After a childhood spent at Parsley Bay, Peter Kingston settled at Lavender Bay amongst a community of artists and friends. From there he observed harbour ferries and Luna Park, in all seasons and weather conditions.
Kingston’s output ranged across drawing, printing, painting and filmmaking. As a student in the 1960’s he contributed cartoons to OZ magazine and was one of the artists who created the Yellow House Artist Collective at Kings Cross in the early 1970’s.
In the 1980’s Kingston produced a series of hand coloured etchings and by the 1990’s he was working with oils, holding his first exhibition in 1990. A decade on Kingston was creating artists’ books of etchings, lino cuts and text.
His work – joyful, charming, and with a very wry humour – celebrates the every day aspects of our city. There is also a bittersweet element, a nostalgic yearning for those places and characters now lost.
A visit to the State Library Of New South Wales will reward you with a number of other exhibitions to be experienced, either all at once or over several visits.
This exhibition, free to the public, is on display at the State Library of New South Wales until the 18th May 2025.
Text and photos by Ben Apfelbaum
