27/02/2026
Gallery Bodalla features the works of two exceptional and much loved south coast artists Annie Franklin and Tanja Riese in the next exhibition red earth | salt water. The show commences Thursday 12 March and runs through to Sunday 12 April 2026 with opening drinks & artists’ talk on Saturday 14 March at 3pm, music by guitarist Geoffrey Potter. All are welcome. These exquisite, colourful and light filled paintings, are inspired by both the desert and the far south coast, with a deep love of place. I hope you can come along, Valerie.
Annie Franklin: The paintings in this exhibition have been made as a response to being immersed in landscape. The red earth collection was created over twelve months, after a two week painting trip to Mparntwe/Alice Springs. The desert landscape is visually and emotionally powerful and, although impossible to understand deeply from such a short visit, irresistible to an artist who loves colour. The salt water collection is from my home country on the south coast, painted mostly ‘en plein air’ during regular excursions with friends. It is a landscape that I have developed a deep connection to over 25 years, and it is also irresistible to an artist who loves colour - with a very different palette.
Tanja Riese: The practice of painting allows me to look deeply and linger on the curves, forms, colours (and smells) of the remnant wild places that can still be found. Be they in the scrub just off the road, beside a well-trodden path or tucked away in dense bushland, these places are uplifting, refreshing and filled with incredible beauty, for which I am grateful.
Gallery Bodalla is open Thursday to Sunday (closed Good Friday open Easter Sat & Sun) 11am to 4pm and by appointment. View exhibition & catalogue at www.gallerybodalla.com.au from 9/3/26.
