Three Swans exhibition celebration & artist talk

An artist talk and exhibition event will be held on Sunday 26th May from 1:30pm. Open to the general public, wines will be provided by 10 Chains Winery with light refreshments provided by Southern Forest Arts. 

About the exhibition:

'Three Swans' honours the unique coastal landscapes of the South West

Watercolor artist, Sue Kalab, is renowned for her sensitive depiction of Southwest fauna and landscapes. Her latest solo exhibition, Three Swans, featuring at the Painted Tree Gallery in Northcliffe between 18th May and 30th June is a poignant contemplation of nature’s inherent beauty.

With 25 previous solo exhibitions to her credit, Sue is a highly experienced artist, with a deserved reputation for sensitive appreciation of the unique natural heritage of the South West region. Three Swans – Watercolours of the Coastlands, is a new collection of works on paper created during the past two years, inspired by bush walks and ambles along the beach. She says, “They speak to the timelessness of the natural world, from the perspective of a woman walking this Earth.” 

Sue’s detailed observations and generosity in sharing her work through exhibitions across the state, reflect a larger commitment to honoring and protecting our wild places. Each painting is a call for individual and collective efforts to safeguard species and habitats for the future.   A stalwart of environmental conservation events, Sue has helped coordinate South West contributions to nationwide bird surveys and projects that affect birdlife in pockets of remnant nature in and around the Bunbury-Leschenault area.

The Three Swans theme was inspired by a bird count survey Sue and a friend conducted in the Leschenault Estuary in January this year. Sue has been the keeper of count records since the early 2000. In 2024 there were 1448 Black Swans. This is significantly less than the 5000+ birds that regularly garaced the estuary in the early 2000. The exhibition is a chance to bear witness  to this decline of our State’s native faunal emblem and highlight concerns for its future. Black Swans congregate each summer in the  Leschenault Estuary estuary during their time of moult as they are unable to fly. It is a vital stronghold for the species over dry summers when regional wetlands, billabongs, creeks and rivers are increasingly dry. 

Other works in the exhibition document Sue’s years of roaming in the nearby Tuart Forest and along the shorelines of the Indian Ocean, wandering and watching - looking and learning. The paintings include orchids, birds, bush & beach scenes.