Community
21 January, 2026
‘Quirky’ and ‘imaginative’ art show
“I remember putting a pen and ink sketch in at the Charlton Show in the early 1970s and a judge made a comment saying he liked it so much he would have bought it if he could. That’s an honour.”
FOR Libby Letcher, working in a hands-on way was the only way she could push aside her dyslexia to learn.
That’s why she was so drawn to art.
So much so, drawing became her passion.
It’s this love for her craft that impressed Mallee Creatives’s Kaylene Cossar so much, she reached out and asked Mrs Letcher if she would like to be the next exhibitor in the space.
“It was just so lovely to be asked,” she said.
“I think sharing your work is so important but one of the most daunting things at the same time.”
Mrs Letcher said after spending much of her childhood in Charlton, art was one of the most consistent parts.
“I just know art was the most important thing to me growing up,” she said.
“I remember putting a pen and ink sketch in at the Charlton Show in the early 1970s and a judge made a comment saying he liked it so much he would have bought it if he could. That’s an honour.”
Making art has been a continous focus along side family life, working in nursing and later addictions counselling on the Quitline.
But she just kept coming back to art,
“I got in and dropped out of art school a few times,” Mrs Letcher said. “It was the experience of joining Melbourne Studio School in 1998 my artistic life gained traction.”
Since then she has had solo and several group shows. She was finalist for the Blake Prize in 2004 and Tacit Still Life Prize 2024.
Her exhibition at Mallee Creatives called ‘Speculative Footprints’ is a collection of mediums and works designed to communicate.
“I think art is a way of connecting with people and telling a story, that’s what I hope people get out of it,” Mrs Letcher said.
The show opens tonight at 5.30pm at Mallee Creatives.
Read More: Charlton