‘Melbourne Scenes’ was an exhibition held at a Private Club in Melbourne in 2008. Several of the works had featured in an exhibition in Sydney the previous year and were joined by more paintings of Melbourne’s buildings; including iconic foodie favourites: Phillippas in Armadale and Doninnis of Carlton.
A portrait of Australian Opera singer Sally-Anne Russell, as Cherubino which had been selected as a Finalist work in the 2007 Portia Geach Memorial Portrait Prize was included in the exhibition and Sally-Anne attended the opening night.
‘Exploring Subject, Scale and Size’ was the 2011 exhibition held at the Club. Paintings of the Waubra wind farm which had featured in the Windfarm celebration day held at the completion of the wind farm construction were included in the show. Other works also depicted the local Waubra farming area where Watts has a second studio on the farm – foxes, sheep and cattle – some grazing amongst the building materials during the windfarms construction.
A painting of the facade of the Melbourne Cricket Ground Gate 1 Facade was to be selected the following year as a Finalist work in the Albany Art Prize.
Portraits included in the exhibition were:
Senex, which had been selected as a Finalist work in the 2007 Portia Geach Memorial Portrait Prize and later as a Semi-Finalist work for the Royal Society of Portrait Painters (UK);
Jesse Spencer, outside the house, which was hung in the Hidden Faces of the Archibald – the Victorian Refuses exhibition;
Jesse Spencer reading the script, which had been selected as a Finalist work in the 2007 Portia Geach Memorial Portrait Prize; and
Through the Lens, which was hung in the Hidden Faces of the Archibald – the Victorian Refuses exhibition the following year.
‘Three Years’ exhibition was held in 2015. T-sections, a detailed painting of the facade of Council House in Perth featured in this exhibition alongside Council House Perth which was a full-size study for Modernist icon which won the Black Swan Prize for Heritage in 2014 (see Awards page). The exhibition also featured other works which had been hung in various art prizes including:
Portsea area selected to hang in the Salon des Refuses (landscape) at the SH Ervin Gallery, 2013;
Mt Buangor #7, was hung in the invitational, Tattersalls Club Landscape Prize 2013 and also this work was selected as a Finalist in the 43rd Muswellbrook Art Prize, 2015;
Mt Buangor #8, was selected as a Finalist work in the Calleen Art Award 2015; and
Heroes which was painted as an entry to the Gallipoli Art Prize but not selected in 2015 was selected as a Finalist in the Albany Art Prize in 2016 and won the Popular Choice Award (see Awards page)
Portraits included in the exhibition were:
Self-portrait, which had been selected as a Finalist work in the 2007 Portia Geach Memorial Portrait 2013;
Self-portrait, in a London cab, which was hung in the Hidden Faces of the Archibald – the Victorian Refuses exhibition, 2013;
Dr Jane Tovey, which had been selected as a Finalist work in the Black Swan Prize for Portraiture, 2014;
Dr Gregory Lyon, which was hung in the Hidden Faces of the Archibald – the Victorian Refuses exhibition, 2014;
David OHaion, which was hung in the Hidden Faces of the Archibald – the Victorian Refuses exhibition, 2015; and
POW 3332 Francis George Cox OAM JP (1915-2015), which was hung in the Hidden Faces of the Archibald – the Victorian Refuses exhibition, 2015
