Clare Valley Regional Art Trail: Ron traverses the Clare Valley in search of Art, in our Mid North region of South Australia
Take a drive through South Australia's mid-north and you understand why this region has long been a magnet for artists. The rhythms of life on the land provide endless scope for those brave enough to try to capture what they see and feel on canvas.
It's classic driving country with farm scenery that is quintessentially South Australian but to truly understand the region, it pays to see it through the eyes of others - the artists who know and love the landscape and its people. And that means grabbing a copy of the Clare valley Regional Arts Guide and paying a visit to the artists who paint this region daily.
The Guide points the way to 26 galleries, pubs and wineries showcasing the works of artists from Burra to Balaklava and from Clare to Snowtown.
Many have been featured on Postcards in the past - like Jacqueline Coates at Salon Rouge in Kapunda. She's a relatively recent devotee of the region who arrived from the east coast a few years back.
All those featured on the Art Trail would love you to drop in. Some like Tom and Julie Marshall at Uptown Gallery in Burra North aren't artists themselves but they collect art and they know what that like. 'El Ninio Moon' by Bud Stephenson was part of a 9x5 exhibition in which artists sought to capture the vastness of the Flinders on canvases the size of a picture postcard. Bud's since taken to interpreting his region through abstract expressionism with the countryside around his Black Rock home providing unlimited inspiration.
Uptown Gallery is one of many on the trail featuring the works of artists who were travelling through the mid-north and stayed… a bit like the gallery's owners themselves. They came here two years go on a cross Australia trip and fell in love with the town of Burra.
From those who've been interpreting their region for decades to others who've only recently taken the plunge, the Regional Arts Trail is constantly expanding - tempting more and more new artists like Cathy Pike of Pike Winery and Gallery to take the plunge and commit brush to canvas.
Cathy Pike, Artist: "I find a lot of inspiration living in a place like Mintaro. And we are fortunate enough to have an art school which meets in the Arts Institute every Wednesday night."
Around the corner The Irongate Gallery is proof that artists can service big corporate clients around Australia from a small studio on the outskirts of the Clare Valley. Jen Penglase-Prior works in pastels and describes her work as 'gentle contemporary'. While the impact of the mid-north countryside may not be obvious… it constantly infuses her work.
Jen Penglase-Prior, Irongate Gallery: "You have very, very vibrant blues, very distinct greens and it's just being aware of all of those and in a subtle way coming back and creating them into something. They quietly trespass into your mind while you're quietly working."
For her series of pieces entitled 'Riverstones' the earthy colours come from Jen's recollection of a recent dust storm. And, it's the potential storms in life - like Jen's recent battle with cancer - that have inspired her works.
Jen Penglase-Prior, Irongate Gallery: "Everything has a shape and everything is affected by weathering. It happens to us personally and can happen emotionally as well."
Each artist featured on the Arts Trail is striving to get to the essence of their region or they're own personal story… and they invite you in to share them.
Copies if the Clare Valley Regional Arts Guide are available from local Visitor Information Centres. Then again why not combine the experience with the Clare Valley Gourmet Weekend on May 15-16, 2010. If you have any further questions please email info@postcards-sa.com.au
Clare Valley Regional Arts Trail
Maps available from various Visitor Centres
26 locationsClare Valley Gourmet Weekend
May 15 & 16 2010Published 25th April 2010
