Dardanup Art Spectacular and Art Trail - 2025

 Hi everyone! Phew! Well the Dardanup Art Spectacular and Art Trail are over for another weekend. Now time for a relax? Or I just have to catch up around home after letting a lot of things slide over the last month or so while getting ready for the Tree Street Art Safari and then the Dardanup Spectacular and Art Trail - just 2 weeks apart! 

The weekend started spectacularly on the Friday night opening of the Art Spectacular art exhibition held at the Dardanup Hall. I went to the exhibition not expecting to win anything and came home with two wins! So very exciting! 

I was awarded first place in the Photography Theme "Rhythms" for my image Island Rhythms, and Highly Commended in the Open Theme "Rhythms" for my cyanotype sun print Dance of the Peppermints. 

And my grandson was award Highly Commended in the Secondary Student category for his image of a Splendid Fairy Wren. Congratulations Owen. We are so proud of you! Also he sold the image at the exhibition!

As part of the "Rhythms" theme we had to write a blurb. Here is mine -

Island Rhythms

This image was taken at the South West Multicultural Festival. Since time began people have responded to sounds and rhythms, creating their own unique songs, music, movement, dance and rituals to tell stories and pass down folklore, history and traditions. These may be unique to their own culture but they open a window of understanding and enjoyment, showing us how universally connected we are.

Dance of the Peppermints

Cyanotype sun print of Western Australian peppermint tree leaves on Printmakers paper. My art practise is inspired by nature. When you walk through the bush you can see and hear the leaves creating their unique rhythm and dance in the breeze.  Plants respond to changes in their environment - the passage of the sun and moon, the length of the day, temperature, wind, drought and rainfall - responding to climatic changes by moving their leaves and open and closing their flowers. They are a visual representation of the rhythm of the seasons.

Congratulations to other members of the Photography Group of Bunbury for their awards in the Photography section - Winner in the Open Photography was Jodie Deeley for What Was That?, Theme Photography Winner - Jill Harrison for Island Rhythms. Highly Commended in Open was Chris de Blank for Male Red-Tail, with Special Mentions to Jodie Deeley for Humanity, and Trevor Spivey for Sunflowers. Highly Commended in Photography theme Rhythm was Deborah Schramm for Stairway to Heaven.

Here is a link to some images of the awarded art works at the Exhibition. https://www.facebook.com/share/r/15yCKb5WDU/

Over the weekend there was a trail that visitors could drive visiting various locations where artists were exhibiting and selling their work. I was located with four other artists, who I have been exhibiting with for the last three years, at the old Dardanup Convent. 

Thankyou to the Dardanup Art Spectacular and Art Trail committee, sponsors and judges for making this past weekend happen. Congratulations to the awardees and everyone who entered their amazing work in the Art Spectacular. A huge thankyou to Ifor and the Dardanup Catholic church for welcoming the girl gang back again to exhibit in the old Dardanup Convent for the art trail and the wonderful girls of the girl gang (you can see us in the photo below) - Sandra Nysten, Jill (me), Sylvia Nysten, Gemma Mangano and Christine Blowfield. I love sharing this space with these ladies.

Sadly one of our girl gang was missing this year, Cynthia Dix, having passed away recently. We send our thoughts to her family.

I am privileged to share the space with these amazing talented artists. I am in awe of them and their work. 

And a few images of my display in the convent. Yes I have a lot of stuff - photography and botanical eco-prints and cyanotypes. 

A huge thankyou also to everyone who visited, chatted, enjoyed and purchased from me over the weekend. You validate what i do. Also thankyou to the constant support of my husband. I couldn't do this without you.

I have been exhibiting on the Art Trail since 2014, firstly at Denise Gillie's Lyndendale Gallery where I first shared a space with Christine Blowfield, and where I exhibited for a few years, then at St Mary's Anglican church in Dardanup from 2021 for two years with Christine, Sandra & Sylvia, and then at the Dardanup convent for the last three years. It has been a wonderful way to showcase my work and make some sales. 

For more images from the Dardanup Art Spectacular and Art Trail - you can visit their Facebook page - Dardanup Art Spectacular

That's about it from me for today.  You might also like:

Australian Dragon Boat Chams & Dardanup Art Trail - 2014

Dardanup Art Spectacular & Art Trail - 2017

Dardanup Art Trail - 2021

June art trail and bushwalking - 2022

Art in Dardanup and the Ferguson Valley - 2019

Weekends of Art & Dance - 2014

Thank you so much for stopping by. I value your comments and look forward to hearing from you. I will try to visit your blogs in return. Do you enjoy art trails? or exhibit at one? Perhaps yo would like to tell us about it in your comments. Have a wonderful week. 
I am linking up to the link-ups below. Please click on the links to see fabulous contributions from around the world - virtual touring at its best!

