Pair team up for display of art From a Distance

A Yallingup gallery and restaurant is again showcasing local talent, with a Bunbury- based artist teaming up with a guest photographer for a new exhibition.

The Studio Gallery and Bistro will be home to Simon Hemsley and Rob Cox’s From a Distance exhibit until Sunday.

The work was completed during the COVID-19 shutdown, a time Hemsley, pictured, used to try new artistic techniques while also balancing duties as a doctor in Busselton Hospital’s emergency department. “The freedom that COVID-19 has given me to paint has allowed me to experiment,” he said.

“Combining my watercolour techniques with making my own paints using powdered pigments, including ochres sourced from Aboriginal artists in the Kimberley, has created some exciting new possibilities.

“I have had the privilege of flying over much of WA and have recognised the wealth of abstraction available in our ancient landscapes when viewed from a distance.”

The art is paired with Cox’s landscape photographs, taken on his own travels around Western Australia.

“The challenge for a photographer is to allow an eloquent landscape to speak for itself, and we are fortunate in Western Australia to live in one of the most articulate landscapes on Earth,” he said.

“This journey with Simon has been rewarding and fun.

“Together with his gift for creating energy and movement in a canvas, there’s a resonance in the way we each see landscape, which has made the collaboration feel completely natural.”