A FAMILY reunion was part of the impetus to host an exhibition of works made by brothers and brothers-in-law of the owners of The Shed Gallery.
Brothers In Art is currently exhibiting at the gallery, displaying paintings made by the brothers who reside all across the country, along with new work by local Barkandji artist Brian Harris.
Dirk Romeyn, co-owner of the Shed Gallery, said he and his brothers were surrounded by art from an early age.
“My mum was a beautiful painter, she started with needlework and dressmaking, then wall hangings and pottery,” he said.
“And her brother is a professional artist, so we always had art around. We’ve always been a creative family.”
Romeyn said the last time the brothers and brothers in-law were all together was at his wedding.
“I’ve always wanted to get the family together, so this was a great event to get them here,” he said.
Brother Hans Romeyn first visited Broken Hill last year for the opening of the gallery, and returned with
work he made from his experience this year for the gallery’s first birthday.
“Last year was our first trip out into that sort of red dirt country,” he said.
“We didn’t really know what to expect, but I was really taken by the rugged beauty of the place, and the different colour scheme out there compared to the mountains here.”
Hans said he didn’t make sketches when visiting, but worked from memory when returning home to the Blue Mountains.
“When I was out there I thought wow, that would make a fantastic painting, so when I got back I was painting these landscapes,” he said.
“These images were burnt into my mind.”
The exhibition was launched in celebration of the gallery’s first birthday in March, and all brothers attended, along with many locals and tourists.
“It was packed,” Dirk said.
“Not everyone who came through had been in before. There’s a few people I play bocce with who even came down to the exhibition.”
Gallery co-owner Caroline Nelson said the launch was a social event to bring together community and celebrate art.
“We wanted a social event that was different, anyone could come and have a feed and meet their friends,” she said.
“We’re just so amazed that we’ve been able to create a life for ourselves here and really anyone can do that.
“It’s so lovely to be able to do this.”
Mr Romeyn and Ms Nelson say they plan to launch a new exhibition of work by the brothers to celebrate their second anniversary next year.
