Experience the colour and wonder of the Collie landscape through a delightful collection of works by the late Tony Bell.
Bell was very well known around Collie as a talented artist and keen arts enthusiast, and the exhibition- Memories- A Tony Bell Retrospective, has been lovingly curated by his wife, Maxine.
Born in London, Tony joined the army as a young boy, completing an apprenticeship and retiring after 12 years’ service as a Sergeant.
He then went on to work for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), mapping the moon with the Lunar Orbiter.
The job prompted a move with his family to Woomera in South Australia.
Artistic ability obviously runs in Tony’s family, as both his father and grandfather were keen artists.
Tony also picked up techniques through step-by-step illustrations in books.
Tony dabbled with art during his time in Woomera, painting commissions for other English folks of their childhood homes.
Many years later, Tony began working at Muja Power Station in Collie, where he fell in love with the surrounding forests and began painting the lovely South West landscapes.
Tony found the lush South West forests a stark contrast to the deserts of Woomera, and it was there that his work dramatically improved.
After some experimentation with acrylics, Tony found his medium of choice in Australian Archival Oils around 2004.
He would paint mainly from photographs, at times working up a base drawing from a series of images.
“It was intriguing for me to see his works evolve, from the preparation to the good drawing as a base, and through the various layers as the painting was finally completed,” said Maxine.
The bulk of Tony’s work was in landscapes, although he did complete some seascapes and a few still life works.
He was always kind to the young folk around him, encouraging them to draw and try painting.
Tony and Maxine’s children are artistic in their own ways and encourage their children to follow their dreams and see what they could achieve.
Tony Bell died from cancer on August, 29, 2009.
Memories- A Tony Bell Retrospective will be showing at the Collie Art Gallery from October 14 to November 20.
The opening night at the Collie Art Gallery, will be from 6-8pm, on Friday, 14 October.
Exhibition opening hours are 10am – 4pm on Thursday to Monday, and other times by appointment.
For further information call the Collie Art Gallery on 9734 2921.
