FERN PETRIE
2016 - Where the Lilies Blow
8th – 27th March, Linton & Kay Gallery, Perth, Western Australia.
Opened on International Women's Day, 2016. Each painting represents two women; the historical figure who left behind no image and the forgotten Victorian women whose photographs became the lasting reminder of their lives.
2013 - Flights of Fancy
7 – 22 March 2013, Linton & Kay Gallery, Perth, WA.
Flights of Fancy celebrates the whimsy of childhood imagination and yearning to return to a time when the mystery and possibilities of life seemed endless. This concept was expressed through images inspired by three Edwardian children's books.
2011 - Cabinet of Curiosities
25 November – 25 December 2011, Murano & Gullotti Gallery, Perth, WA
Based on a Masonic certificate gifted to me at the passing of my grandmother, these works formed a symbolic gateway to understanding that life is full of mysteries which may never be plumbed, a cabinet of curiosities filled with wonder and contemplation.
2010 - The Velvet Album
19 November – 3 December 2010, Murano & Gullotti Gallery, Perth, WA
Inspired by a beautiful velvet Victorian photo album which came into my possession, this collection of paintings sought to create a new album, a surreal dream-like tribute to lives which were lived in colour and have been all but forgotten.
2009 - Remembrances, Collections & Keepsakes
30th May – 7th June, The Moores Building Gallery, Perth, Western Australia.
This was my first overseas exhibition. It showcased an eclectic retrospective offering of works from my past five exhibitions in New Zealand as well as displaying new works inspired by my life in Perth, Western Australia.
2004 - Tales from the Drawing Room
7th – 28th August, Studio Gallery, Auckland.
Inspired by Victorian anatomical studies, the pageantry of the Venetian carnival and perceptions beauty throughout the ages I wished to create a world peopled by creations which spoke of my fascination with the peculiar and the otherworldly.
2003 - Second Skin
16th – 20th March, Spiral Gallery, Auckland.
This exhibition was comprised of 40 reworked dolls, some of which I owned as a child. Each forsaken doll, a relic of childhood served as a tool for exploration and growth. I felt compelled to transform these forgotten treasures into desirable objects once again.