Sparkly Arts: The Artists of the Barkly celebrate Christmas with their inaugural digital exhibition
“We paint the landscape around us. We see the seasons change and we paint this.”- Julie Beasley
Christmas in the Barkly is like no other. With December comes the wet season, the rain tints our desert home green, washing away the red dust of the cooler months. Tiny wildflowers scatter the landscape and the ubiquitous desert rose lines the Barkly’s roads with pink. As communities grow quiet, their populations travelling for ceremony and Christmas, the usually soft desert flora becomes vibrant and loud, rejoicing in the promise of a new year.
Sparkly Arts brings our sparkle to your home, it is a collection of exuberant works which rejoice in Country and colour. Vast, rhythmic landscapes set against layers of intricate dotting depict life in the Barkly. References to hunting, pastoralism, religion, and bush medicine recur throughout the exhibition, appearing amongst carefully observed depictions of native flowers and bush tuckers; a celebration of time spent on Country.
Celebrate the festive season with us, browse the exhibition online, and give an extra special gift this Christmas season.
