UTES IN THE PADDOCK

19 November 2009 - Utes in the Paddock has just won a silver in the State Tourism awards against some very tough competition, Temora Avaition Musuem won the Gold.  Both are a 'must visit' when travelling in Central Western NSW.

A fantastic achievement and a big thankyou to the dedication, enthusiasm and creative ideas from all involved and the fantastic work by Australian Artists  www.utesinthepaddock.com.au

Peter Mortimore lives in Dubbo and breeds horses.  His equine drawings are remarkable for their correctness and for the way they reflect each horse’s distinctive personality.

It was probably inevitable that as an artist Peter Mortimore would turn to the horse as his subject.  His Great Grandfather was a Master Farrier on the Bristol Tramways in England, and lost his life whilst shoeing a difficult horse.  His grandfather was an eight horse ploughman in England before migrating to Australia in 1911.  And his parents courted on horseback, his mother a champion lady rider and his father a young Presbyterian Minister who ‘tended his flock’ on a grey gelding at Dorrigo in northern NSW.

Peter Mortimore grew up with horses and is still surrounded by them.  He understands their anatomy, is intrigued by their psychology and portrays them with a respect and tenderness that brings each one’s character alive on the paper or canvas.

As a child in Moree where his father Alan was the Presbyterian Minister in the early 1960’s during a prolonged drought, He would often see horseman moving livestock along the long, wide stock routes, this is an image imprinted romantically on his mind.

Peter commenced working life, after leaving Sydney University, as a stock and station agent in Dubbo where he met his wife Ellen.  Moving many times throughout NSW and Queensland in his job, he once again encountered the stockmen and drovers as they moved livestock throughout the country.  The horse and the horseman are images that primarily flood his canvases and paper with the romance the vision originally inspired. 

Peter is a self taught artist, having now painted full time for the last 14 years.  He responds to his environment and portrays images that evoke an emotion emanating from his surroundings.  His paintings and drawings are meticulous in the portrayal of their chosen subject.  He enjoys being told his work is ‘photographic’ and he spends up to 100 hours on a drawing, and naturally even more on a painting.

Peter’s body of work is varied in subject matter, but still manages to find its way back to the endearing image of the inseparable Australian stockman and his brave, loyal mount.

Peter’s website petermortimore.com  is currently under construction and will be up and going soon.

Peter paints at his studio in Dubbo and following many successful exhibitions, both within Australia and overseas, continues to paint images reflecting both the astonishing beauty and the stark reality of Australian Outback life.

EXHIBITIONS:

1990 Group exhibition Four Paletteers Dubbo NSW
1991 Group exhibition Four Paletteers North Sydney NSW
Group exhibition Four Paletteers Dubbo NSW
1993 Group exhibition The Land Augustine Vineyard Mudgee NSW

First Solo Exhibition ‘Droving The Mob’ Dubbo Regional Gallery
1994 Solo Exhibition ‘The Cattleman’s Cup’ The Moree Gallery
Exhibition with
Jack Randell ‘Kangaroo’ The Pavilion Bondi Sydney

BDO Exhibition Doug Moran Portrait Prize BDO Nelson Park Hill
Exhibition with Pat Deveson Moree Gallery
1996 Guest Artist Calgary Stampede CANADA
1997 Solo Exhibition Yellow Brick Gallery Dubbo
Solo Exhibition ‘South to Somewhere’ Weswal Gallery Tamworth
1998 Solo Exhibition Moree Gallery NSW

Exhibition with Lewis Burns Minokamo, Gifu, Japan

1999 Exhibition with Brett Garling-sculptor ‘On a Northern Plain’ Moree Plains Regional Gallery
Group Inaugural Exhibition Newmarket Stable Randwick NSW
‘Stockman Artists of Australia’
2000 Exhibition with ‘High Country Masters’
Alan Grosvenor LakeCrackenback Resort Jindabyne NSW
2001 Exhibition ‘Mixed Works on Paper’ Moree Gallery
2002 One Man Exhibition Kunama Art Gallery Jindabyne
One Man Exhibition Koonambil, Coonamble
Exhibited Gallery at the Wentworth Sydney
Exhibited Gallery at The Rocks Sydney

Invited Artist ‘Billlycans Exhibition’ Winton Qld Year of Outback Touring Exhibition
2003 Exhibition Weswal Gallery, Tamworth
Exhibition ‘High country Stockman’ Kunama Gallery Jindabyne
Exhibition Stockman of The High Country - Jindabyne
Group Exhibition Bruce Watling Gallery - Gold Coast Qld
Group Exhibition Dungog Art Gallery NSW
2004 Exhibition Narrabri Art & Antiques Narrabri
Exhibition Silvercity Art Centre Broken Hill
2005 Mixed Exhibition Narrabri Art & Antiques Narrabri
Exhibition Andrew Harris Vineyards Mudgee
Exhibition Dubbo Indoors Gallery
Exhibition Jacques Malan Gallery Moree
Exhibition Village Life Gallery Avalon
2006 Mixed Exhibition Dubbo Indoors Gallery
Exhibition Narrabri Arts & Antiques Narrabri
Mixed Exhibition Percy Street Gallery Wellington
Invited Exhibition Gundy Food & Wine - Goondiwindi Qld
Exhibition Roths Wine Bar – Mudgee
2007 Selected Finalist 2007 Country Energy Landscape Prize
Exhibition ‘Equine Drawings’ Salmon Galleries McMahons Point, Sydney
Exhibition Fairgove Gallery Goondiwindi
Exhibition Andrew Harris Vineyards, Mudgee
2008 Group Exhibition Toowoomba Grammar School, Toowoomba Qld.