If you are looking for a translate button - it's there near the top on the right hand side. 
   

Mosaic Monday @ Soul & Mind & So On

Saturdays Critters - Viewing Nature With Eileen

Travel Tuesday

Talking About It Tuesdays @ Slices of Life

ThroughMy Lens 
Image-in-ing
My corner of the world through my camera 
Wednesday Around the World at Communal Global hosted by Randomosity. 
       and Little bird - Pienilintu
Thankful Thursday 
Welcome to Nature Thursday

Hello there! I love reading your comments. If you scroll down to the bottom you can comment too! I would love to hear from you.

Until then, enjoy your day...Life only comes around once, so do what makes you happy and be with people who make you smile. 

Dardanup Art Trail 2021

 Hi everyone, I hope you and yours are well. 

This past weekend I have had a weekend of art exhibiting at the Dardanup Art Trail, about 20 minutes from my home. 

I and three other artists, Christine Blowfield, and Sandra & Sylvia Nysten were hosted at beautiful heritage listed St Mary's Anglican church.  What a wonderful venue it was, and we had a fabulous weekend with lots of people visiting us during the art trail which wound around Dardanup and the beautiful Ferguson Valley. 

First services were held in the tiny colonial town of Dardanup in the 1800s. The foundation stone for the church was laid on 9 May 1906 by Sir George Shenton. Built of brick with an iron roof, and designed by FW Steere, it cost approximately 600 Pounds to erect. It was consecrated on Sunday 2 June 1907. The stained glass windows were dedicated on 20 May 1908, given by Mrs Venn in memory of her husband the Hon. Harry Wittle Venn. 

Services are no longer held here, but it has not been deconsecrated and can be used for weddings, batisms and funerals. 

We were very grateful to the church for allowing us to use it for the Art Trail. They would like to encourage community events, especially as they are trying to raise money for more restoration. 

In the photos above you can see me, second from the right with Sylvia, Christine and Sandra. You can also see the inside of the church with our art displays.

I had on display my botanical eco-prints (you can see one below), ecoprinted scarves and tote bags, and photographical prints on cushions, totes and greeting cards as well as prints. I am down in the back section in this photo. There was a lot of interest in my eco-prints, especially as it was a technique new to many people. I enjoyed explaining it to them. I might do a post soon about it. Here is an example. 

My weekend started on a high when I was awarded the Photography Prize at the Art Spectacular exhibition opening night on Friday night, for my photo of fungi. It was unexpected, and thrilling to win! 

Thank you so much for stopping by. I value your comments and look forward to hearing from you. I will try to visit your blogs in return. Have a wonderful week. 

You might also enjoy:

Dardanup Art Trail 2017

Art in Dardanup and the Ferguson Valley 2019

How Green is my valley - Ferguson Valley

I am linking up to the link-ups below. Please click on the links to see fabulous contributions from around the world - virtual touring at its best!
   
All Seasons
MosaicMonday at Letting Go of the Bay Leaf
Sharon's Sovenirs 
Our World Tuesday

Pictorial Tuesday 
ThroughMy Lens 
Image-in-ing
My corner of the world through my camera 
Wednesday Around the World at Communal Global hosted by Randomosity. 
       and Little bird - Pienilintu
Thankful Thursday 
Der-Natur-Thursday 
The Lovin' Life Team over at: Deep Fried Fruit

Hello there! I love reading your comments. If you scroll down to the bottom you can comment too! I would love to hear from you.

Art in Dardanup and the Ferguson Valley

This last weekend I have been a part of the Dardanup Art Spectacular Art Show and Art Trail. I was exhibiting with other artists at Lyndendale Art and Antiques, and I thank Denise and Lynton for once again opening up their gallery and garden for this event over the weekend of the art trail.

 Thank you to all the lovely people - friends and new friends - who braved the changeable weather over the weekend to come to Lyndendale Art and Antiques during the Dardanup Art Trail. To those stopped to chat with me and those who purchased from me, THANK YOU! Your support and encouragement means so much to me. 

We had sunshine and drizzly rain over the weekend, but managed to keep warm and dry. 
And it was a great weekend for visitors to come out to the beautiful Ferguson Valley for a weekend of art, food, music and wine! 

Some of my fellow artists at Lyndendale

Elizabeth Royce - Printmaker

Terry Madgwick - artist

Jackie MacFarlane - printmaker

Tracie Anderson - ceramics

 Lyne Mitchell and Denise Gillies - printmakers

 Thank you everyone for stopping by. Hopefully I will be back on track with my regular blogging soon! 

And thank you to my dear husband for carting me and my stuff around the country and encouraging me in my artistic pursuits.

