Two Branches Meet

Have you ever wondered what your ancestors from different branches of the family tree might say to one another – how they might get along ­– if they were to meet and have a cup of tea together? In Not a tourist (2017), Carol Macgregor imagines how her Aboriginal great-grandmother, Annie, and her Scottish grandmother, […]

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Far Removed

Painting of a billabong with warm, rich tones of green and brown, sunlight streams brightly through impressions of trees.

Like the artist who painted it, A Dry Billabong, Gunnedah, NSW (1950) is caught between worlds. John Salvana’s (1873-1956) portrayal of gum trees baking in the sun is typical for its time, even somewhat passé. The artwork captures the Australian landscape in an Impressionist style, a manner which had originated in France in the 1870s […]

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Take Two Emu Eggs

Two emu eggs to make a ‘bachelor tea set’ – one for the teapot, one half for the sugar bowl and the other for the cream jug. Was the cream jug ever used? It’s not likely. The fashion for goblets and cups made from silver mounted emu eggs reached its height in the second half […]

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The Gift of a Gallery

Made in 1919, a gift of over 100 paintings and works on paper led to the establishment of Tamworth’s first public art gallery. Known collectively as the Salvana Collection these works were donated by Australian artist John Salvana (1873-1956). Principally a painter, Salvana was best known for his ‘bush scenes’ or impressionistic landscapes of rural […]

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