​Both being predominantly landscapes painters, the topic Touch the Earth suited!

 

Mal Leckie was born in Perth, Western Australia and now works from his studio near Coolangatta in Southern Queensland. His work is about big spaces, isolated places, stillness, quiet, solitude, timelessness, balance and places to relax in. Mal travels extensively, being influenced by the many magnificent sights before him. His paintings record the experience of place by re-presenting the visual, not imitating it.  Mal conjures the colours of the Pilbra and Flinders Ranges in some of his larger paintings. He likes the rectangle shaped canvas that portrays the linear landscape.                                                                

Mal trained at the Western Australian Institute of Technology with his principal tutor in painting being Guy Grey-Smith. He has held 38 solo exhibitions and over 40 selected group exhibitions across Australia, in Hong Kong and Noumea. He has received 34 awards for his artworks, notably, the Gold Coast Art Prize on three occasions. He was President of the Artists Association on the Gold Coast for many years. 

A keen surfer and beach walker, he acquired the name ‘Beachcomber’ and fell in love with a new canvas - the sand!  Creating beautiful flowing artwork with a rake. He starts each day at 6am the same way — toes in the sand and a rake in hand, scribbling artwork that will soon be taken away by the tides.  ‘The waves roll in and roll out, erasing the thousands of footprints left by the beachgoers of yesterday and presenting a fresh canvas for today. It's a little bit awkward sometimes when the tide comes in too quickly, but teaching myself to let things go has proved to be really calming generally in my life," he says.    https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-01-31/sand-art-helps-surfer-connect-community-gold-coast/106214956. Mal will create a few of these during his Yamba visit.

Renowned local identity Graham Mackie’s work is from the topography of his beloved property “Coombadjha”, west of Grafton,  but also Pippi Beach and Angourie Point.  Graham holds art workshops and lessons at his property and has encouraged many art fanatics to improve, be brave and ‘just go for it’. 

When Graham looks at a scene it is locked into his memory and he draws from that memory. “I am in the studio at 6am till late. I am a prolific artist with my work constantly evolving. Every time I start a new work I am trying to improve on it and take it to another level, starting with the subject matter first then colour.  You need to keep improving your work and as an artist you are continually evolving and changing the way you look at things - art is the ultimate challenge - sometimes my body of work looks like it is done by 10 different artists so change is an important element in moving forward.”  

Graham sees the multitude of colours in his vision. ‘We could all paint the same subject but if you change the colour you change the aspect of the painting.  I like experimenting with a mixture of inks, crayons and charcoal.”  People look at his work and comment on the colour not the subject.  “Fauvism art groups of the early 1900s revolutionised painting with a style of painting and an art movement emerged in France. Works emphasised painterly qualities and strong colour over the representational or realistic values retained by impressionism.   My ultimate goal is to get hung in the Wynne Exhibition, so I may attempt a portrait for the  Archibald in the future.  I have attempted the Wynne 5 times and the Archibald 4 times but haven’t made the cut!  I would like to have a work hung in the Art Gallery of NSW before I die.”

This exhibition is a culmination of Graham’s past few years painting and trying to be unique. It is his 25th consecutive exhibition.  Graham has a loyal following of GOATS (Gentlemen of Art Touring Society). These 17 chaps all played rugby together from 1970-1973, and keep in touch via zoom on Friday nights. Their colourful attire is always themed and creates a fun atmosphere at the exhibition openings.

An Artists Talk will be held at 1pm on Saturday 24th October.

The general public are invited to attend the opening of ‘Touch the Earth’ at The Old Kirk, Yamba Museum, 5:30pm Friday 23 October and finishes Sunday 22nd November.  Lucky door raffle prizes.

 

Gai Pritchett