Back to the Orchard by Merrick Fry 2026

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Renowned artist Merrick Fry is bringing his latest exhibition - Back to the Orchard - to Annandale in July. As a child Fry spent a lot of time on his family's fruit orchard on the outskirts of Bathurst. Later, as a student at the National Art School, he would return to the orchard in his holidays to pick peaches.

'I recall the intense smell of the fruit, the soft pastel colour of the blossom and the changing of the seasons,' he says.

The work in this exhibition is influenced by the calligraphic drawings from China and Japan, and captures the ethereal magic of orchards over the course of a year. The major work 'Apple Orchard in Four Seasons' is 9-metres long and painted on rice paper. Fry had to sew cotton onto the back of the work to give it stability - a common approach in calligraphic painting.

Fry believes that art should speak to people in local communities and not be confined to art galleries. He has lived in Annandale for nearly 30 years and is excited to show his work in a local setting.

Prominent art critic, John McDonald once described Fry as, 'Blessed and cursed with colossal skill and a restless temperament.'

His work can be found in major national and international collections, including the National Gallery of Australia.