Crooked Brook Forest walk, Dardanup, Western Australia

Hi everyone, I hope you all had a great weekend and had a chance to get out in the fresh air and do something enjoyable in the great outdoors. On Sunday we went for a walk along one of the walk trails at the Crooked Brook Forest Reserve, which is nestled in jarrah woodlands, about 10 km from Dardanup off Crooked Brook Road, and 25km (or 20 minutes) from Bunbury, in Western Australia's south west. 

I always enjoy getting out into the bush away from the stresses of life, especially on a sunny winter or spring day.  There really is something regenerating about it don't you agree. 

I was surprised when I discovered that we hadn't been to Crooked Brook for a few years despite it only being about 20 minutes from our home.  We had our grandson with us, and despite him not particularly wanting to go with us, he enjoyed running along the pathways and discovering things in the bush. 

Down in the woods today - Gnomesville, Ferguson Valley, Western Australia

"If you go down to the woods today, You're sure of a big surprise" goes the song The Teddy bear's Picnic, but in this case they were not teddy bears, they were Gnomes. Thousands of them! Actually over 10,000! - though I am not sure how they counted them. 

Where were we? Gnomesville in the beautiful Ferguson Valley, about eighteen kilometres from Dardanup in Western Australia's beautiful south west. 

 

June capers

There has been much tragic news around the world lately. It seems every morning when I turn on the radio to the news there is news of another tragedy somewhere in the world. There have been numerous terrorist attacks, particularly in Europe, where innocent people have been killed or badly injured, and also lives and homes lost in a terrible apartment fire in London.  I am sometimes afraid for the madness that seems to be going on in the world, where it is leading to, and what the future holds for our children and grand children. Long gone is the innocence of our own childhood.

These world events make me pause and remember that I have much to be thankful for.  Not to make light of these events, but, perhaps because of them, today I give my blog over to some of the things that I have been able to enjoy in the last couple of weeks. Indeed I am very grateful for living in a relatively safe country where we are free to do as we wish, within reason. 

I am enjoying in sun in my June garden, although rain is desperately needed. It's winter but we have had no more rain since the one evening of rain of over a week ago which I wrote about in my last blog post.  

Top centre is Lilly Pilly - an Australian native fruit. I wrote about them last year here - Lilly Pilly jam
And bottom left hand corner is one of the Australian Native Hibiscuses which has just started flowering in my garden - isn't it a gorgeous colour!   

I am enjoying reading the memoir, Rabbits and Rosaries, written by my friend and former Catholic Nun, Glenys Yeoman. I am enjoying playing my old Carpenters record on my new record player, and Dami Im's tribute to the Carpenters. I am enjoying watching Series 3 of Poldark (I've been a fan ever since reading the books years ago), and last week I enjoyed watching my Grandson sing in his school choir at the Eisteddfod.

 A couple of weeks ago I enjoyed dancing with my Flamenco dance group, Sol y Sombra Spanish Dance Company, at the Eisteddfod. We won the "Dance Production" section with our "Cafe Flamenco". This is the view before the show. Unfortunately no photos during the performance as photography of the show is only allowed to be taken by the hired professional photography company.

 I celebrated with my two friends  who were both awarded an Order of Australia in the Queen's birthday honours list - historian Phyllis Barnes for her ongoing community and historic work including a number of published historical books (she is a member of my writer's group and truly inspiring), and Eileen Wenn for her services to the the floral arts through a variety of roles including former Australian Floral Art Association president (I know Eileen through Sol y Sombra and she has always been an encouraging supporter of my flower photography). These pictures have been copied from the Bunbury Herald newspaper.

I enjoyed attending the exhibition opening of the collaborative exhibition, "On the Same Page", and the artist talk by two of my friends, printmaker and mixed media artists, Denise Gillies and Lynne Mitchell.  It was a joy to see their beautiful multilayered work, both together and separately, and it was fascinating to hear about how they went about their collaborative work for this exhibition.
Denise and Lynne agreed when working on a collaborative piece it is important to loose any preciousness, to make decisions together, to be open to negotiation, and to TRUST.

"Their multilayered compositions explore texture, shape, colour and the environment. Their collaborative works display openness, trust and comfortable friendship while respecting the artistic creativity of each other". (Graeme Pages-Oliver)

This morning my dear husband has been busy painting the second bathroom and toilet, (thank you! x), whilst I made ginger biscuits and did some pruning in the garden.
And I felt privileged that I have not one but two bathrooms, when I know that there are many people all over the world who don't even have the luxury of clean running water.

 Last weekend we drove up to the beautiful Ferguson Valley and picked olives on the property of a friend of ours, and then enjoyed coffee and cake in the sun on the patio at Ferguson Hart Estate (thankyou Jan!) You can find Ferguson Hart here - Ferguson Hart Estate

We also visited the Wellington Mills community walk trail where the recently erected interpretive signage features a photo of mine of the old Bunbury jetty pylons along the bottom edge of the panels. So wonderful to see my photography out like this.

