Saturday 14th & Sunday 15th April 2012
Morpeth Ginger Beer Factory, 5 Green St, Morpeth
It’s Free Entry. 10am – 5pm. Ph 02 4933 1407.
Free Concert at Morpeth.
City and Country band run by Rex Skinner who is a guitarist and composer, who has composed songs for bands such as “The Joy Boys”, “Kamal”, “The Seekers” and “Ronnie Lee”, will perform in a 3 hour concert at Morpeth on the weekend. Between 11am and 2pm on both Saturday 14th and Sunday 15th you hear this classic band play a vast repertoire of instrumental music.
He has composed instrumentals for famous bands such as “The Beach Boys” and includes well known hits such as Highway 69, Undertoe, Illeura and Across the Nullabour.
More recently Rex has composed songs for Australian villages such as Morpeth and Berrima and a song for the King of surfing “The Duke” who visited Australia from Hawaii and introduced surfing into Australia in the early 1900’s. The Duke was the inventor of longboard surfing. This CD has just been released at Morpeth and is now being heard on all Hawaiian airlines flights between Australia and Hawaii.
Morpeth’s tune arose from Rex enjoying a coffee in one of the café’s near Morpeth bridge and as he sipped the coffee he heard the cars crossing the rattle wooden planks on Morpeth Bridge. He strolled outside and he could see the mist rolling over the farmlands and nearby hills and river. This combined with the beautiful sandstone buildings gave him a tune that popped into his head and so the Morpeth tune was born.
Rex says that he always likes to compose catchy tunes that can be remembered…Morpeth is one of these tunes. The tune called Morpeth1821 is on his latest CD. Morpeth’s first land grants were issued in 1821.
Rex Skinner and his band will be performing at Morpeth this weekend 14th and 15th March 2012 for the Fiery Food Festival. His band will be at Morpeth Ginger Beer Factory, 5 Green Street Morpeth both days and it is all free entry.
The Band consists of:
Drummer; Bill Williams
Key Board: Keith Minton
Bass; Jedd Browne
Lead Guitar; Stephen Cowley
Lead Guitar; Rex Skinner
Rex has been in the music industry for many decades and is living in the Hunter and has an amazing knowledge of the bands from many decades.
Contact Rex on: 0438659263 or Email: rex.skinner@bigpond.com
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Gordon Hanley discovers how to draw with ingots of Gold to make paintings.
Morpeth Gallery is pleased to showcase the stunning works of Queensland artist Gordon Hanley in a mini exhibition where he will demonstrate how Goldpoint is done from 15th April until 16th April 2012. The display will highlight Hanley’s exceptional skill in perfecting the art of metalpoint drawings, which are crafted using rods of 24-carat gold and pure silver.
This technique allows for such precision that, on first glance, Hanley’s works resemble black and white photographs. However, Hanley encourages his viewers to inspect the works closely, even with a magnifying glass. This way they can see the incredible detail of each drawing, so vivid that they can be described as photo realist works. Further, when viewed in the right light, the drawings reflect glints of silver and gold, contributing to their uniqueness.
Metalpoint was a popular technique used by many Renaissance artists including Da Vinci and Raphael. Hanley became interested in the technique by reading about its use in this period and was taken by the incredible subtly and beauty it allowed the artist to create.
“Unfortunately metal point died out with the introduction of graphite in the 16th Century,” said Hanley.
Hanley’s deep curiosity resulted in six years of experimentation until he eventually perfected the technique. Now he is the world’s only practicing metalpoint artist. Unseen to the viewer are the hours of preparation that he must undertake before he can even begin to draw. Each sheet of paper must be coated in Hanley’s special formula, a rabbit skin glue mix. This is essential to the process to ensure the silver and gold will take to the page.
“Silver and gold are unforgiving mediums, as mistakes cannot be erased, but their benefits are immeasurable,” said Hanley. “These drawings will remain untarnished and unchanged for up to 1000 years as metal and gold do not oxidise.”
