Inspiration will abound in Moree come Mother’s Day weekend, with a special group art exhibition at The Moree Gallery setting the tone for festivities. Featuring seven acclaimed artists from across Australia, Off the Shelf and Beyond opens on Friday, 11 May launching the Moree on a Plate Food and Wine Festival. Gail Berkman, Brooke Dalton, Isabelle Devos, Sally Falkiner, Alison MacKay, Leisl Mott and Emily Persson will each exhibit original artworks, contributing to a diverse and unique showcase of styles and talent. The exhibition marks Narrabri artist Brooke Dalton’s first at the gallery, however she is no stranger to the region. “I have been visiting the gallery since I was a child, so it’s very exciting to now be included in an exhibition,” she said. Painting among the chaos of family life from her kitchen table, Brooke portrays the tablescape of her dining table and household vignettes with vivid strokes of confident colour.

Alison MacKay of Jervis Bay on the NSW South Coast will also be exhibiting still life works, primarily flowers in glass bottles. “The works in this show are all based on things that surround me in my everyday life, sometimes the flowers are from my garden or were given to me by friends, often from their gardens,” she said. Armidale’s Isabelle Devos admits she had been looking for an excuse to re-visit the vibrant and welcoming feel of Moree when the opportunity to exhibit at The Moree Gallery arrived. Primarily a landscape painter, Isabelle said the variety of landscape during the drive between the New England and North West was also appealing. Also well known in the Moree region is Warren artist Sally Falkiner, a popular past exhibitor at the gallery. Sally has created a small series of botanical studies for the exhibition, including her treasured collection of ceramics and old bottles. Off the Shelf and Beyond also marks Toowoomba artist Leisl Mott’s first Moree Gallery exhibition and an exciting one at that.

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