Last week I did a photo shoot for my beautiful friend and pro-blogger, Jo Castro, from Lifestyle Fifty. You can go to her fabulous blog by clicking here - Lifestyle Fifty
and my grandson helped me with a photography group project, the theme of "fragile".

And finally some opportunities to go walking out in nature - food for the soul. How blessed I feel to be able to do this. 

Did you want the recipe for the Ginger Nut biscuits (cookies) ? Here is is! 

2 cups Self Raising flour
3/4 cup sugar
4oz (113gm butter or margarine)
2 teaspoons ginger
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1 egg
4 dessertspoons golden syrup (you could substitute with corn syrup)

Beat butter and sugar together well. Add egg, syrup and then the dry ingredients (sifted together). Mix together well. You might need to add a little more flour if it is a bit sticky. 
Form into small balls and flatten a little onto baking paper on the tray. Bake in a moderate oven (190 C) for 15 minutes. 
Makes about 27. 
You can also roll this mixture out, and cut into shapes. My grandsons have enjoyed making gingerbread men with this recipe. 


Thank you so much for stopping by and for your indulgence while I look back over the last couple of weeks. I have much to be grateful for. Do you find there are times where you take stock and be grateful? Perhaps you would like to share with us in the comments.
I value your comments and look forward to hearing from you. I will try to visit your blogs in return. Have a wonderful week.

I am linking up to the link-ups below. Please click on the links to see fabulous contributions from around the world - virtual touring at its best!
 

Mosaic Monday
Our World Tuesday
Through My Lens 
Image-in-ing
Wednesday Around the World at Communal Global
Travel Photo Thursday 
The Lovin' Life Team over at Lifestyle Fifty
Sky Watch Friday

Dardanup Art Spectacular and Art Trail

I very much enjoyed being involved in the Dardanup Art Spectacular and Art Trail held from the 29 April to 7 May, located in and around Dardanup and the beautiful Ferguson Valley in Western Australia's south west.

The annual art spectacular exhibition, and competition, by local and other artists in the Dardanup Hall was the introduction to a nine day exploration of local galleries, wineries, and restaurants showcasing art, crafts and produce from the region, whilst travelling through the beautiful Ferguson Valley. As well as seeing artists at work, some venues also had free musical performances for visitors to enjoy as they sipped their coffee or wine. 

I was very happy to again be invited to set up my pop-up-shop at Lyndendale Gallery on Crooked Brook Road, on Saturday and Sunday of the first weekend of the trail, where I was able to sell some of my photography, photo cards, cushions, tote bags and eco-dyed scarves. A huge thank you to our gracious hostess, printmaker and mixed media artist Denise Gillies, for giving me the opportunity to display my work.  

I had a lovely weekend on the verandah with fellow artists - acrylic artist Christine Blowfield, ceramic artist Tracie Anderson, artist Terry Madgwick, and artist and printmaker Elizabeth Royce, along with the inside exhibitors, mixed media artist Jacky McFarlane, and printmaker and mixed media artist Lynne Mitchell. 

As well as enjoy our chats on the front verandah, I enjoyed seeing these artists creating their works.  

Accompanied by the music wafting from the back verandah from the Bel Canto Singers, Tim Posey, Ruby Blue, Bob Burgess and others! Doesn't this look like a delightful setting to sit back and enjoy.
Along with a lovely bowl of soup and a hot roll at lunch time.

Even the cows came over to take a look over the fence to see what was happening

 And a lovely drive home through the valley at the end of the day.

As I was at Lyndendale all weekend, and busy all week, we decided to take some time out on Monday afternoon to take a drive out through the Ferguson to see "Follies by the Ferguson" on the property of Kim and Simon Wesley at Peppermint Lane Lodge on Wellington Mill Road.

Follies by the Ferguson, now in its third year, is an art sculpture trail set amongst the peppermint trees of their property which always enthralls. Here are just a few of the creative art pieces on display this year.

How about a wine bottle chandelier? You might like to look again at the two on the right. 

Or how about a whimsical up-cycled lampshade created by the group Yarnin' Knitters, with proceeds going to Solaris Care helping those going through cancer.

I hope you have enjoyed this small look at the Dardanup Art Spectacular and Trail. You can find out more and see more of the artworks by visiting their Facebook page here - Dardanup Art Spectacular

Do you have an annual art trail in your area. Perhaps you would like to tell us about it in your comments. Thank you so much for stopping by. I value your comments and look forward to hearing from you. I will try to visit your blogs in return. Have a wonderful week.

I am linking up to the link-ups below. Please click on the links to see fabulous contributions from around the world - virtual touring at its best!
 

Mosaic Monday 
Life Thru the Lens 

Our World Tuesday
Through My Lens 
Image-in-ing
Wednesday Around the World at Communal Global
Travel Photo Thursday 
The Lovin' Life Team over at Lifestyle Fifty