If variety is the spice of life, it’s a very spicy year for the artists of the Royal Queensland Art Society. (RQAS). The 134^th RQAS Members Annual Exhibition is now on. It’s in two parts actually.

Recently we  saw the acrylic, oil painting and sculpture entries with first prize in the painting in oils and acrylics section won by Laura Phillips for her painting Brink.

That prize was judged by Todd Whisson while the sculpture prize was judged by Stephen Newton and won by Jennifer Long for her work Totem Tangle 3. You have missed seeing them since we are now on to part two although the sculptures are still on show at the Petrie Terrace Gallery along with  works from other sections – drawing, photography, digital painting and digital manipulation, watercolour, 2D artworks and pastels.

The exhibition shows a diverse range of styles and subjects.

And therein lies the beauty of an exhibition which continues a long tradition. A very long tradition actually since the RQAS is the oldest art association in Queensland and has been promoting and supporting local artists since 1887, although informal meetings date back to 1884.

The key foundational figure was Isaac Walter Jenner, a revered colonial artist and the membership over the years is littered with famous names. The first few years were apparently tricky (you know what artists can be like) however the appointment of R. Godfrey Rivers in 1891 settled things down and established the policy of allowing only original works to be shown in exhibitions, a tradition which continues to this very day. R. Godfrey Rivers is another foundational figure in Queensland art and in 1903 painted what has become the Queensland Art Gallery’s favourite work, Under the Jacaranda.

In its chequered history, the RQAS has played an undeniably important role in the establishment of of what is now the Queensland Art Gallery (QAGOMA now, with the addition of the Gallery of Modern Art). In addition to Isaac Walter Jenner and R. Godfrey Rivers, other famous names associated with RQAS include Vida Lahey, Daphne Mayo, Margaret Olley, Irene Amos, William Bustard and many more.

So, it’s lovely to see tradition continue. The current member’s exhibition is lively and entertaining Wandering through it the eye is drawn to a familiar image at first … a portrait in pastel of a girl. Lisa Stansfield’s After Vermeer: The Girl with the Pastel Earring is a nice nod to a great art work that eventually became the subject of a rather interesting film.

Graham W Smith is an RQAS stalwart and his Outback Riders in the watercolor section is also eye catching and quite fun, depicting motorcycles churning up the dirt in the Queensland Outback.

In the photography section Christine Hall’s work Introspection is a serene, simple and beautifully lit work that exemplifies the quietude of an artist who is perhaps thinking about what is next.

Owen Hutchison’s woodcut Kata Tjuta Country  is a lively Central Australian landscape that evokes the ancient nature of our continent.

There are streetscapes, pastoral scenes, seascapes and homages to other culture and styles such as Christine Groh’s lovely mixed media and collage work Let us Entertain You, featuring a kind of Floating World scene with Japanese Geisha.

Or you might be drawn to pastels of beloved pets or more abstract works but whatever your taste I think we can safely say you will find something to interest you.  And of course, this is a wonderful opportunity to add works to you collection – pieces by established RQAS artists and newcomers since one of the artists included is just 15 making this exhibition a multi-generational affair. The judging will take place on the weekend.

The 134^th RQAS Members Annual Exhibition is on until July 14 at Petrie Terrace Gallery, 3/162 Petrie Terrace, Brisbane, 10am to 3.30pm Wednesday to Sunday.

rqas.com.au