition that explores and celebrates Crooke's lasting achievement with the Australian landscape.  While Ray Crooke, (b.1922), is widely known for his paintings of island life in the Torres Strait, and the islands of Fiji, this remains an incomplete picture of this artist's oeuvre. Equal to his finest island paintings are Crooke's impressive landscape paintings & studies of remote Australia.

This in-depth exhibition traces Crooke’s observations from his early years in Victoria, to the rugged landscapes of Cape York’s Palmer River, the Locherbie Scrub & Queensland mining towns of the 1960s & 1970s, as well as the Gulf Country. The artist’s encounters with the country surrounding the iron ore sites of Mount Hammersley & Mount Newman in Western Australia are also included, along with works that resulted from a productive residency at Hill End, New South Wales in 2003.

Crooke is a senior artist who has lived and worked in the Australian landscape for most of his life, inspired by its remoteness, while forming a close relationship and great respect for its traditional owners. This survey exhibition offers a unique experience to discover Ray Crooke’s life journey through an inspired collection of work, spanning over 50 years.  

Exhibition catalogue for sale @ rrp $25.00.  Mail order welcome.

A series of guest talks will take place each Sunday at 3pm during the exhibition.  Regular up-dates at www.nsw.nationaltrust.org.au

 

Sunday 21 May @ 3pm – Public Program
Artist and Curator Talk
Join artist, Ray Crooke and exhibition curator & writer, Gavin Wilson, for a walk through of the exhibition.

 

Media interview & photo opportunities:
Artist Ray Crooke will be available for interviews & photo opportunities at S.H. Ervin Gallery
Phone Leah Haynes: 02 9258 0150 for further details.

S.H. Ervin Gallery
National Trust Centre
Watson Road, Observatory Hill, The Rocks, Sydney
Gallery Hours:            Tuesday – Sunday 11am-5pm. 
General information:   02 9258 1073 www.nsw.nationaltrust.org.au
Media information:      02 9258 0150
Education officer:       02 9258 0122 - group bookings & school tours welcome   
Admission fees:          $6/$4 National Trust members & concessions.
Public Program Talks free with Gallery admission.

Exhibition Supported by

S.H. Ervin Gallery supported by