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ART TRAIL
Saturday 5 October & Sunday 6 October 10am to 4.30pm
Monday 7 October 10am to 2.00pm
Pick up a map at the KV Hall or Upper River Hall
KANGAROO VALLEY VILLAGE
Sharon HAARSMA
@Sole Arte Studio
180A Moss Vale Road, Kangaroo Valley
Step into the captivating world of shoemaking and discover the intricate processes in this age-old art when you visit the studio of Sole Arte Shoemakers in picturesque Kangaroo Valley. Explore the detailed processes in shoe design and construction and uncover the curiosities of cordwaining while you chat with the shoemaker. So many fun facts about shoes are to be enjoyed. It’s true that the earliest style of shoe was the sandal, that the winckle-picker was the first pointy-toed shoe created in medieval times, the mule or slipper was once banned for its provocative symbolism and the perforated holes in brogues were designed to allow water drainage when golfing in the marshy bogs of Scotland.
Shoemaker Sharon Haarsma invites you to experience the skills and traditions that have shaped footwear through the ages. She has been refining the art of shoemaking over the past ten years, having completed formal training at the School of Footwear in Sydney and in numerous workshops with experienced shoemakers, most recently in the Czech Republic and Prague with Master Cordwainer Erik Lawart.
In your visit to Sole Arte Studio you’ll have the chance to witness the art of shoemaking up close, try your hand at lasting and stitching and marvel at the artistry and craftsmanship behind every pair of handmade shoes. We welcome you to an engaging visit as part of the Kangaroo Valley Arts Trail.
Shoemaker Sharon Haarsma invites you to experience the skills and traditions that have shaped footwear through the ages. She has been refining the art of shoemaking over the past ten years, having completed formal training at the School of Footwear in Sydney and in numerous workshops with experienced shoemakers, most recently in the Czech Republic and Prague with Master Cordwainer Erik Lawart.
In your visit to Sole Arte Studio you’ll have the chance to witness the art of shoemaking up close, try your hand at lasting and stitching and marvel at the artistry and craftsmanship behind every pair of handmade shoes. We welcome you to an engaging visit as part of the Kangaroo Valley Arts Trail.
Sally THOMSON
@Sally Thomson Studio - 100 Moss Vale Road, Kangaroo Valley
It was in having the great fortune to live in a Sydney shared house in the late 1980s, filled with significant Australian art; that a vision was sparked in me of painting the landscape. This vision stays with me and continues to evolve over time.
Later exploring Central and Western NSW, the countryside immediately reminded me of Fred Williams, Lloyd Rees and Brett Whitely’s works, which, I had seen before these places. I remember being awe struck and inspired that these artists could capture the essence of the places enabling the viewer to be transported, and, that this phenomenon also worked in a converse sense. That is, I was able to recognise the places from my prior knowledge of the paintings.
Attending East Sydney Technical College (National Art School) in the late 1980s early 1990s, and Master of Art Therapy training at University of Western Sydney, I had a revelation about my work... the language of my paintings, often lyrical and free, was told from left to right across the horizon, and, that each landscape I painted held a story, that could be expressed through an absolute passion for the materiality of paint.
Workshops I have loved taking part in have been with many great contemporary landscape painters such as Idris Murphy and Luke Sciberras. Other influences are Elizabeth Cummings and John Olsen.
Later exploring Central and Western NSW, the countryside immediately reminded me of Fred Williams, Lloyd Rees and Brett Whitely’s works, which, I had seen before these places. I remember being awe struck and inspired that these artists could capture the essence of the places enabling the viewer to be transported, and, that this phenomenon also worked in a converse sense. That is, I was able to recognise the places from my prior knowledge of the paintings.
Attending East Sydney Technical College (National Art School) in the late 1980s early 1990s, and Master of Art Therapy training at University of Western Sydney, I had a revelation about my work... the language of my paintings, often lyrical and free, was told from left to right across the horizon, and, that each landscape I painted held a story, that could be expressed through an absolute passion for the materiality of paint.
Workshops I have loved taking part in have been with many great contemporary landscape painters such as Idris Murphy and Luke Sciberras. Other influences are Elizabeth Cummings and John Olsen.
Vicky Cutler
@Sally Thompson Studio - 100 Moss Vale Road, Kangaroo Valley
Vicky is a textile artist and art therapist. Her practice investigates the emotional weight, metaphor and memory that she attaches to personal objects. Vicky uses textile embellishment to visibly repair and amend evocative and found artefacts, bringing self awareness and insight to her practice as an art therapist.
