Local landscapes show off the great outdoors

LADYS Pass artist Judy Hutchins is aiming to bring a breath of fresh air to town with her new exhibition of oil paintings, A Brush with the Landscape.

All the works featured were painted outdoors, many of them in the Heathcote district.

Ms Hutchins said she drew her inspiration from the majesty and mystery of the natural environment of Eastern Australia.

“It’s in its tones, its colours and its textures,” she said. “They’re painted quickly to capture the feel, atmosphere and essence of the scene in front of me.

“They are an impression of the landscape.”

Hutchins studied painting, drawing and colour theory for seven years under Bendigo artists Gail Casey, Ben Winspear and Darren Crothers and has been involved in the arts for over 12 years.

She works in several mediums including scratchboard, printmaking, oil paint, with a particular passion for oil and cold wax.

Her work is held in private collections throughout Australia and in the USA.

As past president of the Heathcote Artists Hutchins coordinated a number of successful art shows and community arts programs, and in 2018 she received an Australia Day award for service to the community.

She’s also had several joint and solo exhibitions in Heathcote and Kyabram, and welcomed the opportunity to use the gallery in the resource hub.

“It is not a big fancy exhibition area,” she said. “But it is free, and the office staff go out of their way to help.

“I can’t understand why more artists in town don’t use it. I don’t think many people are aware of it.”

A Brush with the Landscape includes a selection of framed and unframed paintings, as well as a number of limited-edition linocuts.

The show is on at the Heathcote Residents Resource Hub art gallery at 125 High St Heathcote until 4 March.