I was walking by the beach on the weekend, the surf was pounding the waves to the shoreline, flooding over the beach, in some case crashing onto the retaining wall. The thought came to mind of the parallel behind the cleaning out and cleansing time of the beach and the need to clean out past events and happening from our lives to make way for the new year and all it has to offer!

I tried to get much accomplished before years end, however didn’t quite make it! My list of ‘things to do’ seems to grow the more I ticked off the completed tasks…… how is that?. Guess what; the more you do the more you find out what you need to do! However I feel better for doing it than not.

Imagine the wake-up call for 2017 ‘to do’ list without accomplishing as much as one can this year? A sort of sliding down a funnel with no traction to the abyss.

Over the last quarter of this year I tried to formulate my 2017 plans. A bit like the above although the more I did the more I knew I had to attend to before I could move forward!

Leaving that familiar struggle to one side the new year seems a bright one for the gallery! Much to implement with an active exhibiting schedule planned.

Take a look at the 2017 exhibition schedule here to find out what’s happening at the Gallery in 2017.

I’m conscious that our national clients and followers will significantly gain from our 2017 initiatives; our digital catalogues, research, marketing will all play a major part in reaching a wider audience of art lovers in the new year. Facebook and other social media platforms continue to inform, allow us to share beautiful art, reach national and international audiences and the ‘on line’ buying facility use and applications are growing.

Review our last 4 digital exhibition catalogues here:

Eclectica + All the Time | Rod Bathgate & Jane Parkes

Purely Visual + Trading Places | James Kearns & Nick Osmond

The Specialists | John Maitland, Gavin Fry, Susan Sheridan, Ben Kenning & Rod Bathgate

Figure vs Landscape | Bruce Rowland, Shannon Woodward, Susan Weaver, Pro Hart & Bernd Heinrich

Exposed Ground | Tracey Maree Smith 

Our ‘art selector’ option will provide the novice ‘art interested person’ through to the collector the opportunity to engage with the director to assist them to find the perfect artwork for their home, office or loved one.
Further to this I am introducing an ‘art collectors’ service! Artworks recommended by the director, (who has 42 years experience in Australian art), can offer will be offered for sale. This will be a discrete almost bespoke service covering quality artworks 2D and 3D deemed worthy to purchase in the eye of the director. To have a confidential discussion regarding either of these services please contact me here or on 0418 492 259.

So the 2017 exhibitions and events, artist and art for sale, and art assistance will hold the gallery as a leader in the art market! 

For your new year’s lifestyle addition – think art!  It is a possession of worth and can be of value, able to be shared with friends and family enjoyment and satisfaction of ownership. Art is an appealing asset to own - a lifestyle enhancement. However not everyone has the vision to understand that art adds great quality to your life. It always is a pleasure to hear stories from art owners and how they qualify the enjoyment of owning art!

Continue to gain pleasure from the art you have and think about what art does to your life?

Happy new year! See you in 2017.

Yours in art,

Mark Widdup
CHG Director

PS - Please share your stories with us. 'What does art do for your life?’ Complete the contact form here and we will share your story with our readers! If you want your name suppressed, thats fine. Pleas mention this. 

IMAGE : Sandbar Dream by Rod Bathgate