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HEADING TO BERRY AND ON THE WAY
David PRESCOTT
@Feat of Clay Studio & Gallery 105 Glenmurray Road
David trained as a potter at St George college of TAFE, 1981-85. In 1986 he visited Japan on the way to a job in a pottery in Germany. In September 1986 he moved with his family to Kangaroo Valley to work in Jenny Thompson's studio. In 1988 Sue and David started building their house in Kangaroo Valley as a bicentennial project - already it is nearly completed!
For over 30 years david has alternated between making pots and working in education. In 1992, Sue and David opened a pottery, Feat of Clay, on the main road through Kangaroo Valley. In 2001 they moved the business home, where they have built a painting studio and a pottery.
David produces high-fired functional pottery ranging from dipping dishes and sake cups to hand basins. Sue decorates some of his ware. David has been most influenced by Japanese pottery, and most of his work depends on form and the use traditional Japanese and Chinese glazes.
For over 30 years david has alternated between making pots and working in education. In 1992, Sue and David opened a pottery, Feat of Clay, on the main road through Kangaroo Valley. In 2001 they moved the business home, where they have built a painting studio and a pottery.
David produces high-fired functional pottery ranging from dipping dishes and sake cups to hand basins. Sue decorates some of his ware. David has been most influenced by Japanese pottery, and most of his work depends on form and the use traditional Japanese and Chinese glazes.
Sue PRESCOTT
@Feat of Clay Studio & Gallery 105 Glenmurray Road
Sue was born in 1950 in Sydney and grew up at Newport Beach. She has studied at Randwick College of Graphic Design, East Sydney Art School and more recently at Gymea and Nowra TAFEs between raising a family. Solo exhibitions have included Patrick De Gabriele’s in Berry, Cleveland Gallery in Sydney and two at Kunsttopferei Klett in Fredelsloh, Germany. She was a finalist in the Portia Geach Portrait Prize with a portrait of Kate Grenville but her main work has been landscape in oils, acrylic and pastel.
Each week Sue draws and paints with a group of Shoalhaven artists and has had many group exhibitions with them and others, more recently at her own Feat of Clay gallery. Having lived in Kangaroo Valley for 38 years she still feels she has not exhausted painting the valley. This year’s exhibition concentrates on sandstone and other rocks both here and up the coast of NSW and Queensland.
Each week Sue draws and paints with a group of Shoalhaven artists and has had many group exhibitions with them and others, more recently at her own Feat of Clay gallery. Having lived in Kangaroo Valley for 38 years she still feels she has not exhausted painting the valley. This year’s exhibition concentrates on sandstone and other rocks both here and up the coast of NSW and Queensland.
David COLLINS
@476 Woodhill Mountain Road, Woodhill
I work in stoneware, reduced fired in a gas kiln to 1300 degrees centigrade. The pots I make today are a cumulative blend of the journey; technique (throwing, glazing and firing) and the vision (what I see in nature that promotes my creative juices). I have been experimenting with clay, blending local, dug clay with a commercial clay. The result is a ‘gutsy’ clay where impurities bleed through to the surface. I use slips under my glazes, coloured with oxides to create a subtle, layered effect. The use of wood ash sprayed over the glaze mimics the forested environment we all live in on the south coast.
My influences are two-fold.
The English tradition was fathered by Bernard Leach from St Ives in Cornwell in the 1920s. He and Japanese friend Shoji Hamada established a cross cultural conversation. That has resulted in vital ceramic expression that has influenced ceramists around the world ever since.
Secondly, the Japanese pots, made in the 14th century (Muromachi Period) at Shigaraki near Kyoto exhibit a vitality where local materials and practical needs of the local farmers combined to make pieces for practical everyday use with a natural beauty that is still appreciated today.
My influences are two-fold.
The English tradition was fathered by Bernard Leach from St Ives in Cornwell in the 1920s. He and Japanese friend Shoji Hamada established a cross cultural conversation. That has resulted in vital ceramic expression that has influenced ceramists around the world ever since.
Secondly, the Japanese pots, made in the 14th century (Muromachi Period) at Shigaraki near Kyoto exhibit a vitality where local materials and practical needs of the local farmers combined to make pieces for practical everyday use with a natural beauty that is still appreciated today.
Carla JACKETT
@Boobook Studio, 288A Irvine’s Rd. Bellawongarah
Originally from Canada, I lived in Kangaroo Valley for many years and now live at Bellawongarah. My paintings are abstracted and gestural landscape based works. In them I try to create balance and harmony through the use of colour, line and form. I use a variety of mediums including oils, acrylic, gouache, conte and ink. My inspiration comes from my love of the Aussie bush, desert and rainforest where I spend much of my time.
