Alan Bishop

Alan is a retired engineer and wood worker who has settled in the Clarence Valley. He believes that we are defined by what we do and, ultimately, by what we make. 

He makes furniture, sculpture and functional objects. Although he turns wooden plates and small dishes, he doesn’t consider himself to be a wood turner. Although he makes small boxes, he is not a box maker. Although he makes sculptural objects, he doesn’t call himself a sculptor. He is a woodworker and maker who enjoys the tactile yet rigorous processes, and the overlap between craft and art.

In his woodwork, Alan looks for clean lines, elegant forms and functionality. He believes that tools, utensils and objects in our lives should be both useful and beautiful.

Alan also works with glass, mostly kiln formed glass. He also works collaboratively with glass artist Su Bishop, whose work has been exhibited in the Australian National Glass Art Gallery, and at leading interstate glass art galleries.

Lynne Gehrke

Let the beauty of what you love, be what you do – Rumi

Art has always been something Lynne does in her spare time throughout her working life as an IT business analyst. 

Lynne had her life turned upside down when she went through the breast cancer 6 years ago. She is a self-taught artist, and used art as therapy to get her through those fuzzy days following chemotherapy, and to improve her artistic skills. She has published two books telling her story, and showcasing the paintings she painted throughout her treatment.

Now, since moving to the Clarence Valley nearly five years ago, she believes in doing the things you love, and has experimented with different mediums. She now paints predominantly in acrylic with a little mixed media, or soft pastels.

Each piece of Lynne’s art tells a story, something that she relates to, and will involve some aspect of her life in the Clarence Valley, whether it be the butterflies around her garden, or the magpies who visit. She uses a combination of realism and the abstract, to create and convey the emotion of love by how the animals or birds are reacting to one another, then gradually, builds the story in the painting through the use of colour and texture. 

Ferry Park Gallery is located on the banks of the beautiful Clarence River at the southern entrance to the Scottish town of Maclean. It has a wonderful display of original and locally made arts and crafts, which Range from Paintings to Woodwork, pottery, Porcelain, photography, jewellery, Glass work, quilting and much more. Displays change regularly with a different featured artist and junior artist each month. There is a large unique range of unusual gifts and souvenirs.