Cobar Shire & TAFE Library is currently hosting an extensive collection of artworks by local artist Thelma Wade.
A well-known resident, Thelma was born and bred in Cobar, and has been painting and drawing since childhood.
“Growing up all I ever wanted was paints. We didn’t get many Christmas presents, but a gift of coloured pencils or paints was all I needed,” Thelma told The Cobar Weekly.
She has entered her works in the Cobar Show and Cobar Arts Council exhibition for many years and won a number of prizes.
Thelma said she’d seen other artists exhibited at the library and spoke to librarian Jane Siermans about exhibiting her work.
The exhibition at the library consists of works by Thelma from the last 30 years, and includes an eclectic mix of photo-realism, abstracts, landscapes and floral studies.
She said her subject matters come from “anything that takes my fancy” and has used photos, postcards, and memories from her travels as inspiration for her paintings.
“I paint what I like – I paint for me.”
Thelma describes her style as “a bit ironic”.
“I started out doing landscapes but got sick of that and went into abstract.”
The works on display include scenes from Cobar and Nymagee, Northern Territory, as well as still life images of flowers and some abstract pieces.
The paintings are available for viewing (and sale) until the end of August with Thelma intending to donate a portion of any sales from the exhibition to the library.
