Artists
Col Mac
Jessica McNicol
Rhianna Phillips
Samuel Kiernan
In it's third iteration of the Road Trip, A Residency project, curator Laura Brinin and Director Leesa Hickey of Side Gallery in Brisbane invited a small group of artists to spend a long weekend in Armidale to explore how their practices might shift when removed from the familiarity of their usual studios and routines. Artists were encouraged to make work, wander, connect, reflect and respond intuitively to the landscape, architecture and rhythm of the New England region.
During the residency, the group met with NERAM Director Rachael Parsons, toured the museum and its educational collection, and connected with artists in their studios from Armidale and nearby Walcha. Alongside these experiences, they immersed themselves in the distinctive pastoral landscape that defines the region.
Road Trip brings together new works by Side Gallery artists Col Mac, Jessica McNicol, Rhianna Phillips and Samuel Kiernan, each offering a personal response to Armidale's landscape, township, people and environment.
The exhibition is presented at NERAM from 14 August — 27 September 2026
House and Garden — Jessica McNicol 2026
synthetic polymer on panel
$550 Framed
Big Sky 1 2026
synthetic polymer on panel
$450 Framed
Big Sky 2 2026
synthetic polymer on panel
$450 Framed
Cow About Here — Samuel Kiernan 2026
Oil on wood
9 x 20.5 cm
$300 Framed
Cow About Now — Samuel Kiernan 2026
Oil on wood
20.5 x 14 cm
$450 Framed
Cows About Over There — Samuel Kiernan 2026
Oil on wood
9.25 x 20.5 cm
$300 Framed
Cows About There — Samuel Kiernan 2026
Oil on wood
9.5 x 20.5 cm
$300 Framed
Dam Facade — Samuel Kiernan 2026
Oil on wood
24.5 x 14 cm
$400 Framed
Dam Parapet — Samuel Kiernan 2026
Oil on wood
13 x 20.5 cm
$300 Framed
Eureka Horses — Samuel Kiernan 2026
Oil on wood
$400 Framed
Flower Spotters — Samuel Kiernan 2026
Oil on wood
20.5 x 14 cm
$400 Framed
Sold
Land For Sale 2026
Oil on wood
20.5 x 9.25 cm
$300 Sold
Here are all my fears told from the backseat of your car — Rhianna Phillips 2026
Oli Pastel & Acrylic ink on Archival paper
150cm x 150cm cm
$580
Sold
But we spent the whole day talking and I lost my voice — Rhianna Phillips 2026
Oil Stick, Oil Pastel & Acrylic Ink on Archival Paper
150 x 150 cm
$580 Sold
Looking outside, but I cried when you cried — Rhianna Phillips 2026
Oil Stick, Oil Pastel & Acrylic Ink on Archival Paper
150 x 150 cm
$580
Green, Brown, Green again, Cows, Terracotta — Rhianna Phillips 2026
Oil Stick, Oil Pastel & Acrylic Ink on Archival Paper
150 x 150 cm
$580
Here are all my fears, told from the backseat of your car II — Rhianna Phillips 2026
Oil Stick, Oil Pastel & Acrylic Ink on Archival Paper
150 x 150 cm
$580
if the glove fits — Col Mac 2026
Oil on canvas
40 x 50 cm
$850 Framed
Sold
little sparta garden shed — Col Mac 2026
Oil on canvas
107 x 81.5 cm
Sold
a soft place to rest your head — Col Mac 2026
Oil on canvas
40 x 50 cm
little sparta window — Col Mac 2026
Oil on canvas
$940
little sparta leaves 2026
Oil on canvas
$550