In 2021 I returned to ceramics after a long break. I make sculptural and functional pieces which I fire in my gas kiln up to stoneware temperatures and recently added unique clay slip monoprint paintings to my repertoire. My glazes are made from scratch and recently I have been experimenting with “wild clay” I dig up from my backyard which I find quite exciting!
Over the years I have held three solo painting exhibitions, two solo ceramic shows (“Wings” in 2023 at the Shoalhaven Regional Gallery), and participated in numerous group shows, workshops, woodfirings, festivals, and art prizes in both painting and ceramics.
During the KV Arts Trail Open Studios, I will have original abstract paintings, archival quality prints and a small selection of ceramic pieces for sale.
In 2021 I returned to ceramics after a long break. I make sculptural and functional pieces which I fire in my gas kiln up to stoneware temperatures and recently added unique clay slip monoprint paintings to my repertoire. My glazes are made from scratch and recently I have been experimenting with “wild clay” I dig up from my backyard which I find quite exciting!
Over the years I have held three solo painting exhibitions, two solo ceramic shows (“Wings” in 2023 at the Shoalhaven Regional Gallery), and participated in numerous group shows, workshops, woodfirings, festivals, and art prizes in both painting and ceramics.
During the KV Arts Trail Open Studios, I will have original abstract paintings, archival quality prints and a small selection of ceramic pieces for sale.
Robyn RUMPF
@899A Kangaroo Valley Road, Bellawongarah
Robyn Rumpf has been working as a stone sculptor with basalt, granite, and marble for over 20 years. The process of developing her ideas comes from an instinctive study of the rock’s natural form. The character of each stone is expressed by contrasting texture and polish in abstract sculptural forms.
Robyn joined the Callemondah Sculptors Group in Calderwood under the mentorship of May Barrie in 2005. For the next ten years. Robyn developed her talent and expertise working alongside other very experienced sculptors, including Jan Shaw, June Bennett and Jules Van de Sande.
Robyn moved to Bellawongarah in 2019 where she established her studio, gallery and sculpture paddock. Small table sculptures are exhibited in the gallery and larger outdoor sculptures are presented around the paddock. Robyn also exhibits with the Artists in the Round Yard at Redford Park in Bowral and Sculpture in the Valley in Kangaroo Valley.
Robyn joined the Callemondah Sculptors Group in Calderwood under the mentorship of May Barrie in 2005. For the next ten years. Robyn developed her talent and expertise working alongside other very experienced sculptors, including Jan Shaw, June Bennett and Jules Van de Sande.
Robyn moved to Bellawongarah in 2019 where she established her studio, gallery and sculpture paddock. Small table sculptures are exhibited in the gallery and larger outdoor sculptures are presented around the paddock. Robyn also exhibits with the Artists in the Round Yard at Redford Park in Bowral and Sculpture in the Valley in Kangaroo Valley.
UPPER RIVER AND ON THE WAY
Kerrie LEISHMAN
@Kerrie Leishman Studio - 3/46 Kelly’s Rd. Upper Kangaroo Valley
Kerrie has had a career as a professional artist. She worked as an illustrator for the Sydney Morning Herald (SMH) for 30 years and during this time also regularly exhibited her oil paintings. She had numerous solo exhibitions, as well as participating in many group exhibitions. She has been represented by highly regarded galleries in Sydney, Melbourne and Canberra.
Kerrie has been taking art classes for children, teenagers and adults in her studio in Kangaroo Valley for the past 16 years.
This is the first time she is opening her studio to the public - it will have oil paintings and original illustrations from the SMH.
Kerrie has been taking art classes for children, teenagers and adults in her studio in Kangaroo Valley for the past 16 years.
This is the first time she is opening her studio to the public - it will have oil paintings and original illustrations from the SMH.
Daisy FARNHAM
@Kerrie Leishman Studio - 3/46 Kelly’s Rd. Upper Kangaroo Valley
Daisy Farnham (she/her) is an artist and educator who works in watercolours, printmaking and textiles. Her colourful and engaging pieces draw inspiration from her own life experiences, community and surroundings, and reflect the contemporary social and environmental issues she observes. Daisy’s works celebrate the beauty in the familiar, ordinary and seemingly mundane by capturing the vibrancy and significance of the everyday objects, scenes and landscapes. Her practice is playful and explorative, characterised by bold use of colour, often whimsical expression and experimentation with diverse mediums, techniques and subjects. Daisy’s work has been exhibited at the Qhy Gallery (Marrickville), Mothership Studios (Marrickville), Shoalhaven Regional Gallery (Nowra), Tap Gallery (Darlinghurst), the Darwin Visual Arts Association (Darwin), Tactile Arts Gallery (Darwin), and in the Live Darwin Arts Alfresco Art Project (Darwin). She was a finalist in the 2022 Kangaroo Valley Art Prize, Salon de Local Artists.
