Permanent Collection

A permanent collection of works of art has been built up over the years by the acquisition of the winners in the Annual Autumn Art Competition.  Included in the Collection are also paintings donated or bequeathed to the Gallery, or bought by the Committee to add diversity and variety to the Collection.

Pride of place in the collection are a group of paintings referred to as the “Buckland Screens’, painted by Thomas Lawler. The screens depict the goldmining history of the area, in particular the infamous riots between the Chinese community and the European miners.

Thomas Lawler

Thomas Lawler was born in Bright in 1944 and began painting at Bright Higher Elementary School under the direction of teacher/artist Peter Burns. After researching the evidence of what had been the worst race riots in Victoria's history, Thomas Lawler decided to paint...

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Dee Stapleton

Dee Stapleton

"You name it, she could do it!" This is how Russell Stapleton described his wife's skills in the practical arts. Dee specialised in cross stitch and lace work and the Gallery has three examples of the former, all of them acquired in 1980, and each depicting a scene of...

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Brian Elvish

Brian Elvish

Brian Elvish (1947 -     ) Brian holds the record for participation in the Bright Art Show. He has entered paintings in all but two Exhibitions since 1967. Awarded "Best Local Landscape" in 1976, 1978 and 1983. he has also been a winner and highly commended at several...

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Tom Bradbury

Tom Bradbury

Tom Bradbury (1948 -     ) Tom was born in the North East of England, went to school until 15 then worked as a boiler maker in Teeside until he emigrated to Australia with his young family in 1982. working at his trade, he painted when he found time. He and his family...

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David Ashcroft

David Ashcroft

David Ashcroft (1947 -    ) Trained as a graphic artist, David lives at Harrietville. Keen anglers will be familiar with his work as he did the covers for the Australian Fresh Water Fishing Magazine for two years. He has done similar detailed work for magazines...

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Lorna Chick

Lorna Chick

Lorna Chick (1922 -     ) Lorna Chick has lived all her life on a farm at Wangandary, not far from Wangaratta in Victoria's North East. She is mainly self-taught but did take art lessons in the 1960's with Jock Tomlinson at Wangaratta Technical School. Daisies on...

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Hans Knorr

Hans Knorr (1915 - 1988) Hans was trained as a cabinet maker in Germany. Following internment in Victoria during world War II, he married author Hilde Dent in 1948, decided to remain in Australia and earned international acclaim as a sculptor. In 1978 Hans and Hilde...

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Norma Bull

Norma Bull

Norma Bull was born in 1906 in Melbourne and studied at the prestigious National Gallery of Victoria Art School. Her work was strongly influenced by the conservative nature of the Gallery school under Bernard Hall, and she remained a traditionalist all her life. In...

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