Local artists take centre stage in Weswal’s Saddle & Song

The depth and maturity of the New England art scene is on show at Weswal Gallery this month, with a major exhibition drawn entirely from local artists opening in step with the Tamworth Country Music Festival and attracting strong interest from the festival crowd.

Saddle & Song brings together artists whose work reflects rural life, music and place. Timed to coincide with the festival, the exhibition taps directly into the thousands of visitors drawn to Tamworth for country music, many of whom are also keen to take home artwork that reflects the landscape and culture they love.

Gallery owner and ceramic artist Robin King said the exhibition was intentionally focused on local artists and authentic regional stories.

“It’s about showcasing our local artists and giving them the opportunity,” she said.

“All of the artists are local. They either grew up here, or they live here.”

Painter Andrea Bruno said being included alongside fellow regional artists highlighted the strength of the local creative community.

“Well, I think we were very lucky to be involved, and that Westwood gallery actually invited us to be here and to be shown with all these other artists,” she said.

“And you know, it’s important, because it shows regional artists, and it promotes their work, and actually and they sell work, which is great.”

King said many of the works naturally aligned with the festival audience, with rural themes and craftsmanship resonating strongly with visitors and the very reasonably priced works were selling well.

Bruno’s stunning painting of galahs entitled Love is the first work you see when entering the gallery, and has already been sold. However, her smaller piece, When the mice are gone, is likely to draw in the art lover, entrancing the viewer with complex layers of meaning around the struggling artist, with mice depicted around a guitar daring to go out an open window towards a world of possibility.

“My work is actually more like the artists studio, and as a kind of symbol for the interior, struggle of the artist,” she said.

“This is the second one of a series; the first one was hope, and the mice were still in [the studio], and this one is capturing the in-between time, so the window is open, so that the mice can go out.”

The exhibition responds to the rhythms of rural living, with works depicting horses at rest and on the move, shearing sheds, paddocks and fences, kids playing outside, interior spaces, music and quiet moments of reflection. Together, the works form a layered picture of country life that moves beyond a single visual style, reflecting the diversity of both the artists and their experiences.

Drawing and screen print artist Katherine Harvey said the works in the exhibition were really varied.

“My work is basically rooted in the land properties. So everything I do is somehow environmental or rural, so it’s embedded in country,” she said.

“Whether it’s horses or a tree, it doesn’t really matter. It’s part of the context.”

Harvey said the alignment with the Tamworth Country Music Festival provided an important opportunity to reach new audiences, and the festival audience brought a different energy into the gallery.

“The country music provides the extra audience, and this is a fantastic opportunity,” she said.

“It’s very easy to cliche country music into guitars and boots. And I think that’s what’s good here, it’s not just all boots and horses – I like this because it’s it’s broader, more regional, but it’s in context.”

Bruno agreed, saying that the region’s art had evolved in line with the maturation of the city and the festival.

“Country music has evolved, even the city, the festival has evolved into more contemporary vibe, and I think this exhibition reflects that,” she said.

King said that some of the works were done specifically for the exhibition, and others were the style of works produced by those artists generally but fit the theme. One developed specifically for the exhibition is Joanne Stead’s Harmonic Study in Lace, features a guitar which she painted, and then carved intricate lace designs into the paint, both addressing the exhibition specifically while clearly bearing the artist’s signature style.

“She was working on it for a long time,” King said, “but she has a lace theme to a lot of her artworks.”

Trudi Nugent also worked with a guitar, her piece inspired by Joni Mitchell, and Gomeroi artist Jodie Herden designed hats with a nod to the country music festival, while also sharing culture in an authentic and meaningful way.

Some of the pieces and artists are also linked to the standing gallery, or other exhibitions. Deb Michell-Smith, whose striking Summer Sorghum Harvest in the Saddle & Song exhibition depicts a classic scene from the New England’s plains, will soon have a solo exhibition at the gallery. Other artists featured include Leslye Cole, Anna Henderson, Jodi Herden, Gemma King, Blagoj Ristevski, Karen Stanton, Joanne Stead, Jodi Thompson, James White and Rita Winiger.

As part of the festival atmosphere, Weswal Gallery has also welcomed buskers into the space, creating a relaxed crossover between visual art and live music, as well as creating more passing trade for the cafe.

“The buskers are very keen to play in other places because they can’t really be heard down the street. Sometimes they’re just too close to be heard. So we provide just another opportunity for them to sing, and they’re having fun.”

Saddle & Song is open daily at Weswal Gallery, 192 Brisbane Street, Tamworth, and runs until 31 January 2026.