Karen BARKER
@Studio Dairy, 910 Upper Kangaroo River Road, Kangaroo Valley
As a passionate advocate for the arts, studying a Bachelor Fine Arts at CoFa NSW University and Director of Fine Arts Gen Z Arts Alive, I have dedicated my career to nurturing creativity in others. My journey in the art world is not only shaped by my professional roles, including managing Studio Dairy Art workshops and Valley Vintage, but also by a deep-seated love for art that has finally led me to carve out time for my own creative expression.
Primarily a printmaker, I have always been fascinated by the intricate processes involved in bringing an image to life on paper. My work explores the delicate balance between technique and spontaneity, allowing for unexpected discoveries and personal growth. Recently, I have ventured into the world of oil painting, focusing on simple yet evocative landscapes inspired by the beauty of Kangaroo Valley. The lush greens of the valley resonate deeply with me, guiding my palette and inviting a sense of tranquillity into my work.
Each piece reflects my journey, a conversation between my experiences and the landscapes that inspire me. I believe that art is a powerful medium for self-expression and connection, and I am excited to share my evolving practice.
Primarily a printmaker, I have always been fascinated by the intricate processes involved in bringing an image to life on paper. My work explores the delicate balance between technique and spontaneity, allowing for unexpected discoveries and personal growth. Recently, I have ventured into the world of oil painting, focusing on simple yet evocative landscapes inspired by the beauty of Kangaroo Valley. The lush greens of the valley resonate deeply with me, guiding my palette and inviting a sense of tranquillity into my work.
Each piece reflects my journey, a conversation between my experiences and the landscapes that inspire me. I believe that art is a powerful medium for self-expression and connection, and I am excited to share my evolving practice.
A-F FULGENCE
@Silo Studio - 171 Barrengarry House, Upper Kangaroo River Rd, Kangaroo Valley
Anne-France (“A-F”) Fulgence revels in dramatic compositions.
She is an established contemporary Australian artist, living and working in Kangaroo Valley, NSW, who has been professionally exhibiting her work for the past 20 years.
A-F (as she prefers to be called) works quickly and without revision in acrylics, oils and mixed media.
“My painting is like a poetic tale, moody, evocative, atmospheric. The fiery dusk, a lone cloud, the heavy valley fog, the amazing light, the colours and shadows, the vast silence over an ancient landscape, the brutal ocean – this is what inspires me to paint.”
Born in Morocco, A-F studied in France before moving to Australia in 1989. She attributes her sense of drama and wild romanticism to her French ancestry. Her vision, palettes and techniques are inspired by the French poet Victor Hugo, and the work of the 19th-century artists Gustave Courbet, William Turner and John Constable.
She is an established contemporary Australian artist, living and working in Kangaroo Valley, NSW, who has been professionally exhibiting her work for the past 20 years.
A-F (as she prefers to be called) works quickly and without revision in acrylics, oils and mixed media.
“My painting is like a poetic tale, moody, evocative, atmospheric. The fiery dusk, a lone cloud, the heavy valley fog, the amazing light, the colours and shadows, the vast silence over an ancient landscape, the brutal ocean – this is what inspires me to paint.”
Born in Morocco, A-F studied in France before moving to Australia in 1989. She attributes her sense of drama and wild romanticism to her French ancestry. Her vision, palettes and techniques are inspired by the French poet Victor Hugo, and the work of the 19th-century artists Gustave Courbet, William Turner and John Constable.
Maryiel LUKE @49 Upper Kangaroo River Road.
Maryiel was born in UK to French mother & British father and moved to Australia in 1983.
The vast landscapes and endless blue skies captivated her nomadic dreams and she continued to live and explore Australia.
After decades of creating commercial artwork and painted design & techniques for interiors she relocated to kangaroo valley where she could focus on her passion to paint landscapes …. both literal and abstract.
“Cattai creek has always warmed my heart and soul I just never knew how to paint it! In this series I explored starting with a dark canvas and built upon it slowly….. Cattai at Jeff Doring’s home (a wonderful artist legend) is an utterly magical natural sanctuary which allows me to be totally present. It’s a place I never want to leave.”
The vast landscapes and endless blue skies captivated her nomadic dreams and she continued to live and explore Australia.
After decades of creating commercial artwork and painted design & techniques for interiors she relocated to kangaroo valley where she could focus on her passion to paint landscapes …. both literal and abstract.
