EXHIBITED # 9 The Birds of Black Thursday, Rountree Tryon Gallery, London May 1998

Walking home to his studio in Melbourne one afternoon in January 1985, Raymond Ching witnessed dark clouds of smoke billowing over the city. Bush fires had been raging for some days, drawing closer to the city. The experience was new to Ching and the event influenced him greatly. In 1998 a significant exhibition titled The Birds of Black Thursday showcased ten powerful paintings from Raymond Ching's series of the same title. Ching was inspired to create this series after viewing William Strutt's painting Black Thursday, February 6th, 1851, in the La Trobe Collection, State Library Victoria.