Fi WIlkie in her Margaret River studio. Credit: Tim Campbell.
A record number of artists have signed up for this year’s Margaret River Region Open Studios (10 to 25 September).
From Anniebrook to Witchcliffe and Boallia to Eagle Bay, the Margaret River Region will be a sea of Open Studios signs welcoming in art lovers to the artist’s usually private world of paint, canvas, kilns, fabric, fire, timber, charcoal, chainsaws, pencils, found objects, welding tools, looms, printing presses, clay, metal and millinery.
Chair Jim Davies said the response from artists to this year’s Margaret River Region Open Studios event was a wonderful outcome.
“We’ve been bowled over by the number of artist registrations this year,” he said. “We thought there might be some uncertainty due to COVID but I suspect the desire to share beauty and creation is more important than ever before to our artists and community.
“Our event has grown year-on-year and the word-of-mouth spreads through the artistic community.
“An astonishing 43 artists will make their Open Studios debut in September, which is another record broken, and 16 artists will have participated in all nine events, providing a rich and diverse offering for our visitors,” Jim said.
The 16-day event will showcase art in all its forms.
Visitors will find artists in family homes, old timber mill cottages, hobby and dairy farms, straw bale homes, a converted water tank, cottages, hay sheds, converted school bus, brewery, beach shack, industrial sheds, sea containers, shearing sheds, bush blocks, a ‘Sheila shack’ and more.
Some artists who call the Margaret River Region home have lived here all their lives and others are more recent arrivals, bringing with them the influence of their home states or countries.
Our artists are inspired by everything from ocean oddities (Leon Pericles, Adam Ashdown) to Geology (Ian Dowling, Barbara Weeks, Ren Douglas, Ros Hamdorf), Yachts on Geographe Bay (Chloe Alba), Art Nouveau Furniture (John Leek), Japanese embroidery (Lorelei Smit), consumerism (Karin Luciano), Star Wars (Christian Fletcher), and micro-environments (Rona Mirtle), and the impact of COVID and war in the Ukraine have certainly influenced the direction of many whose focus has turned to home, nature and family. Living in the Margaret River Region remains the most significant influence on our artists work – it’s sweeping coast, ocean, forest, vineyards, wildlife and natural beauty.
Be inspired by artists who are keen to share their passions, their craft, and stories.
Visit mrropenstudios.com.au, or visit the event’s Instagram, Facebook and YouTube accounts. Printed event guides will be available at Jacksons Drawing Supplies, Visitor Centres and participating outlets from early July and it will also be downloadable from the website.
Margaret River Region Open Studios is made possible thanks to Department of Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries, Tourism Western Australia, City of Busselton, Shire of Augusta Margaret River, Jacksons Drawing Supplies, Private Properties, Rio Tinto and more.