“Cattai creek has always warmed my heart and soul I just never knew how to paint it! In this series I explored starting with a dark canvas and built upon it slowly….. Cattai at Jeff Doring’s home (a wonderful artist legend) is an utterly magical natural sanctuary which allows me to be totally present. It’s a place I never want to leave.”
ARTSLAB - Olivia Chin
Olivia Chin's oil paintings explore the intersections of time, material transformation, and the continual evolution of resources. Her practice, informed by play and meditative deep listening to her surroundings, highlights connections between human experience and broader natural processes. Through bright, layered compositions, Chin adds to the memory layers within the landscapes and scenes she inhabits, inviting viewers to see their world anew and reconsider their place within the ongoing transformations of the natural world.
ARTSLAB - Susie Choi
Susie Choi is a multi-disciplinary artist based on Gadigal and Wangal land in Sydney. Her practice spans ceramics, sculpture and installation.
Choi graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Art in Ceramics in 2021 from National Art School, Australia and was the recipient of the 2024 UniSQ Art Award Emerging Artist Prize. Recent solo exhibitions include the Searching Chords at Mitchell Fine Art in Brisbane and East of Auburn at Sabbia Gallery in Sydney. Her work is held in public collections in Australia and private collections internationally.
Choi graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Art in Ceramics in 2021 from National Art School, Australia and was the recipient of the 2024 UniSQ Art Award Emerging Artist Prize. Recent solo exhibitions include the Searching Chords at Mitchell Fine Art in Brisbane and East of Auburn at Sabbia Gallery in Sydney. Her work is held in public collections in Australia and private collections internationally.
ARTSLAB - Sadhbha Cockburn
Sadhbha Cockburn is a multidisciplinary artist and writer living and working upon Gadigal country. She holds a BFA (Painting) and an MFA (Drawing) with a background in medicine. She has participated in multiple group shows and prizes including recent exhibitions at Schmick Contemporary, DRAW Space, aMBUSH gallery and airSPACE projects in Sydney. In 2023, she was awarded the Onslow Storrier Residency Prize at La Cité Internationale in Paris and the Foundations Residency Prize in Portland, NSW. Cockburn is currently completing a PhD in sculpture at UNSW. Her work explores how gestures of wounding and repair disrupt binaries of inside and outside, human and 'nature’, absence and presence, violence and care.
ARTSLAB - Lauren O’Connor
Through layered colour, impulsive mark-making and erasure, Lauren O'Connor brings the transient into view, invoking the complexities of memory and representation. Forms in nature are broken apart and reformed in her paintings giving new interpretations of landscapes. Based on memory and imagination, her landscapes lead to new worlds being created; they are familiar yet foreign, complicated yet simple. Her work constantly contradicts what the viewer's eye is used to seeing and understanding about painting and landscape itself, mirroring the Australian landscape, with its contradictions of familiar and strange. She grew up in Kangaroo Valley/Wodi Wodi and works on Dharawal/Dhurga country and is based in Sydney. She is a graduate of the National Art School in Sydney and was announced as a winner of the Brett Whiteley Travelling Art Scholarship in 2023. She has been a finalist in various prizes including the Paddington Art Prize (2023, 2021), Northern Beaches Environmental Art & Design Prize (2023), Mosman Art Prize (2022) and was awarded the 2022 AACI Internship placement at Ernabella Arts Centre, APY Lands. Her work is featured in Amber Creswell Bell’s book on Australian Abstraction.
ARTSLAB - Lilli Strömland
Lilli Strömland is a painter and ceramicist. Her often psychologically-charged, observational oil paintings explore the subject of material nostalgia, comfort and home. Sensuous and tactile, they transpose the Dutch still-life tradition into the contemporary context of Australian suburbia.
Strömland holds a BFA in painting from the National Art School (2015) and has since gone on to be a recipient of multiple awards and prizes. These include being a finalist in the Brett Whiteley Scholarship (2020), the Portia Geach Memorial Award (2019), the Ravenswood Women’s Art Prize (2021, 2022, 2023, 2024) and the Salon de Refusés at S.H. Ervin Gallery (2019). In addition, she has participated in multiple solo and group shows and has work held in numerous private collections across Australia.
Strömland holds a BFA in painting from the National Art School (2015) and has since gone on to be a recipient of multiple awards and prizes. These include being a finalist in the Brett Whiteley Scholarship (2020), the Portia Geach Memorial Award (2019), the Ravenswood Women’s Art Prize (2021, 2022, 2023, 2024) and the Salon de Refusés at S.H. Ervin Gallery (2019). In addition, she has participated in multiple solo and group shows and has work held in numerous private collections across Australia.
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