ROD BATHGATE | COASTAL JOURNEY'S | EXHIBITION OPENING 1, MARCH 6-8PM

Cooks Hill Galleries (CHG) is proud to welcome Rod Bathgate 'Coastal Journey'.

This long awaited exhibition of pastels by Rod Bathgate is only a week away until the opening.

At the opening hear the artist talk about a few of the paintings and understand the relevance to him and the meaning behind the choice of compositions!

Official opening and artist talk is at 6.40pm; browse and buy from the collection, enjoy a wine, catch up with friends and meet the artist.

View Facebook live here: https://www.facebook.com/cookshillgalleries

Artist's exhibition statement: This year I was excited to go on a journey of rediscovery to an old haunt of mine on the mid north coast. Mark Widdup and I spent one day traveling to the Macleay coast, where we stopped at South West Rocks and Crescent Head, to photograph and enjoy those places of my childhood spent in the late 1960's and early & 70's. The vividness and beauty of the area inspired and invigorated me to do a series of works focusing on two of my most beloved spots near SW Rocks, Arakoon and Trial Bay. The luxuriant pandanus palms, the endless white sand, the clear water and the rugged pink granite cliffs, made for an exciting subject. My familiarity with the area helped me to pinpoint the very best subjects in the limited time we had there. 
I spent many weeks after producing a series of colourful pastels that I hope reflect the astonishing beauty of the area.
There was a stillness and peace about these places in whole time we spent there. It's a reflection of our good fortune having these gems on our doorstep and to have so vivid a range of colours and light effects in such a tranquil, ancient and unassuming place.
Along with my sojourn north, I poured myself into a number of works based on the stretch of coast here around Newcastle, from Nobby's beach to Dudley.                     In these pastels, I looked deeper into the detail and light effects of a Newcastle winter by the sea, which, in 2023, was unusually mild. In them, I wanted to capture the various movements of waves, the endlessly changing light refractions in the water and the symphony of subtle textures in the cool winter ocean. I never get tired of its endless offerings.