I still pinch myself every time I think about the fact that The Corner Store Gallery was the first ever space to exhibit Colleen Southwell’s work back in 2018. It took some convincing on my behalf for Colleen to brave the public sphere (she’s very modest) and boy-oh-boy am I glad she did. Colleen’s first exhibition sold out before Opening Night and her career as an artist has been on a steep upwards trajectory ever since.

I’m extremely proud to say that Colleen Southwell is a local Orange resident, a true regional talent. Her work is instantly recognisable and unique. The painstaking attention to detail and fine skill demonstrated is something to be revered. It is impossible to view Colleen’s work and not be impressed.

In Safe Keeping is Colleen’s newest solo exhibition and we are so excited to present it to you this November 17th to 28th. Pre-sales launch via our website at 8pm November 16th. Colleen will be in the gallery for most of the exhibition period if you’d like to pop in and meet the artist in person!

Q & A With Jason Mcdonald

Jason McDonald first joined The Corner Store Gallery family back in 2019 as a finalist for our inaugural Mini Series Art Prize. His striking, serene, detailed and unique photographic prints were an instant hit with our audience and Jason’s career as an artist has continued to grow and evolve ever since.

Jason’s solo exhibition The Roo, the Magpie and Friends features nostalgic photographs of his rescue animal friends from the property just outside of Mudgee in NSW. Jason is one of the most lovely and humble artists I’ve ever had the pleasure of working with and we are thrilled to present his new body of work. Pre-sales will launch online from 8pm Tuesday October 19th, with the exhibition on display from October 20th to 30th 2022.

Ana Anderson: Winner Of Our Mini Series Art Prize 2021

The Corner Store Gallery is absolutely thrilled to announce the winner of our 2021 Mini Series Art Prize Ana Anderson!!!

Our three judges Lucy Stranger (Curator of Orange Regional Gallery), Angela Malone (local artist and educator) and Corner Store Gallery Director Madeline Young had a seriously difficult task deciding the winner with so many fantastic finalists. Artists were invited to create a small body of work which would in theory give us a “preview” of what their solo exhibition would be. The judges felt Ana’s series was diverse as well as consistent across all three works. We all agreed that Ana’s series of work was absolutely beautiful, unique, conceptually strong, consistent, great quality and most deserving our top prize! Ana has won a rent-free solo exhibition with The Corner Store Gallery in 2022 and we hope to further her promising career as a visual artist!

Meet Misha Harrison

Misha Harrison is our newest exhibiting artist here at The Corner Store Gallery and my goodness I am so excited to have her! Misha's work is so incredibly unique, bold, and just plain funky! I did a Q & A with Misha (over email) so we could all learn a little more about her practice.

Misha Harrison explores materiality and process through intricately cut and assembled plywood artworks. Still life, portraiture, and abstraction are rethought and reimagined into contemporary formats. Each work comprising of carefully cut and layered plywood, painted with vibrant colours juxtaposed and highlighted with textile inlays and stitching.

q and a, studio visitMadeline Young3 September 2021The Corner Store Gallerymisha harrison, artist, interview, Q and A, studioComment

Podcast Interview for Art Wank

Exciting News! I was recently interviewed for the fabulously funny podcast Art Wank hosted by Julie Nicholson and Fiona Verity. It’d always a little nerve wracking but these ladies are so down to earth and hilarious I felt instantly at ease.

This really is a fantastic podcast for artists and anyone interested in the art scene with amazing artists, creatives and curators being interviewed. I’m in fantastic company among people like Fiona Barrett-Clark, Ken Done, Michael Reid and Amber Creswell-Bell! It’s a good one to listen to in the studio, on walks or long drives. Give it a listen on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

q and aMadeline Young25 August 2021podcast, podcast interview, art wank, interviewComment

Q & A with Jo Dyer

Jo Dyer has exhibited with us here at The Corner Store Gallery on and off over the past 18 months and we just LOVE her layered, tactile, feminine aesthetic. Jo is based in Newcastle and has enjoyed a successful boom in her practice over the past couple of years exhibiting widely across Australia.

Botanical Extracts is Jo’s second solo exhibition of 2021 (she’s been a very busy woman) and we are thrilled to show you this fabulous body of work. Unfortunately due to many lockdown’s and restrictions I wasn’t able to travel to Newcastle to see Jo’s studio but she was kind enough to send through some shots of the work in progress and answer a few questions so you guys could get to know her better.

