Exhibition a snapshot of Bible lands study tour
An exhibition of watercolour paintings by a retired Seventh-day Adventist minister provides a snapshot of the Bible lands Avondale students will tour this year.
Pr Russell Kranz’s tools are also on display.
Credit: Ashlee King.
Russell Kranz: Watercolourist opened yesterday in Avondale Libraries (Lake Macquarie campus). It features 21 paintings hung in a similar order as the itinerary of the Bible Lands Study Tour (June 13-July 19). The 46 students enrolled in the unit will follow the footsteps of Paul and of Christ and the wanderings of the children of Israel.
Landmarks in the exhibition include Patmos Harbour in Greece, Bethlehem in Israel and the road to Sinai in Egypt. “This is an amazing collection of watercolour paintings by a real artist,” says Rose-lee Power, curator of the Adventist Heritage Centre, the permanent holder of Russell’s work. “We are privileged to receive a sample of his work.”
Russell has painted since childhood, receiving his formal training from Archibald Webb, one of Australia’s traditional watercolourists.
Chaplain Dr Wayne French, who is leading the Bible lands tour, describes Russell as “incredibly creative,” and not just as an artist but as an evangelist and as a minister—Russell spent nine years in London as director of the New Gallery, a church-owned cultural and religious centre in the West End.
Russell travelled extensively throughout the Middle East. “I never cease to marvel at the beauty of God’s creation,” he says.
Russell Kranz: Watercolourist, Avondale Libraries (Lake Macquarie campus), May 28-August 25, 2013