Ricky Schembri is preparing to try the big apple on for size.
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The Koroit artist will travel to the most populous city in the Unites States next month to see his paintings hung on the walls of one the city’s trendiest areas.
Five of Mr Schembri’s pastel paintings will be exhibited at the Amsterdam Whitney Gallery in Chelsea, New York from February 1 to March 1.
The table-top size creations will showcase Schembri’s most familiar settings.
“Four of them are landscapes of Koroit and surrounding areas,” he said.
“And the fifth is a tram in Melbourne.
“It will be good to show our beautiful region to people in another part of the world.”
Mr Schembri’s exhibition was thanks his work appearing in an International art book in 2018.
“There’s about seven or eight thousand of these books distributed to galleries and collectors across the world and she (the gallery curator) found my work and invited me to come.
“I’ve only ever been overseas when I was ten years old and went to Belgium,” he said.
“It was an offer too good to refuse.”
Mr Schembri’s artwork will be framed prior to travel.
“Being pastel they’re like chalk,” he said. “So I normally glass frame them.
“But this time I have framed them in acrylic so it’s so strong you could almost stand on it and safer to travel with.”
The travel and accommodation is at Mr Schembri’s expense.
“The gallery owner said my paintings should sell for USD1500 to USD2000 each,” he said.
“I just hope they sell so I don’t have to travel back with them on the plane, that could make it a very expensive trip.”
Mr Schembri will depart February 25.
His work has also come to the attention of a gallery curator in Arizona, who has offered him a spot as a visiting artist.