It’s one thing buying an artwork from a shop, another seeing it being made in front of you. Luckily, there are some spots in Australia where talented artisans and craftspeople can be watched creating their precious products.
Glass-blowing
Where: Red Hill, Victoria.
You no longer have to go all the way to Murano in Venice to see top quality glassblowers in action – much the same experience can be had (and without the crowds) an hour-and-a-half out of Melbourne.
The Gordon Studio is run by Eileen Gordon and her husband Grant Donaldson. Eileen comes from a glass-making family, and arrived in Red Hill via Norway and Scotland. Grant, on the other hand is a former farmer who learned the craft and suddenly discovered that he was rather good at it.
Their studio showcases a range of work, both theirs and that of other artists using the facilities. The strength of some is in the colours, others in the paintwork, others in the weird shapes.
The real highlight, however, is watching the blowers in action. The property is split over two levels, so that visitors can look down at the artists going about their business over a balcony, whether they’re sticking the glass in fiendishly hot furnaces or cautiously sculpting it into shape.
Pottery
Where: Bermagui, NSW
We can all thank Ghost for those romantic visions of making pots, sat around a wheel in a dimly-lit room with your loved one. Alas, the real thing isn’t much like that – erotic charge isn’t all that great a benefit when you’re trying to etch on the intricate details.
To see how pottery is done in real life, rather than in the movies, you can head down to Bermagui on the New South Wales south coast. It’s home to the Bermagui Mudworks (02 6493 4661), which contains a large workshop. On Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, visitors can watch the craftsmen in action, working on whatever bits they happen to be working on at the time. The owners, Mike and Kim, have been making magic with clay for 34 years now, so there’s some good quality produce to buy in the shop too.
Metal leaf gilding
Where: Sydney, NSW.
It takes a steady hand, an eagle eye and a great deal of skill to give something a metallic coating. And when it’s 24 carat gold you’re dealing with, you’d better be careful – it’s not cheap.
Metal leaf gilding is, essentially, the art of making something look as though it’s far more expensive than it is. You get tiny strips of the glittery stuff – they look a little like chocolate wrappers – and cover the object with them. From there on, you use either magical powers or specialist equipment to make it stick and adhere to the outline.
It’s a technique that’s been used for centuries – especially on things like ironwork and furniture, and the Art Gilding studio in Rosebery, Sydney offers demonstration evenings once a month. It’s by invitation only, so those interested need to call 02 9663 3881.
Art Gilding also runs an academy for those interesting in learning the craft. Courses vary from a day’s introductory workshop at $200 to a two week-long master class. Participants get the chance to eat gold-coated cheese and Tim Tams, as long as they can stomach rich food.
Floral arts
Where: Dromana, Victoria
The Digger’s Club is Australia’s largest gardening gang, and it specialises in doing gardening properly; sourcing hard-to-find seeds and teaching members techniques rather than just buying any old plants from Bunnings.
It’s largely a mail order business, but it has its headquarters at the charming Heronswood property on the Mornington Peninsula. Predictably enough, the gardens here are fantastic to wander round, and there are usually two or three people to be found having a pop at rogue hedges or tidying up flowerbeds.
However, it’s the monthly workshops that are the real highlight for those wanting see how it’s done. The events cover everything from planting winter gardens to pruning fruit trees to get them just right, and are held on the third Sunday of every month.
Just about everything
Where: The Ian Potter Centre, Federation Square, Melbourne.
The Ian Potter Centre, part of the National Gallery Victoria Australia, has a consistently strong range of innovative programmes that aim to get the public closer to art. Whether it’s tours of the collection, getting kids to make things out of tissues or attempting to enhance the understanding of art, there’s usually something going on.
However, for those wanting to watch artists at work, a couple of things stick out in the schedule. On Australia Day there are a couple of quirky demonstrations. From 11am to 3.30pm, miniature marine enthusiasts will be showing how to construct model ships, while from 1pm to 3pm indigenous artist Brian McKinnon will be painting emu eggs.
Then on Sundays in February there is the opportunity to watch sculptors at work while models pose for them. Again aimed at the kids, there is the opportunity to make wire-frame creations whilst there.
It’s also well worth checking out the NGV website later in the year for other such events.
This article was originally written for Ninemsn.
By David Whitley
