EXHIBITING paintings in her biggest solo show yet, artist Sarah Randall returns to her Orange birthplace after a decade being interstate and abroad, saying it's "paradise" to be back home.
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"I can't hear the drone of traffic and I've started to really enjoy being back here again," Miss Randall said.
With the exhibition title holding a double meaning close to her heart, the artist will feature 33 scenic-driven artworks, with the majority of pieces influenced by Miss Randall's perception of a Central Western utopia.
"The Good Place is a sort of a play on words, where it's about settling back here and enjoying 'the good life' out in the country," she said.
"Orange has changed a lot as time has passed and I don't want to go back to the city life, I want to stay here - this is paradise being in the country."
Pieces, which largely pay tribute to Millthorpe Truffles owners, Greg and Loretto Good, stemmed throughout the pandemic era when Miss Randall made her way back to the colour city.
Orange has changed a lot as time has passed and I don't want to go back to the city life, I want to stay here - this is paradise being in the country.
- Artist Sarah Randall on the joys of Central Western living
Before the birth of COVID-19, Miss Randall had been living and studying in Melbourne from 2014 to 2019 - attaining a Bachelor of Creative Arts, Masters in Fine Arts and a graduate certificate of Art History - then moved to Ireland to complete her artist residency, working with Greywood Arts in East Cork's Killeagh village.
"I'd planned to keep travelling overseas after my residency, but with [the global pandemic], I'd either have to return to the 'COVID-city' of Melbourne at the time return home to Orange."
So, Miss Randall packed up from the historic Irish village and headed to an abundance of acreage in Millthorpe.
"I was invited to stay in this little shack in the middle of Loretto and Greg's truffle farm - located in this great, big field of acorn trees - so I could paint nature," she said.
"There's Suffolk sheep there and there's these dorky-looking trees growing out of bins to protect them from being squashed or eaten by the sheep, so I started painting a mini-series of these dorky paddock trees - it's almost as if they're these pretty yet unusual characters of crooked trees and rusty bins - and people were responding really well to them.
"So, The Good Place series is being back home in country paradise, and it's a bit of their [the Good's] place, too - and I thought it would be a nice little homage to Loretto and Greg's generosity."
While the artist prepares her collection for the launch of her show, Miss Randall says she's also remaining realistic in the lead-up to her biggest public artwork display yet.
"I'm feeling a mixture of anticipation, with a last-minute adrenaline rush to get things done," she said.
"I just hope it goes well, but for right now I'm just focussing on the individual tasks and reminding myself that everything else will come; I've got no control over the rest, but I do have control over where I put these little highlights in this cloud ... "
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Miss Randall's artworks will be available for purchase both online and through The Peisley Street Gallery from February 14, while the official launch of the exhibition will be held on Thursday, February 17 from 6pm. Bookings through the gallery are essential due to limited numbers.
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