Castlemaine’s iconic Shades of Gray Gallery and Garden is getting set to launch its highly anticipated annual exhibition this Saturday and this year’s event is set to be the biggest and best yet.
Shade of Gray founder and artist Peter Gray said this year’s exhibition was the culmination of 32 years honing his craft and his absolute best work to date.
“I’ve poured everything I have into this year’s exhibition. I am absolutely thrilled with the final result and I can’t wait to welcome everyone through the gates,” Gray said.
This year’s exhibition is titled Vegie Patch and at its heart is a stunning showcase in the main gallery, which features a full vegie patch brimming with cabbages and cos lettuce, and a fully kitted out garden shed made from recycled materials sourced from far and wide, including the The Salvage Yard at Castlemaine, which one lucky gardener will be able to snap up for their garden. This centrepiece is surrounded by a gorgeous array of vegetables including pumpkins, carrots and beets forged from bronze, and a myriad of garden signage including vegetable, herb and plant tags perfect for the gardener in your life.
“There is a particular focus on signs this year with more than 150 garden signs plus herb and vegetable tags,” Gray said.
“Of course the flowers are always a highlight, this year poppies feature heavily and we had a bit of fun with our poppies on our Instagram so be sure to check it out!”
Gray said they were expecting thousands of visitors to make the trek to Castlemaine for the annual exhibition.
“We have visitors make the pilgrimage annually from all over Australia and we also have a few international visitors heading our way,” he said.
“If you’ve never been before, or if you haven’t been for a while, be sure to pay us a visit. There have been some big changes, new additions and it’s definitely worth a visit.
“The garden is looking better than ever and where else can you go and see a garden with 10,000 flowers permanently in bloom. It’s certainly a sight to behold!”
The exhibition runs from November 1 to November 9 and will be open daily from 10am to 4pm.
It then continues weekends November 15-16, 22-23, and 29-30 from 10am to 4pm.
You can find Shades of Gray at the intersection of Farnsworth and Brown Streets, Castlemaine. To enjoy a sneak peek at some of Gray’s latest creations, check out the Instagram page Shades of Gray Studio.