Further, purchasers can be guaranteed the fact that extreme patience, precision and time has been given to each work. The drawings on display cover all subjects from portraits to still-life and each are executed with equal beauty.
Art enthusiasts and members of the public alike are encouraged to visit the exhibition for a rare opportunity to see the metalpoint medium up close. Hanley’s skill has already been recognised internationally and his popularity begins to grow so this may be one of the last times you can view his works in Australia for some time. Come along and meet the artist. Admission is free.
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We love this weekend: it’s the only time of the year we are allowed to make our visitors cry!
The lids on 63 Fiery Hot & Spicy Products will be cracked open at Morpeth Gourmet Foods, and put out for tasting all at once. It’s a Fiery Food Lover’s delight. We must warn you though, many of these Fiery Foods are not for the faint hearted, cry babies, wimps or sooks. To give you an idea of the types of foods on offer lets start with the worst, oops – I mean the hottest.
This would be a locally grown and produced chilli sauce called Scorpion Sting, made by The Chilli Factory at Morisset, Lake Macquarie. It’s a 15+, made from the hottest chilli in the world, called Trinidad Scorpion Chilli. Notoriously hard to grow, even in Australia’s hot climate, the Chilli Factory team have been propagating plants and harvesting them for three years now, with mixed results. In 2011 they produced enough Chilli’s to create this new product.
Because of limited supplies it’s only been available for sale direct from the Chilli Factory, but we have twisted Marcel’s arm, and he agreed to deliver a limited quantity especially for the Fiery Food Festival. We have just 48 jars for sale. There’s plenty to taste – if you dare.
Other Chilli Factory favourites will be available to try: The 14+ Devils Delirium, Taipan Venom, 10++ Habanero Paste, 10+ Wasabi Mustard and various other Mango, Smokey, Sweet, Salsa & Satay Sauces. They have heat factors that range from a 10 to 2 out of 10. From New Zealand comes a ‘Hot As Explosive’ Sauce in a bottle shaped like a stick of dynamite.
With names like Flamin’ Hot Chilli, Turbo Supercharge, Dynamite Chilli, and Dragon’s Blood, you know that the Chilli is Hot! These concoctions will bring tears to the eyes of even the most hardened of chilli lovers. If you’re game… you’ll enjoy your endorphin rush!!
For those who like their chilli with a little less heat, may we recommend you try the Chilli Lime Sambal, Mango & Chilli Dressing, Spicy Hommus, Fart-a-lot Dip, Chilli Beefjerky or the Chilli/Garlic Olives. Even milder still are, Chilli & Passionfruit Mayonnaise, Chilli Satay Sauce, Chilli Lava Honey and Chocolate Chilli Fondue.
Still not fired up? Why not sizzle the tastebuds with chilli pasta, spicy tomato sauce, hot chilli jam, mustards & a divine Chilli & Kaffir Lime Salad Syrup. This Salad Syrup is the creation of Bolwarra based chef Chris Lloyd. Drizzle over salad with salt & pepper squid or pour over pancakes, waffles & icecream. Chilli coated nuts and others warmed in a hot pan, will keep the chills away.
When it’s time to dry out, the Chilli/Lime Cordial manufactured at Morpeth Ginger Beer Factory is a must and the Honey & Ginger (non alcoholic) Wine will quench your thirst. At Morpeth Wine Cellar sample Chilli Liqueur Wine, Peppery Hunter cheese & hot olives. Warm up with Morpeth Moonshine and a Woodfired pizza with lashings of chilli.
Our Fiery Food Feast Special: Spend $30 on Fiery Foods & we’ll gift you a big 230g bag of Byron Bay Cornchips for free. Valued at $5. (While stocks last.)
Morpeth Fiery Food Festival is a chilli lover’s paradise. Chillies that take you beyond the edge of your plate will be available for Free tastings there will be 63 different chilli products to sample.
Life is too short… for boring food!
For everyone else interested in supporting a worthy cause, your purchase of a bullet pen will make a difference to the lives of others.
