Yes finally they have arrived (Fresh and smelling that resin smell that only new Doug Bartlett's emit)! The first release of NEW Doug Bartlett works in Australia since September 2009. Ans they are really great works.

Check out their artist profile and new works here...

We also have a fantastic special auction (silent of course) on the last remaining number 99/100 of our set of three limited edition prints and see a video on their work coming to life on the Hoodoo Gurus new album cover Read more...

Byron Bay Echo

Kellie O'Dempsey Live Drawing Performance

Painting Knie

"Retrospect Galleries presents local artist Kellie O'Dempsey live and in exhibition over Easter. Join Kellie from 10am Sunday as she creates one of her trademark large scale artworks, during a live drawing performance in conjunction with local musicians, The Knie."

Our recent show, El Mar Mi Alma (The Sea My Soul) introduced us to a host of exciting new talent.  Retrospect is thrilled to welcome former Mambo artist Jeff Raglus,

founding Quicksilver artist Peter Webb,

the legendary Witzig brothers – John and Paul,

and upcoming photographer Ryan Heywood, to our family.

Artist Kellie O’Dempsey says she started drawing and painting in public because she wanted to make contemporary art more accessible to a large general audience. Over the past decade she has popped up everywhere from Byron Bay to Melbourne, Brisbane, Berlin, London and Shanghai, capturing musicians, dancers, burlesque performers and passengers on the tube.  See her in action at Retrospect from 10 till 11am Sunday April 4, presenting her live drawing performance in collaboration with musicians The Knie. Or check out her exhibition of new works and some favourite highlights, from local and international music festivals she has visited since 2005.  Easter weekend until April 13.

Check out her exhibition here...

Our first Retrospect Party at Harvest for the year, held in conjunction with the exhibition El Mar Mi Alma (The Sea My Soul), was a sellout success, with loads of people turned away who didn’t get in fast enough to book their place. It was great to see Harvest packed full of people, and witness the fantastic response to talks by two of our local artists – former pro surfer turned painter James McMillan and artist photographer Alberto Sanchez, who each shared a bit about their work interspersed with stories about their relationship with the sea.  Also speaking on the night were Tatiana Velasco and Stephen Jones from Rebel Waltz Films, who talked about their incredible experience filming El Mar Mi Alma, the movie, in Chile.  And J’aimee Skippon Volke from Byron Bay Film Festival, who introduced the amazing program of surf and ocean inspired films, she had programmed at the Festival this year.  Thanks to everyone for a great night and especially to all the team at Harvest for their incredible hospitality, delicious cocktails and fabulous menu.  We’ve got three more Retrospect Parties at Harvest coming up in 2010.  Read on for the info and make sure you book your tickets early for these good times ahead.

In order of appearance J’aimee Skippon Volke from Byron Bay Film Festival, Tristan proud owner of the Harvest Cafe, Stephen Jones and Tatiana Velasco from Rebel Waltz Films and artists Alberto Sanchez and James McMillan.

James McMillan talks about Surf, Life and Art..

Retrospect Galleries Director Bree Delian talks to James Mcmillan.

The crowd at Harvest Cafe had a wonderful meal and great conversation with our interest speakers.

Alberto Sanchez had the crowd in stitches with his tales from growing up in Spain without a car and only seeing the ocean for the first time when he was 14 years old. Now he photographs the surf and the ocean with a passion..

J’aimee Skippon Volke from Byron Bay Film Festival, who introduced the amazing program of surf and ocean inspired films, she had programmed at the Festival this year.

Stephen Jones from Rebel Waltz Films, shows raw footage and talks about his incredible experience filming El Mar Mi Alma, the movie, in Chile.

Tristan from Harvest Cafe in front of the artworks by Alberto Sanchez and James McMillan

Smiles everywhere after a great evening...

Take two artists: MAN (Jan Van Dijk), WOMAN (Michelle Dawson), add paint, crayons, wings, brushes, fur, pencils, scales, tails, ink, hooves, horns and charcoal, stir briskly... BEAST! Man Woman Beast is an exhibition of exciting new works from two of our most popular artists - Brisbane painter Jan Van Dijk and Banglow based artist Michelle Dawson (shortlisted for the 2009 Children’s Book Council of Australia Crichton Award for Best New Illustrator). Inspired by the fantastical creatures of myth and legend, they present a bewitching showcase of unexpected existence. Opening 6pm Friday April 16, until May 3.

Check out the exhibition here...

Coming up in April, Retrospect Galleries hot tails it to Melbourne, to check out Art Melbourne 2010, at the Royal Exhibition Building in Carlton. We’ll be exhibiting new works by 20 of our great artists, including Alberto Sanchez, Hilary Hermann, Jan Van Dijk, Michelle Dawson, Rodney Black, Lisa Lee, Shane Martin and many more.

As a special offers to all of our Melbourne based subscribers, we’ve got a limited number of Art Melbourne entry passes to give away. Just email admin@retrospectgalleries.com, with ART MELBOURNE in the subject line and include your contact details, how many tickets you would like (maximum two) and the day requested in the body of the email. We have tickets for the VIP opening night Thursday April 22, and day passes for Friday April 23, Saturday April 24 or Sunday April 25.  First in best dressed.

Check out the works coming to Melbourne online here...

There has been much despair amongst those who missed out on our sellout Doug Bartlett limited edition print collection.  So imagine our joy to find one final framed set (numbered 99 of 100) misplaced in our storage racks! 

With so many DB fans and only one set available, we’ve decided to put them up for auction and let nature take its course. The winner will also receive a copy of the new Hoodoo Gurus album "Purity of Essence", featuring original artwork created by the Doug Bartlett boys – check out the video, and signed for your pleasure.  

