Return to the Orchard: Merrick Fry

Artist statement: "As a child, I spent a lot of time the family orchard in Bathurst. Later, when I was an art student, I was employed by my uncles as a peach picker. I recall the intense smell of the fruit, the soft pastel colour of the blossom and the changing of the seasons.

The work in this exhibition is influenced by the calligraphic drawings from China and Japan and is my attempt to capture the ethereal magic of orchards over the course of a year. The major work ‘Apple Orchard in Four Seasons’ is 9-metres long and painted on rice paper. I had to sew cotton onto the back of the work to give it stability. This is also a common approach in calligraphic painting.

I believe that art should speak to people in local communities and not be confined to art galleries. I have lived in Annandale for nearly 30 years and I am grateful to the Hunter Baillie Church for allowing me to show my work in a local setting."

• Opening drinks: Saturday 4 July, 3pm
• Artist talk: Saturday 11 July, 2pm