THERE were spinning wheels, spray cans, pencils and paint as the general public took the opportunity on Saturday to see local artists in their natural habitat.
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South-west arts group F Project enjoyed a successful Open Studio Day, with about 100 people taking up the invitation to visit the workspaces of about 30 artists.
While most were housed at the F Project’s Timor Street headquarters The Artery, five other artists also threw open the doors of their private studios to create an arts trail around the south-west.
They were also able to watch Nathan Pye and Jim Sargent at work on creating Warrnambool latest piece of public art in The Artery’s driveway.
Warrnambool artist Phillip Cooke said the day was a nice opportunity for people to see how artists work.
“Most people want to know the meat and veg of how it’s done,” Cooke said.
“A lot of the questions are about how long it takes and what it takes and why.
“I tell them it’s the best free therapy in the world.”
Cooke is one of the 25 or so artists based at The Artery.
“I like working here because there are less distractions when you come into a room like this for a specific purpose,” he said.
Artist April Munson, who is also based at The Artery, said her spinning wheel work created a lot of interest.
“I got a lot of comments about how I was a young person doing spinning and how it was unusual but good to see young people doing old crafts,” Munson said.
“Some people have been saying ‘I’ve got one of those (a spinning wheel) in the garage – I should pull it out and have a go’ or ‘I used to spin’.”
F Project vice-president Helen Bunyon said the day was a great success because it provided exposure for the artists and helped make the arts more accessible to the general public.
“It’s a great showcase for The Artery too,” she said.
“Most people are amazed. They’re not aware there are so many artists studios here … (or aware of) the diversity of (art) around.
“A lot of the faces we’re seeing are not regular faces.
“There’s been a lot of people who didn’t realise (The Artery) was here.
“The (current) exhibition 4tified has also brought a lot of people in. It’s the first exhibition we’ve had that’s put noseprints on the windows.
People were able to collect maps from The Artery showing where they could find the studios of David Higgins, Robyn Burns, Jenny Altmann, Cherree Densley, and Kathryn Ryan.
“I think people like the idea of having a trail of some sort – people get in their cars and think ‘let’s do this’,” Bunyon said.
The Studio Open Day is also held in summer around Australia Day.