Bidding starts at $500 (the original retail price for the framed set of three prints) and is now open, so email us at admin@retrospectgalleries.com, with DOUG BARTLETT in the subject line and your contact details and bid amount in the body of the email.  The auction closes at 5pm April 16, with the winner to be advised April 17.

Also we've just received some fantastic new Doug Bartlett originals, and they are the first Australian release of any new works since our solo show Global Boom in September 2009. Check out the new pieces and their artist profile here...

This new series of fantastic landscapes created by Stephen Phibbs is some of the best work he has done in the last 20 years. Unfortunately these web images do little justice to the intricacies and detail that lie beneath the surface of his paintings.

Cornelia has delighted us all with this fantastic commission she painted for Iain Carmichael. It is super large for her 1000 x 1200mm. Keep tuned for her upcoming show Once Upon a Time...

Check out her artist profile and new works here...

Every month we present an interview with one of our amazing artists to give you a bit of an insight into their behind the scenes life.  This month we’re featuring new Zealand Born artist Michelle Dawson who has been shortlisted for several major art prizes including the Bendigo drawing Prize and the Waterhouse Natural History Art Prize. She has twice represented Australia at the Intercontinental Biennale of Small Graphics in Romania and is currently shortlisted for the CBCA 2009 Crichton Award for Best New Illustrator. She is a featured artist in our upcoming show Man Woman Beast.

My favourite artist is…
A movable feast usually including some old stalwarts such as Cy Twombly, Bellini, Velasquez and Colin McCahon. Right now I am very taken with the way John Singer-Sargent can paint a frock.

I usually start my day by…
Thinking about going for a run and then getting up and having crumpets and coffee and doing the cryptic crossword in the sun.

I am currently reading…
Frederick Seidel Poems 1959-2009

The book that changed my life is…
The little golden books my mother bought me without fail every Friday with the shopping. They began a lifetime love affair with books and words that colours my existence and plays a huge part in my creative process.

My favourite film of all time is…
Blade Runner and Queen Margot and Ferris Bueller’s Day off and Ice Storm and An American Friend and Donnie Darko and Let the Right One In and Badlands and Taxi Driver and Nosferatu and and and and and…
(Favourite TV series ever is Deadwood)

When I am working I like to listen to…
Instinct, the piece of work I am engaged with and any other intelligent advise that is trying to get through….

I get angry and desperately sad about…
The careless, often willful annihilation of unique wild creatures,

My three most valued possessions are…
Chester, blanket, my brain

The three things in life I could never give up are …
My imagination…..that’ll do.

If I could travel anywhere back and forth in time, I would go…
And meet a thylacine in the wild.

My dream dinner party of six would include….
Nikola Tesla, Ted Hughes, Carravaggio, Sir Henry Neville, Anne Boleyn, 

The most valuable lesson I have learned in life is…
To keep learning

When I die, I would like my gravestone to say…
Inappropriate truths to passers by.

I hope my art...
Keeps searching

If I wasn’t an artist I would like to be…
A cheetah

An enthusiastic crowd braved a night of wild stormy weather to make an early appearance at the opening of El Mar Mi Alma, The Sea My Soul on Thursday March 11. Many were on the way to the Byron Bay International Film Festival, which was showing a fantastic program of surf films including a tantalising glimpse of the new surf film, El Mar Mi Alma, from which the exhibition took its name. It was a fantastic turnout with heaps of people commenting that they loved the diversity of the work on offer, from John Witzig’s classic surf photos dating back to the early 1960s, to Alberto Sanchez’s limited edition photography/painting montages, which proved to be the hit of the show, selling out within the first few days.  Loads of visitors have been back to see the show several times over and it has also been great to see lots of new people who have visited the gallery for the first time.  Thanks to our sponsors Stone and Wood, for your generous support of the opening, everyone was loving those beers!  And to Ian Burrell, whose stunning work on the slide guitar created a fantastic ambiance.

Even the small people were fascinated by Ryan Haywood's totems

The crowd swirls around the room

Someone stands in front of legend surf photographer Dick Hoole's and Luke Taaffe's work.

Alberto Sanchez's hand painted photographs were the hits of the show.

Artist Norval Watson stands in front of Ryan Haywoods totems

Big smiles from Andy who owns the famous surfer coffee hangout The Top Shop

The cool gang Amelia Hallam, web star Kitty Delian, surfers Geoff Maguire and Benjamin Dorez

Michelle Dawson and friend look at works by Dave Homcy and Jeff Raglus

Alberto Sanchez and James McMillan pose for the camera while holding a camera...

Local musician Si and friend stand in front of Ian Bowers and Sean Davies artworks

A fantastic painting of a Ute with surf board by Victorian artist Ian Bowers

Coffee maker extraordinaire from the Top Shop Andy with mates, come to Retrospect Galleries to check out the show

Gallery goers enjoy the vintage limited edition prints from Paul Witzigs  films..

Film Maker Stephen Jones and Kirra Pendergast  with Retrospect Gallery Director Bree Delian

Even babies braced the rain to come to the opening

Local artist Shane Martin enjoys a wine at the show

Moody paintings from Ian Bowers

James McMillan's utopia-esque paintings in the background

Retrospect web assistant Kitty Delian talks to New Zealand surfer Geoff "Jiff" MacGuire

Live music

The new in front of the old- Everyone loved the photographs from the 60's by legend surf photographer John Witzig 

An art lover in front of a wall of Sean Davies photographs