The show must go on for veteran artist
Robin Lawrence’s friends tell her it’s finally time to retire from running the Glebe Art Show, but the 73-year-old is showing no signs of taking a back seat as the event enters its 12th year.
Starting out in 1997 with 80 paintings the exhibition has grown steadily to feature 210 paintings, drawings, prints and photographs last year. Ms Lawrence says the secret to the Glebe Art Show’s sustained popularity is its organic quality.
“If you label something, you kill it,” said Ms Lawrence, who started the show to cheer up an old friend. For her, being organic includes being self-critical. Lessons learnt from running the show have helped to improve the event year after year, she says.
Lawrence says habits learnt from her time as an art teacher motivate her to stay involved. She says putting up work, standing back and looking at it is a valuable learning experience for artists.
The Glebe Art Show gives new artists living or working in the inner city and Sydney’s inner west the opportunity to see their work hung alongside established names such as Reg Mombassa, Sally McInerney and Paul Procee.
“It’s so important that the show is non-selective,” Lawrence said.
In fact, the only limitation on the works that go into the Glebe Art Show is wall space – works must not exceed one square metre in size. “Apart from that, whatever gets submitted will be hung,” says Lawrence.
The Glebe Art Show opens Friday 3 July, 6pm, and runs until Sunday 12 July. Entry is free. Artists can submit their works at Glebe Library, 186 Glebe Point Road, on 30 June, from 2 to 7 pm. For more information, contact Robin Lawrence on 9660 8036.
by Fergus Grieve
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