Botanical Extracts is on display from August 18th to 28th 2021, with online sales launching at 8pm Tuesday August 17th via our website.

Studio Visit and Interview with Melanie Vugich

There have been a few OMG moments in my l career since I opened The Corner Store Gallery in 2014, and one of those moments was when Melanie Vugich (THE Melanie Vugich) contacted me about exhibiting here at The Corner Store Gallery! I’ve been a fan of Melanie’s work for years and I am so excited to be hosting her for her first ever solo exhibition in Australia Familiarity.

Melanie’s work is instantly recognisable from her distinct textural painting style. The work seems to vibrate with energy and life, you can imagine Melanie’s skilful hand moving across the board. Her subjects are quite personal and in-still a sense of comfort, joy and “familiarity”.

I visited Melanie and her sister Lisa at Mel’s home studio in Bronte recently to see the work in person and learn more about the process and inspiration behind these stunning works.

Familiarity is on display at The Corner Store Gallery from June 23 - Jul 3 2021. The catalogue is now live on our website with Pre-sales launching at 8pm Tuesday June 22nd via our website.

We’d love you to join us to celebrate the Opening Night of Familiarity on Wednesday June 23rd from 6pm, all welcome.

studio visit, q and aMadeline Young20 June 2021Melanie vugich, still life, interiro, painting, painter, studio, interview, Q and AComment

Studio Visit and Interview with Tim Winters

Tim Winters in a legend of the local art scene here in Orange. It was an absolute dream when Tim expressed an interest in exhibiting at The Corner Store Gallery. Ridgeway will be Tim’s first solo exhibition in 6 years since his retrospective show The Poetry of Space at the Orange Regional Gallery in 2015.

Ridgeway is open from May 19th to 29th at The Corner Store Gallery with the Opening Night Celebration on May 19th from 6pm, exhibition to be opened by Margarete Lamond. Pre-sales launch online at 8pm May 18th.

Madeline Young15 May 2021The Corner Store Gallerystudio tour, studio, studio visit, Tim winters, interviewComment

Studio Visit with Naomi Lawler

Nostalgia is a collection of oil paintings exploring the strong connection between nostalgia and grief. Naomi has sought to explore her own experience through the different lenses of still life, allegory and surrealism.

Naomi Lawler is an Australian-born artist living and working in Orange, N.S.W. Her detailed and meticulously painted artworks encourage the viewer to slow down and notice the inherent beauty of the seemingly mundane.

Naomi’s passion for the academic method and the study of the old masters has imbued in her an eye for the subtle shifts of light across form and the importance of composition in the development of a strong narrative. Each artwork tells a story personal to the artist but is also open to the interpretation of the audience.

Nostalgia is Naomi’s inaugural solo exhibition and will be on display at The Corner Store Gallery from March 10th to 21st with sales launching online at 8pm Tuesday March 9th via our website.

Get to Know Orange with Madeline Young

The Orange region in NSW sits smack dab between Parkes and Bathurst, due west of the Blue Mountains. It’s one of those rolling-green-hills kind of places, where every postcard vista looks like it’s been painted in watercolours. With the help of Orange360, we sat down with local artist, gallery owner and coffee fiend, Madeline Young, to get the low-down on everything Orange. Brace yourself for orchards. Lots of orchards.

Written by James Shackell

The Journey Person Christmas Gift Guide 2020

We are so excited to show you our 2020 Christmas Gift Guide!!! The Journey Person Handmade Popup has been delighting local audiences since 2015, and this year will be no exception. We’ve got lots of new regional makers joining our ranks this year, we’ve extended our intake to all of regional NSW, not just the Central West, and we have got some beautiful new products to showcase.

The Journey Person Christmas Popup will be open to the public from December 17th - 20th. Pencil it in and bring your friends and family and support handmade this Christmas!

Q & A with Liz Wickramasinghe for THIS PLACE

Q & A with Liz Wickramasinghe for THIS PLACE

I discovered Liz Wickramasinghe’s work via The Design Files last year and instantly fell in love with her unique style and colour palette! I’ve been following her progression ever since and was completely delighted when she agreed to be part of our new group exhibition THIS PLACE! I asked Liz a few questions about her practice and most recent body of work.