As part of a series of short summer exhibitions, DRAW Space is thrilled to present Spencer Calveley’s RURAL ECLECTIC.
Spencer Calveley was the startled but worthy winner of the prestigious 2025 Kedumba Drawing Prize with his work Rural Eclectic III. DRAW Space have invited Spencer to bring a body of work from his studio to Bathurst to the gallery in Newtown. Don’t miss your chance to see Spencer’s work and join the artist and the DRAW Space community to celebrate the opening of this four-day exhibition from 6pm, Thursday 15 January. The artist will be in the gallery Thursday-Saturday 11am-5pm and Sunday 12-5pm.
Artist Statement
Spencer’s artworks often build on a conceptual idea of consumerism. He is highly aware of material product and their lifecycle from their glossy inception to their demise. Growing up with parents in advertising encouraged Spencer to notice and understand the absurd overproduction of merchandise in the modern world, and its juxtaposition to dilapidated rural forms he sees in his everyday life. This inspired him to begin documenting the ways in which these items are made sold, live and die through a rural lens. Calveley’s art inspires reflection, for he provides fresh perspectives on mundane objects, and enjoys breathing original life into items which are at the end of their use. Spencer’s art is produced with an awareness of these ideas of overconsumption, in addition to rural lifestyles and personal and historical understandings, as he uses an “annoyingly humorous” lens to document the ironic lifecycles of material items.
Rural Eclectic III, 2025, charcoal, inks, conte, acrylic and pastel on paper, 62 x 85 cm
BIO
Spencer Calveley is an artist specialising in drawing and painting, living in Bathurst, NSW. He graduated from the College of Fine in Arts (COFA) at UNSW with a Bachelor of Art Education after completing an Associate Diploma of Fine Arts at Hornsby Tafe, receiving the drawing prize. Spencer has been a secondary Visual Art Teacher for over 30 years teaching in outback, urban and regional Australia, and the UK.
Spencer’s solo exhibition “Roadworks” was held at Bathurst Regional Art Gallery. He has exhibited in numerous group shows in Sydney and Bathurst and has work in the Bathurst Regional Gallery and Kedumba Collections. He has been a finalist in the Adelaide Perry, Dobell Drawing, Calleen, Country Energy and Central Belonging art prizes. In 2025, Spencer was the winner of the Kedumba Drawing Prize, which is currently on display. Recently Artist Profile magazine featured Spencer as the Discovery Artist. More of Spencers works can be viewed on his website and Instagram, @spencercalveley.