An argument with a courier led artist Peter Hickey and wife Lesley to the Bell Gallery in Berrima NSW. Although Peter had been exhibiting there for 20 years they had not made the trip before. That was over a year ago and the couple are now happily settled in the Georgian style 'black and white house' that adjoins the gallery.
Peter's first job was with a newspaper filling in crossword puzzle squares, from which his love of black and white evolved. However, the couple's decision to decorate in black and white was a joining of like minds and a desire for simplicity and space. The couple say they have never had the money to decorate a new house, so they have had to make do with the furniture they own. Every house they have owned has been decorated in the style they find relaxing and peaceful — white walls, white sofas, clean clear lines and absolutely no clutter. Usually when people move into a new house, personal touches are added like paint, rugs, curtains and colour. Peter and Lesley did exactly the opposite. All walls were painted white, rugs were removed and heavy gold baroque curtains were replaced with simple Roman blinds. They didn't do a great deal to the house, they have made what they own work and made it theirs. The couple say the key is in furniture with a running theme. In their case it is wooden furniture with an Asian theme including an antique Japanese armoire, an Indonesian chest and a Japanese door coffee table. The house has a feeling similar to the gallery with large, well lit rooms. The white walls are the ideal background for artwork and with Peter's paintings and those by other artists they keep collecting, nothing remains static on the walls for long. Peter spends about four days a week on his artwork and it comes as no surprise that most of his paintings are in black and white. He says people often find black and white work dynamic and they buy it because when their friends walk into the room, the first thing they see is the painting and they like that. Moving to Berrima has meant a change of life for both Lesley and Peter and they couldn't be happier. Peter says he feels he has died and gone to heaven although he doesn't think he could be a country person without having access to the city. He often travels to Sydney to enjoy the buzz of city life and catch up with friends, yet he says afterwards he's happy to get back to the peace of his amazing place. Lesley on the other hand works in Sydney throughout the week and says her weekends are a nice contrast.
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