Heart of the Coolibahs

The Grassland Gallery is proud to present Heart of the Coolabah, a solo exhibition by artist Andrea Chapman, now on display until the beginning of October. Andrea’s work speaks deeply of life in outback Queensland, where connection to the land runs like a lifeline through community, memory, and experience.

Andrea grew up in the remote mining town of Gunpowder, north of Mount Isa, where her father first handed her a paintbrush at the age of sixteen. From that moment, her love of capturing the bush on canvas has never left her. Today, she sees a painting everywhere she looks—each road trip punctuated by stops to photograph landscapes that others may overlook, but which she treasures as vital reference material. Her eye for detail and colour allows her to transform these glimpses into works that evoke both familiarity and awe.

Many of the pieces in Heart of the Coolabah were inspired by Andrea’s visit to Tambo during the 2024 Grassland Art Prize. It is a collection that honours the rhythm of the outback—the stillness, the vastness, and the beauty found in ordinary moments.

One of the exhibition’s centrepieces, A Walk on the Coolabah Track, was chosen to advertise the show. The painting is accompanied by Andrea’s evocative words:

They walk the Coolabah Track
Where shadows stretch up to steal the last of the sunshine
Hands linked, a language without words
Feet bare on powdered dust
Shadows and shapes merge
And two become one.

This tender reflection captures the intimacy of the landscape and the human experience it frames.

Heart of the Coolabah is an exhibition of stories, memories, and sacred spaces—an invitation to see the outback through Andrea Chapman’s eyes.