Bathurst's Dean Mobbs launches his book The Expressionist

The artistic powerhouse “likes to dive into life and swim far” and now the prolific painter, sculptor and photographer has embarked upon a fresh creative path – writing.

This afternoon a humble Dean will launch his first novel, The Expressionist, at his art gallery on Keppel Street. 

“I’m just a little boy from the bush who is having his turn, trying to make his way,” he said.

“My original concept for the The Expressionist was to write something localised, based upon the idea of growth. So this is a regional piece.

“I’m a big believer that we can do great things locally. We don’t have to be absorbed by the cities. Places like Bathurst have so much to give – the characters and the sense of time and space are different to anywhere else in the world.

“That is not to say I’m judging the cities, they are wonderful places. Go to the great cities like London and Sydney – visit and enjoy, but then return.

“You don’t get the sense of humility in places like that that you do here. I realise that’s my very individual take on it.

“The Expressionist tells people that it is OK to be yourself,” Dean said. “It’s a tale about dealing with what life throws at you and realising that is what makes you feel alive.

“There is no pearl in your oyster without going through life’s grit,” he smiled. 

“We are pushed, dragged, tossed, turned and told.

“So I set out to put all that into something that looks like literature – and see what would happen.

“It was an enormous challenge, but the risk – as with many things in life – was in not doing it.”

The Expressionist was undertaken as the major work of Dean’s Masters in Philosophy (English Literature) and he explains it “centres on the development of a young Australian boy, living in rural and regional NSW, and his coming of age into a realm of artistic and creative tendencies”.

“I had to do two degrees to get this book completed,” he said. “Five years all up, but I actually wrote it in just 12 weeks.

“It was a journey.”

And that journey began in 2009 when Dean, a chef by trade, who had already retrained to become a primary school teacher, approached his wife Helen with the idea of reinventing himself for a third time to become a full-time artist.

“I’d transitioned once and I knew how painful it was,” he said. “But I’m always prepared to have a go at something new.” 

And there were indeed some challenging moments, the 44-year-old acknowledged, while he studied for his Bachelor of Arts and then a Masters in Philosophy.

“It felt very selfish and there were certainly dark times,” he said. “You question yourself: what am I doing, how will I earn money?

“And the most frightening aspect is that when you embark upon something like this, being an artist, it is all on you – it all has to come from you. But I’m a determined bloke,” he laughed.

The parent to four children, Dean credits his wife Helen and family with supporting him through those rough patches – together with countless long walks with his dog.

“Put it this way, I had a very healthy dog at the end of the process. A very, very healthy dog.”

The family managed to “survive” for those five-odd years, effectively without Dean generating an income, but he believes it was a dream worth chasing.

“Out of the book came all of this,” Dean said, gesturing towards the successful gallery that now brims with bright canvasses, unique drawings and colourful photographers.

At the time Dean was tackling his degrees and embarking upon the idea of The Expressionist, he lived on the Central Coast and spent many hours in his artistic man cave that he simply calls his “shed”.

“It was cathartic,” he said. “I would go to the shed and paint, draw, sculpt, write and cry.”

And when the Mobbs’ mob decided to return to Bathurst in 2011, they knew that Dean had to find a “space” and give artistry a serious “go”.

So, he opened the Dean Mobbs Gallery on Keppel Street in early 2012.

“I had a bucket of paint, five months’ rent, some paper and some canvasses,” he said.

“There were days when no one came into the gallery. There were weeks when no one came into the gallery.

“But I invested in myself,” he said. “Now, my fear is that I won’t get done all that I want done.

“My ultimate aim is to share with the community through what I do. Being true to yourself means you will give the world great things.”

Pleased with his literary final product, Dean will launch The Expressionist this afternoon.  

“I’m very pleased with the book,” he said. “It’s been a wonderful journey and I didn’t realise how much of an impact it would have on my life, especially in terms of self reflection.

“I hope The Expressionist gives people a sense of hope, and encourages them to overcome fears and believe in their choices.”

Not content with being an artist, running a successful gallery and being an author, Dean has applied to undertake a PhD in creative writing and produce a second novel.

“I view life like it was a tiger,” he said. “You can either put your head on its lap and rest or you can hop on its back and ride it.

“I choose the latter.”