During our recent wet weather, with accompanying thunderstorms, high winds and sultry skies, we decided to visit the Tweed Regional Art Gallery, in Murwillumbah, northern New South Wales.
The main purpose was to view the Margaret Olley exhibition, which has recreated part of her Sydney home, as well as show a few of her paintings. Margaret Olley died in 2011, aged 88, and was well known for her still life paintings. She lived in the Murwillumbah area for much of her childhood. Margaret held over 90 solo exhibitions during her lifetime so was a very prolific painter. And quite character too.
We loved the sign outside the gallery 'Olleywood'.
A view over the Tweed Valley with the high range of hills behind it. A very hot and humid day.
A recreation of Margaret Olley ' s sitting room and dining room. Clutter, clutter everywhere. She would set up different arrangements, be it objects or flowers or both and leave them in situ for years. She would often come back and do another painting, in a different light or when the flowers had faded or died. She also left painting materials in different parts of the room, so that they were always ready. Her house was too gloomy and cluttered for me. But so interesting. She also travelled extensively and had lived in France for a number of years.
The kitchen, not tidy and not clean, and with painting materials at the ready. Apparently great meals were cooked in the kitchen among the clutter. Although there were plenty of bottles lying around, Margaret gave up drinking alcohol when she was about 39 years old.
Another view of the kitchen.
After another look at the paintings, and a listen to a talk about Margaret Olley, we set out to drive back to Coolangatta.
We stopped at the little settlement of Tumbulgum, to take some photographs of the old Queensland houses by the river. The houses are known as 'Queenslanders', and are built on stilts and have a verandah around three sides of the building. The building below is a charming pub.
And this house is for sale.
The Tweed River, very wide at this point. Margaret Olley ' s mother rowed her and her siblings over this river so that they could catch the school bus on the other side.
A fish and chip lunch at Coolangatta. Delicious.
The marker which divides the twin towns of Coolangatta and Tweed Heads, and the states of Queensland and New South Wales. For six months of the year Queensland is an hour behind New South Wales, as Queensland does not have daylight saving. Very confusing for the people living here as one side of the street is one hour behind the people living on the other side of the street. Compromises? Probably none.
A view of the high rise buildings of Surfers' Paradise, across the bay, and just before the rain came pelting down.
If you would like more information about Margaret Olley, the painter, type into a search engine - Margaret Olley art centre.
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