Nadeen Lovell studied at the prestigious Julian Ashton Art School (founded 1890 ) in Sydney.
She first came to the Kimberley in 1989, on a three week painting trip with a group of artists from Sydney. Captivated, Nadeen returned to paint the Kimberley again in 1990. In 1991, undertaking a serious sea change, she began working out of the town of Kununurra in the East Kimberley, as a 4WD tour driver/guide. For the next seven years Nadeen worked out in the Kimberley bush during ‘the dry’.
Included in her work were several more Kimberley painting trips, only now Nadeen was guide for the artist groups. When ‘the wet’ arrived each year, Nadeen caught up on her painting, mounted exhibitions, locally and interstate and travelled. The idea of opening a fine arts gallery lurked in the back of her mind as she waited for the town and tourism to grow.
On two occasions her travels took her to Antarctica, after which an exhibition of that work
“ Contrasts” Antarctica vs Kimberley
was shown in Sydney in 1997.
That same year Nadeen opened the Kimberley School of Art and began encouraging the Kununurra locals, keen to improve their painting skills. Lessons have to be confined to the less busy times of the year for students and teacher alike so unfortunately at present, Nadeen can not teach tourist season visitors.
In March 1998 Nadeen took the plunge and opened a small gallery, in a cottage in Kununurra, to exhibit her own work and that of two other Kununurra artists. In 1999 she won the GWN Business Person of the year. Nadeen added more artists to her Diversion Gallery stable over the next few years.
November 2001…. with artist Kimberley Kohan, Nadeen was given a hearty breakfast farewell by a group of Kununurra patrons. Driving a generously donated Slingair/Heliwork bus, the two artists left town and headed out across Australia ….. destination Melbourne. On board, an exhibition of seventy paintings including The Mural of the Bungle Bungle.
The colourful exhibition “The Raw Power of the Kimberley” and the launch of Nadeen’s book
“Journey to the Bungle Bungle” .
were well received and so a smaller exhibition, “Raw Power of the Kimberley II” was taken to Perth, in two 4WD vehicles, the following year.
By late 2002, Nadeen knew she needed to expand the gallery space. She came to an arrangement with one of her exhibitors of some years, Peter Mulder, a regular visitor from Sydney. Peter would have a purpose designed building constructed, on a block he had purchased near the cottage gallery, if Nadeen would take on a long term lease for her business.
Such an undertaking in a small, very remote town was not without many challenges, however, in March 2004, a group of some 270 guests attended a black-tie opening in a stunning, modern gallery.
Early 2005 an interim name change to Lovell Diversion Gallery was made and with the help of her manager, fellow exhibiting artist Trish Purchase, Nadeen now divides her time between the gallery, the studio, the art school and the bush. Always there to help out at functions are several of these local artists who know the Kimberley so well, particularly Kimberley Kohan, who has exhibited since the original opening in 1998.
In 2006 Diversion was dropped and the gallery finally became
Lovell Gallery.
Manager Trish Purchase left in August 2007 to become a proud Mum. However, art
is in her blood and she is painting birdlife better than ever with new work
delivered to the gallery in March. She has also returned to the fold part time
as from April, to take over the accounts, much to Nadeen’s relief.
A careful painter who depicts the land in all its detail, Nadeen is still exploring areas new to her in the vast Kimberley and west N.T. When time permits she hopes to return to exhibiting interstate, writing and maybe organising visiting artist tours again……some day.
The Gallery’s 10th Birthday
was celebrated in
fine style on 28 March 2008. One hundred and thirty specially invited guests,
many who had attended the opening in 1998 and others who had helped out over
the years, were treated to a new exhibition as well as fine wines and delicious
hors d’oeuvres ( some of the painters are also culinary artists ).