WHEN Nedlands artist Rowena Keall Walsh was asked by friends who had a shack at Mangles Bay, Point Peron to paint the view before they lost it, she never expected it would turn into the subject of her next exhibition Point of View.
“It is the most magnificent place, wild and unspoiled, with a small low-impact holiday shack community,” Keall Walsh said.
“The Government want to develop this area to build a canal and housing estate that will have 500 housing blocks.
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READ NOW“It is a delicate marine sanctuary, home to the endangered little penguin, dolphins, sea grasses and many other creatures that will be affected by the development.
“There are many layers to the exhibition, from the history of the place and the shacks that people have lost, to the little penguin that lives and forages in the bay.”
The exhibition will feature 45 small and large oil paintings of the shacks, little penguin, bay views and other Point Peron aspects.
Keall Walsh said she chose to work in oils because they produced a natural glow and sheen, unlike acrylics that were synthetic and flat.
“I also love the slow drying nature of oils, as it allows you to work back easily into a painting for days,” she said.
Keall Walsh’s passion for our natural landscape can be traced back to her childhood, living with her family in an old weatherboard house by the river in Augusta.
“As kids we spent all day mucking around in the river; exploring the shores of the river and nearby beaches,” she said.
“Augusta was pretty underdeveloped in those days, so nature was right at our door step.
“We were pretty free range and just came home to eat or get warm; it was kid heaven.
“I really hope that my exhibition helps people to understand what is to be lost by this nasty outdated type of development that is just for short-term monetary gain.
“And that what we do impacts not only in the immediate area but the larger surrounds as well.”
THE ESSENTIALS
What: Point of View exhibition
Where: Cullity Gallery, UWA
When: November 3 to 19
Open: 9am-5pm, Monday to Friday and 10am-4pm, Saturday and Sunday