Monday 20 August 2018


If you are coming in to Yanco, the gateway to the town of Leeton, NSW, cast your gaze to the left and maybe pull over to inspect the lovely lyrical coloured pipes erected around a proud old style metal compass standing tall to represent the early beginnings of irrigation and town planning here by renown Wagga artist John Wood. Then when passing by Rotary Park opposite the Visitors Information Centre near the skatepark in Leeton proper, have a look at the equisite sculpture by Melbourne artist Carla Gottgens as a tribute to the history of our town, the Wetlands and the Wiradjuri people. They are part of the Government Heritage Near Me Project I was privilaged to help manage from August 2017 to May 2018, in which Leeton Shire Council commissoned three artists to erect five Public Art installations celebrating the town's heritage. The stories behind the works will be made available by signage once the project is completed. The bird surrounded by local native Wetland plant life in Rotary Park is a bittern, which is a messenger bird and is in the story of Wiradjuri culture. There is another sculpture by Gottgens telling the story of Whitton situated in their park near the Public Toilets and is worth the drive to walk through and read the text with its homage to henry Lawson and others. One work celebrating town planner and designer, Walter Burley Griffin is near the fountain across the road from the Historic Hydro. We owe the circular format of much of our town plan to his role in designing Leeton and this contemporary artwork is by Dave Jones and Greg Pritchard from a country town in Victoria. Very exciting for Leeton and our art students. 😊

Tuesday 24 July 2018

the channel out the front

I love painting my surroundings and this one is a lovely spot in front of my house.