Photographer ····Katherine Cordwell
Medium ········· Photographic Series
Published ······ 2023
Medium ········· Photographic Series
Published ······ 2023
Artist Series: This Is Craig Ruddy
Best known for his portraits of influential indigenous Australians such as David Gulpilil, Cathy Freeman, Warwick Thornton and Bruce Pascoe, Archibald Prize winner Craig Ruddy’s work centred on the human body and its connection to the natural world. His insight into the parallel between the natural and human experience, between the devastation of the environment and the sense of loss experienced by his portrait subjects, enabled him to portray an intrinsic truth about our connection to each other and the world. Ever the naturalist, Craig shaped his artworks while living in the Byron Bay hinterland of northern New South Wales.
Craig summarised his own life philosophy as
freedom, balance and unconditional love. This is a collection of photographs
documenting the artist's process and personality: working in his studio and
relaxing in his home, reflecting his insightfulness, playfulness and sensitivity.
My hope is that it contributes to preserving images of an iconic artist and
national treasure, providing insight for future Australian artists and cultural
historians into the visceral role geography plays in stimulating creativity.
‘This Is Craig Ruddy: An Intimate Portrait of an Iconic Australian Artist’ photography book coming soon.
Click here for more information.
Click here for more information.
This Is Craig Ruddy: An Intimate Portrait of an Iconic Australian Artist
Photographer ····Katherine Cordwell
Medium ········· Photographic Book
Published ······ Coming soon 2023
Language ······· English
Medium ········· Photographic Book
Published ······ Coming soon 2023
Language ······· English
Best known for his portraits of influential indigenous Australians such as David Gulpilil, Cathy Freeman, Warwick Thornton and Bruce Pascoe, Archibald Prize winner Craig Ruddy’s work centred on the human body and its connection to the natural world. His insight into the parallel between the natural and human experience, between the devastation of the environment and the sense of loss experienced by his portrait subjects, enabled him to portray an intrinsic truth about our connection to each other and the world. Ever the naturalist, Craig shaped his artworks while living in the Byron Bay hinterland of northern New South Wales.
Craig summarised his own life philosophy as freedom, balance and unconditional love. This book is a collection of photographs documenting the artist's process and personality: working in his studio and relaxing in his home, reflecting his insightfulness, playfulness and sensitivity. My hope is that it contributes to preserving images of an iconic artist and national treasure, providing insight for future Australian artists and cultural historians into the visceral role geography plays in stimulating creativity.
‘This Is Craig Ruddy: An Intimate Portrait of an Iconic Australian Artist’ photography book coming soon.
Click here for more information.
Craig summarised his own life philosophy as freedom, balance and unconditional love. This book is a collection of photographs documenting the artist's process and personality: working in his studio and relaxing in his home, reflecting his insightfulness, playfulness and sensitivity. My hope is that it contributes to preserving images of an iconic artist and national treasure, providing insight for future Australian artists and cultural historians into the visceral role geography plays in stimulating creativity.
‘This Is Craig Ruddy: An Intimate Portrait of an Iconic Australian Artist’ photography book coming soon.
Click here for more information.
Lewers: Penrith Regional Gallery is proud to publish Blak Douglas: The Halfway Line. The first monograph on the work of one of Australia’s most compelling contemporary artists, the book follows the critically acclaimed mid-career survey exhibition of the same name presented at Lewers in 2025 and curated by Djon Mundine OAM and Gallery Director, Toby Chapman.
Blak Douglas: The Halfway Line maps the development of Douglas’ singular, incisive style, examining his output in painting, photography, drawing, sculpture, public art and performance, and mapping the emergence of his career: from his first show in an industrial estate in Penrith to his inclusion in major group exhibitions such as TARNANTHI and the National Indigenous Art Triennial, Defying Empire, and winning the major Archibald Prize in 2022 with his portrait of fellow artist Karla Dickens.
Rich with historical context, stunning reproductions and behind-the-scenes documentation, the book includes an insightful essay by Djon Mundine OAM, a Q&A with Karla Dickens, and stands as an important contribution to scholarship in contemporary First Nations art.
Art Director & Photographer ····Katherine Cordwell
Medium ········· Photographic Book / Monograph
Published ······ 2025
Purchase Blak Douglas: The Halfway Line Book
Photographer ····Katherine Cordwell
Medium ········· Photographic Series
Published ······ 2024
Medium ········· Photographic Series
Published ······ 2024
Artist Series: This Is Blak Douglas
Blak Douglas, born Adam Douglas Hill, in 1970, is a contemporary Aboriginal artist and musician. Born in Blacktown and raised in Penrith (Dharug Country), Hill is an Indigenous Australian with Irish, Scottish, English and German ancestry.
Hill studied Graphic Design at the University of Western Sydney and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in 1994. While working as a graphic designer for the Indigenous Australians exhibition at the Australian Museum in 1997, Hill met the Wollongong-based artist Kevin Butler who became his main inspiration to begin painting in 1998.
Hill’s work is heavily influenced by his own experiences as an Aboriginal man living in contemporary Australia. He often draws on his personal history, as well as the stories and experiences of his ancestors, to create works that are both deeply personal and broadly political. His art is characterized by bold, graphic imagery and a striking use of color, and he often incorporates elements of street art and graffiti into his pieces.
In the June 2006 edition of Australian Art Collector writer Adam Geczy said of his work; “Hill’s commentary is laced with humorous bluster. An amalgam of poster art and hip-hop, Adam Hill’s painting still has no parallel in the Aboriginal art community. His works are typically acerbic attacks on abuses to the environment, and the continued reluctance of White communities to acknowledge the Aboriginal presence, past and present.”
He won the 2022 Archibald Prize for his portrait of Wiradjuri artist Karla Dickens and was a finalist for the Archibald Prize in 2015 (Smoke and mirrors – Uncle Max Eulo) and 2018 (Uncle Roy Kennedy). His work is held in the National Gallery of Australia and the Art Gallery of New South Wales.
Blak Douglas, born Adam Douglas Hill, in 1970, is a contemporary Aboriginal artist and musician. Born in Blacktown and raised in Penrith (Dharug Country), Hill is an Indigenous Australian with Irish, Scottish, English and German ancestry.
Hill studied Graphic Design at the University of Western Sydney and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in 1994. While working as a graphic designer for the Indigenous Australians exhibition at the Australian Museum in 1997, Hill met the Wollongong-based artist Kevin Butler who became his main inspiration to begin painting in 1998.
Hill’s work is heavily influenced by his own experiences as an Aboriginal man living in contemporary Australia. He often draws on his personal history, as well as the stories and experiences of his ancestors, to create works that are both deeply personal and broadly political. His art is characterized by bold, graphic imagery and a striking use of color, and he often incorporates elements of street art and graffiti into his pieces.
In the June 2006 edition of Australian Art Collector writer Adam Geczy said of his work; “Hill’s commentary is laced with humorous bluster. An amalgam of poster art and hip-hop, Adam Hill’s painting still has no parallel in the Aboriginal art community. His works are typically acerbic attacks on abuses to the environment, and the continued reluctance of White communities to acknowledge the Aboriginal presence, past and present.”
He won the 2022 Archibald Prize for his portrait of Wiradjuri artist Karla Dickens and was a finalist for the Archibald Prize in 2015 (Smoke and mirrors – Uncle Max Eulo) and 2018 (Uncle Roy Kennedy). His work is held in the National Gallery of Australia and the Art Gallery of New South Wales.
