Celebrating the region’s birdlife

OPENING NIGHT: Friday 9 October 6pm

An all-new exhibition by one of our favourite artists. Rob’s exhibited works often sell out so get in quick to see these.

For the Birds is a series of lifelike paintings that celebrates our region’s beautiful, engaging yet vulnerable birdlife.

Australia has its share of the most watchable. Their plumage and displays can be spectacular; they have unique voices that we love to hear, vocalisations that amaze and intrigue, behaviours that engage us.

Celebrating their uniqueness paves the way for us to enjoy sharing the world with them.

About Rob Allen

Brisbane born (1955–), Rob studied design at the Queensland Institute of Technology. After a career as an exhibition designer and illustrator at the Queensland Museum, Rob left to pursue his goal of making art. He also volunteers at the Stanthorpe Regional Art Gallery.

Artist Statement

An exhibition about the region’s birdlife that has long hovered in my mind.

My starting point was that representing species found in this part of the country would provide the cohesion a show requires. I am not any kind of expert, so how to go about choosing them? Fortunately, good friends and allies in the birding world helped with some suggestions (my sincere thanks to them). In the end, I went with what I could find and the species I found most compelling.

An early thought was to depict them all at life-size. This was perhaps not the brightest idea, as it proved more of a challenge than I anticipated. How to size my drawings accurately—and create a composition that was manageable at full scale? We have some very large birds. At one time, I considered a Pelican! I decided to relax: my paintings became ‘near-to life-size’ and, in the end, whatever felt right and achievable.

Some of these works I have executed in almost academic style—my background in scientific illustration insists on accuracy—but some include intuitive mark-making and colour choices; improvisations on my foundations. All began with at least an attempt at observation and a photographic record. Each suggested its unique pathway to completion.

I aimed to paint only species that I had seen in real-life. Some rarer ones, I had to accept that I might never see*. For these, I am grateful for published images. Any ‘errors in translation’ are mine.

I wanted to make this an exhibition that was not just about our birds and their habitats, but also about my art practice. That meant a focus not just on finished works but also on my processes. And so, I have included some of the drawings I made as I developed compositions. I hope you find them interesting.

Finally, how would I produce enough works to a standard that would satisfy me, in two years? Only one answer to that: slog away and see where I get to!

Rob Allen Oct’26

* Conservation status is that used on recent eBird listings.