Homegrown artists fill Cooktown gallery with fresh imagination

Gisela Whithear with her red herring paintings at the Imagine opening day. Photo: Supplied.

As their first duo exhibition comes to a close, the artists behind Imagine say they are still overwhelmed by the positive feedback from the Cooktown community after it opened at the Elizabeth Guzsely Gallery on 29 March.

Gisela Whithear and Tracey Blumer are now back to pulling out the blank canvases at their weekly Sunday painting sessions with the aim of bringing more of their wild and off-beat style to local art community.

When speaking to Cape York Weekly before the exhibition unveiling, the artists said they were nervous about the community response, given their non-traditional style, but said it turned out there had been nothing to worry about.

“I’m amazed and I’m really pleased that it’s well received, because some of it’s a little bit out there,” Ms Whithear said.

“Another artist that does more traditional stuff said she was really pleased that we were sort of going out to try something new, and ventured out of what you normally see in Cooktown.”

Ms Blumer said she was proud to bring something different to the gallery walls, adding the exhibition gave her the confidence to continue putting herself out there.

“To me, the most important thing is that people engage with the gallery, and they enjoy a change of things that are on the wall,” she said.

“We are raising a few eyebrows, but I quite enjoy that.”

A driftwood piece by Ms Whithear went home with a cruise ship tourist last Thursday, with many more visitors coming through the gallery doors to admire the unique works in the exhibition.

“Tourists are basically where a lot of the business comes from, so a cruise ship of a few hundred people makes a big difference to the town,” Ms Blumer said.

“It’s just been a stream of curiosity and people who want to have a squiz.”

With their newfound exhibition experience and confidence, the pair said they hoped to inspire other artists to push boundaries and put themselves out there.

“It’s definitely motivated us to just keep going, and I’m also hoping we inspire some other artists to get involved or just try something new,” Ms Whithear said.

Tracey Blumer celebrates the sale of her co-exhibitor’s driftwood piece from the Imagine exhibition to a visiting American tourist. Photo: Supplied.