The New England Regional Art Museum (NERAM), Armidale, opened two important exhibitions in March. New England High Country in Focus exhibits images of regional life, landscapes and people, and accompanies the publication of New England High Country: Forty Photographers, edited by noted local photographer Terry Cooke.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Salient: Contemporary artists at the Western Front displays moving artworks by a dozen leading Australian artists responding to World War I. Both run until Saturday, June 3.
While the exhibitions run, we will bring you interviews with the artists, commenting on their work.
Related stories:
Bob Thompson is a man of many talents. Writer, actor, director, musician, and artist, he has been a keen photographer since he got his first Box Brownie as a youngster.
It was through photography and the stage that he met Terry.
Bob has long been involved with amateur theatre, including scripting and staging several of the Armidale Drama & Musical Society’s Favourite Shorts, while one of Terry’s passions is photographing productions.
Bob moved from film to digital cameras, but ran up against a couple of brick walls. He attended a couple of Terry’s courses on digital photography, which he says helped a deal.
“When Terry conceived this idea, he thought whom do I know who might be interested.”
Bob’s contribution to New England High Country is a striking image of a windmill silhouetted against the evening sky.
Bob took the shot south of Kentucky Village on a September afternoon. He had often passed the place, but that day he was struck by the quality of the light.
“I shot it around 4.30pm. A friend of mine’s a filmmaker, and that’s what they call the Golden Hour. They try and film very early in the morning – which goes against my principles! – or in that hour before sunset.
“In the light of the midday sun, it doesn't appear anything at all, but it was quite a cool day, the clouds were moving quickly, and the sun came in. It’s a lovely image.”
Bob was a telegrapher until 1986, when the advent of faxes and computers meant he was no longer needed. Since then, he has worked in retail, owned a cab, and been a musician and a bookkeeper. These days, he works in aged care.
Among his other creative activities, he is working on a modern retelling of Jack and the Beanstalk, which he expects will be performed later this year. He has also designed and exhibited around 20 mosaics.
