Lithgow's industrial heritage has inspired the works of seven artists whose works will be displayed at Gang Gang Gallery from this weekend.
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'Industrial Lithgow' will be launched on Saturday, April 20, in the lead-up to the annual Ironfest event, which will start on April 27.
Gang Gang Gallery owner and director Sharon Howard said each artist had prepared a body of work inspired by Lithgow's industrial past.
"It ties in with the iron festival and LithGlow," she said.
Kanimbla Valley artist Margaret Aalders said the industrial theme posed an interesting challenge, particularly as a landscape artist who worked primarily with water colour.
Some of her works have been inspired by the 2013 State Mine fire.
Many of the landmarks depicted by Lithgow artist Annie Joseph in pen and ink will be easily recognisable to locals - one sits just outside the Gang Gang Gallery itself, the James Street rail bridge.
She said she had found a talk by Professor Ian Jack on the history of Cooerwull very thought-provoking when thinking about Lithgow's heritage.
"Because people forget that Lithgow was a pastoral area before it was ever industrial," she said.
"What we are left with are the ruins, because we are not an industrial town anymore.
"All those old things, they have a patina about them, like old furniture, that's quite lovely."
Ms Joseph and Ms Aalders are both part of the annual Lithgow Art Trail, which opens up the studios of artists and artisans around the Lithgow region to visitors over one weekend in November.
In his artist's statement for the exhibition, Ronald Horstmann said people continued to be drawn to the industrial, despite its "collision of disparate elements" which makes it "almost radical, anti-aesthetic".
Other artists to be featured are Rachel Szalay, Dean Mobb, sculptor Ralph Tikerpae and street artist Gerard Brown (known as Le Grizz) whose work is on display in Lithgow.
The opening at Gang Gang Gallery on Main Street, Lithgow, will be held on Saturday, April 20 from 5-7pm.
Gang Gang Gallery will also be hosting the official Ironfest opening on Friday, April 26, leading into two big days at the showground.
