Volunteer Profile

David Coleby

How did you get involved with Blue Mountains Cultural Centre? With my partner, Rae Druitt, we both enrolled as volunteers on day one; Rae at Front of House and me in the Gallery. Over the last seven years we have witnessed a range of wonderful exhibitions in the Gallery, too many to pick by name! The abiding feature has been a focus on local Blue Mountains artists.

Who are some of your favourite artists? Among local artists is my favourite, James Blackwell of Wentworth Falls. His minimalist art is deeply thoughtful and superbly executed. So it was natural for me in 2017 to commission an artwork of Blackwell’s for the Cultural Centre. It was a great surprise to discover that we got not one but a series of four artworks. They now reside in the permanent collection. I have lots of favourite artists, including Paul Klee, Jeffrey Smart, Ken Unsworth, Brett Whiteley...the list goes on!

Do you have your own arts practice? My own art? Almost non-existent, as true art requires a lot of skill, practised over a lifetime, and clearly, I have been doing other things. My real interest is in the environment, botany and ecology, and I have been published half a dozen times, including on the discovery of one new species of Australian Native Plant in the Blue Mountains, Epacris browniae. I have also been working on a book about 25 years of Bushcare on the Sublime Point Reserve in South Leura.