MICHAEL BELL
21 July - 18 August 2007

Australian artist Michael Bell plans to create a new series of paintings and etchings inspired by visiting the unfamiliar terrain of Hill End. For Bell, the process of making artworks is all about being in a new place and finding fresh ideas. Hill End will represent a shift for Bell from the suburban themed works he has created in recent years, and will allow the artist to discover new imagery based on Hill End's unique landscape and history.

Bell has participated in many group and solo exhibitions and his works are included in numerous Australian collections, including the Australian National Gallery, Canberra, as well as private collections in Australia, Norway and Dubai. Michael Bell is represented by Tim Olsen Gallery, Sydney.

PAUL SELWOOD
22 August - 19 September 2007 (Sponsored by Country Energy)

Personal history and creative factors were involved in sculptor Paul Selwood's decision to undertake a residency at Hill End. He grew up in Orange and visited the area several times as a boy, vividly recalling the old mud brick ruins. He also revisited the region as a student at National Art School and says that "memory mixed with new visions would play into the mood of work that I do at Hill End." The visually exciting geological formation where the Turon River has cut its way through the hills suggests sculptural possibilities for the artist. Selwood points out that "landscape is a common subject in painting but an extraordinary subject in sculpture." Having held no less than twenty solo exhibitions in Australia, Selwood holds a MFA from the University of NSW and has lectured extensively in sculpture.

ED DOUGLAS
24 September - 22 October 2007 (Sponsored by BRAG) 

Ken Orchard and Ed Douglas will embark on a collaborative residency aimed at creating a body of work for exhibition and tour in 2008 inspired by the work of colonial artist George French Angas (1822 - 86). Angas created a series of lithographs of the diggings at Ophir from sketches executed in the field in June 1851. Using this important series of images as a springboard for exploring 'place', the pair propose to locate the areas delineated by Angas, as well as other sites in the district, as reference points for a series of panoramic works on paper (Orchard) and a suite of black and white photographs (Douglas).

Ed Douglas has traveled and photographed extensively in Australia, and has held numerous exhibitions of his work since arriving in Australia in the mid 1970s. His renewed interest in black and photography comes from a "deep emotional connection …with the very early landscape photographers". Ed Douglas holds MAS Fine Arts from San Francisco State University. His work is held in major Australian and international collections, including the National Gallery of Australia, the Art Gallery of New South Wales, the Chicago Art Institute, and the Museum of Modern Art, New York.

DAGMAR CYRULLA
26 October - 19 November 2007 

For Dagmar Cyrulla, the representation of the figure in the landscape has been an ongoing focus. Inspired by the work of Poussin & Titian, Cyrulla is a painter and drawer who is looking forward to the opportunity to search for metaphors in the Hill End landscape that reflect ageing and growing old. The artist visited Hill End often as a child, and the area holds many strong memories. This will be an enriching ingredient for an artist for whom candour and self-reflection is an ongoing preoccupation.

Cyrulla has a Masters in Fine Art from Monash University. Her second solo show Exploring Space was held at James Makin Gallery in 2006. She has participated in various group exhibitions and her work is held in private and public collections in Australia, London and Chicago.

LIZ SHREEVE
23 November - 21 December 2007

Liz Shreeve started studying Fine Art at Kempsey TAFE in 1997 after a long career as a science teacher. Since that time she has participated in numerous group exhibitions and has received recognition for her work, notably as winner in both the Waverley Art Prize and the Kempsey Art Prize. The main focus of her work has been on the way light activates space, yet while her work explores the effects of light, colour and perception, it is also to some extent made of light itself. Up until now, architectural references have been the starting point of her work and Shreeve is looking forward to immersing herself in the Hill End environment to "see how light and shadow could be used to construct works that reflect this rural wooded area". During the residency she aims to build up a portfolio of drawings and small experiments with materials based on the light and shadow patterns of the area.

ANA ANDERSON
1 March to 28 March 2008 

Graduating from the National Art School in Sydney in 2006, Ana Anderson's paintings form silent dramas rich in mood and mystery. Her previous work has used film noir interior stills as subject matter creating dark and atmospheric 'stages' for contemplation. A residency in Hill End will give Ana the opportunity to complete a series of paintings exploring the relationship between Hill End residents and their environment. Titled 'Shadowland', the project aims to create thought-provoking paintings focusing on the mood of the landscape and those who inhabit it.