General News
29 May, 2026
Capturing farming surrounds in art
The Raillery Hub Gallery St Arnaud will welcome Castlemaine artists Mark Dober and Brendan Nichol this weekend for their next show: “Pastoral Landscapes”.
THE next exhibition to come to town promises to be “intrigingly different” from the last.
The Raillery Hub Gallery St Arnaud will welcome Castlemaine artists Mark Dober and Brendan Nichol this weekend for their next show: “Pastoral Landscapes”.
And apart from their hometowns, that’s the other thing the two artists have in common: they both have a fascination with capturing farming landscapes.
In fact, this was a subject of Mr Dober’s PhD in painting.
His mediums are drawings and paintings and works include landscapes around Castlemaine and interstate.
He also makes wall-sized works on paper (gouache and watercolour) which he exhibits at regional galleries around Australia. He currently has a solo exhibition of such work at Gympie Regional Gallery in Queensland.
Mr Dober is a member of the Australian Watercolour Institute and his work is regularly shown in national contemporary art prizes; he regularly conducts plein-air painting workshops.
Mr Nichol studied Signwriting in the 1970’s and put thirty plus years into it where signwriting was a passion involving designing as well as brushwork.
Later Brendan studied Visual Art, and for twelve years or more he focussed on painting en pleinair.
Recently, he has been a finalist in the Len Fox Award as well as the Maldon Portrait Prize.
Painting outdoors is the best way Mr Nichol says he has to get the “gist” of a scene, where he can observe deeply; the sorts of details he finds interesting.
He believes there is a sense of space, subtle colour and light for instance.
The narrative aspect of a rural landscape is something one has to experience firsthand, he feels.
Then, although he may make some artistic decisions, he has a strong sense that he is creating something genuine.
“Pastoral Landscapes” will have an official opening event on Saturday from 2pm and it will then run until June 26.
Hours for the exhibition are Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 11am to 4pm.
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