PRIZES / AWARDS

1983 First prize Monaro Exhibition Cooma NSW
1989 First prize Biannual Exhibition Dubbo Arts & Crafts Society
1995 Champion Painting Biannual Exhibition Dubbo Arts & Crafts Society
1996 First Lady Mary Fairfax Prize Royal Agricultural Society Easter Show Exhibition
1997 First Prize Royal Agricultural Society Easter Show
1998 First Prize Royal Agricultural Society Easter Show
2000 First Prize +Peoples Choice Mungindi Art Show
2001 First Prize + Acquisition award Goondiwindi Aspects Art Show
2002 First Prize +Peoples Choice Mungindi Art Show
Finalist Strathfield Eco Art Prize
2004 1st Traditional Bitumen to Bulldust Art Exhibition – Cryon NSW
2006 Champion Painting Bitumen to Bulldust Art Exhibition _ Walgett NSW
2007 Finalist Country Energy Landscape Prize
2007 Peoples Choice Country Energy landscape Prize
Western Plains Cultural Centre – Dubbo
Touring Exhibition – Sydney, Broken Hill

Has also been awarded numerous 1st Prizes in regional art shows.

PUBLICATIONS

1993 Australian County Style March – Skerricks
1997 Australian Artist ‘Black to Front’ April issue
1999 Australian Artist ‘Master Painters of Australia’ April issue
2000 Troy Dan’s Outback Random House Australia

COMMISSIONS

1988 – 2008 Numerous private commissions

Completed 14 works purchased by McDonalds Family Restaurant Dubbo

For permanent exhibition (franchise since sold)
Now in private collection

COLLECTIONS

Dubbo Regional Gallery
Moree Regional Gallery
Private collections – Australia, Scotland, Canada, USA, New Zealand, Japan, Italy & England
Goondiwindi Shire Council,
Warren Shire Council
Michael Boyce & Co Dubbo
Orana Radiology Dubbo
Heritage Hill Wellington
The Scots College Bellevue Hill, Sydney

EXHIBITION DUBBO REGIONAL GALLERY WESTERN PLAINS CULTURAL CENTRE. DUBBO

PETER MORTIMORE: IMAGES OF BETWEEN
I was approaching this exhibition with the original intention of producing a body of work based on a
specific theme.
I have always been uncomfortable with the ‘conceptual idea’ to an exhibition. I worry about the end
result consisting of too many ‘highs and lows’. It is a big result if you can maintain a close link to the
theme in every work, at the same time holding the entire exhibition together.
I decided to work on unfinished paintings and unresolved ideas rather than try to conceptualise a
subject. I would prefer to produce an exhibition with every individual painting completed and resolved,
hopefully this ultimately reflecting on the exhibition’s body of work.
The paintings completed for the exhibition reflect subjects and painting techniques I am both familiar
with and also intend to explore further.
I am unapologetic about the fact that I paint for a living. The subjects and painting technique are both
totally resolved before the painting or drawing is deemed finished.
The small paintings are done, prinicpally to determine if the composition and balance is suitable to
proceed to a larger painting. I enjoy painting in this small format, using fine 000 to size 3 brushes. The
still life paintings are a relatively new subject to me, but will pursue this genre in the future.
I have always enjoyed painting and drawing the horse, and subjects related to this. This interest stems
from not only a natural fascination for the horse but also the many challenges this subject presents to
me as an artist.
Each painting is a completed drawing before the painting process is commenced. I draw the paint on
using as fine a brush as suits the job at hand.
I enjoy the challenge of producing a 3-dimensional image on a 2-dimensional surface. the often stated
comparison to a photograph does not concren me as a realist painter. The hours spent on each work,
hopefully results in a painting or drawing closely resembling the chosen subject.
I am a self-taught artist, and have studied artists over the years, whose work I respect as being based
on good draughtmanship. I am not interested in ‘reinventing the wheel’ and relying on gimmicks or
‘cloak and dagger’ effects in an endeavour to pass off an ordinarily drawn or poorly painted piece
as something intellectually superior to all that has gone before. I have a way to go to where I would
want to be as an artist, and indeed may never reach that point, but the journey will be fascinating and
fulfilling.
I want my paintings to cause the viewer to pause, and for a fleeting moment while they are viewing the
work they are transported into my world. I would hope my paintings answer questions more than pose
them.