Dungog Contemporary's exhibition of work by women artists

The journeys opened the Sydney artist’s eyes to the land’s beauty, as she observed the play of clouds’ shadows on the hills and paddocks, and revelled in “never knowing what’s around the next bend”.

“There’s beauty, but there’s also that slight eeriness, and you’re never sure what’s on the other side of those trees,” she says.  

Now Barrett-Clark’s artistic response to those road trips can be seen in an exhibition opening at Dungog Contemporary gallery, in the town’s main street, Saturday. Alongside Barrett-Clark’s images of the Dungog and Stroud districts will be paintings by other women artists. The exhibition includes recent work by Newcastle artists Belinda Street, Jo Bevan, Sally McDonald and Madeleine Cruise.

“Women are under-represented in the art world,” Stephen Hobbs, from Dungog Contemporary, asserts. 

Hobbs and his partner Sarah Crawford opened Dungog Contemporary about eight months ago, after moving from Sydney. For Crawford, it was a homecoming, as she grew up in the district. In moving to Dungog, Hobbs says, the couple wanted to not only enjoy life in a beautiful country town but also bring a sense of the culture available in big cities to the country.

“We want the gallery to be a little cultural hub in Dungog, and the openings here have become a regular event,” Hobbs says.