Metal As Anything is survey exhibition showcasing thirty years of diverse and intricate etchings of Townsville artist Ron McBurnie - a place where misbehaving dogs, ducks in box kites, jumping cats and eccentric cane toad shooters feature in the carnival of characters and landscapes that the artist has created. McBurnie's world is quirky and endearing, a result of the artist's ability to highlight the weird and wonderful events that occur in our 'mundane' suburban environment.

McBurnie is an artist working on many levels and beyond the humour, his etchings are able to critique our political landscape and frequently reference art history. This is most evident in his more recent Romantic works, in which his refined mark-making is directly inspired by the works of William Blake, Hendrik Goudt, author Kenneth Grahame and most significantly, the 19th Century English landscape painter Samuel Palmer.

Metal As Anything: Ron McBurnie is a travelling exhibition developed by Perc Tucker Regional Gallery and toured by Museum and Gallery Services Queensland. This touring project is supported by the Queensland Government through Arts Queensland and the Visual Arts and Craft Strategy, an initiative of the Australian, State and Territory Governments.

Tour Dates 2011

Tablelands Regional Gallery: 4 April - 1 May

Gympie Regional Gallery: 17 May - 11 June

Stanthorpe Regional Art Gallery: 14 July - 21 August

Toowoomba Regional Gallery: 2 September - 23 October

Wagga Wagga Art Gallery: 14 November - 29 January

Tour Dates 2012

Tamworth Regional Gallery: 31 March - 28 April

ANU School of Art Gallery, Canberra: 9 May - 2 June

Logan Art Gallery: 8 August - 15 September

State Library Queensland: 24 September - 25 November

Artspace Mackay: 14 December - 27 January 2013

Banner image above: Ron McBurnie, This was Whilstler's mother's cat's third attempt to jump onto the table of the Margaret Olley painting, 1997 from the Suburban series. Hard ground etching and aquatint, 39 x 49 cm, edition 20. Photo: Michael Marzik.