In June this year, I was offered the guest artist spot at the Margaret Street Gallery in Toowoomba. It was a bittersweet month for me. My mother passed away in hospital on the 19th of June, and during that time, I also sold several works, including one that I had just finished in time for the exhibition. The pieces that sold were a curious mix of one-off trial and error works. However, the one I’m happiest with was a piece I had planned for at least four months prior. It depicted the Glasshouse Mountains, named by James Cook when he traveled the east coast of Australia in 1770. The mountains resembled the glass furnaces in his home county.
The First Nations story, however, is a far more romantic tale of how the mountains came to be. During the exhibition in Toowoomba, a couple visiting from the Glasshouse Mountains area saw my work and instantly decided it was a "must-have"—and I’m so glad they did! I am currently planning another piece depicting the mountains and hope to have it in a gallery soon. Unfortunately, it won’t be at the Margaret Street Gallery, as they are closing down and disbanding. I hope Toowoomba can offer other opportunities like theirs; they were a wonderful group to work with.
