Margaret River Region Open Studios – 2023

 10 years of Open Studios celebrated with dinners, workshops, exhibitions and artist experiences.

The start of spring is always exciting in the South West. Days are warming but nights still cool, whales cruise the coast, wildflowers bloom, and more than 160 talented artists throw open their studio doors for us to visit.

This year is the 10^th anniversary of Margaret River Region Open Studios (9 to 24 September) and Private Properties are proud to have been a supporter of its painters, sculptures, potters, jewellers, woodturners, photographers, glassmakers and metalworkers since the event’s inception.

Artwork by Rebecca Cool

The number of artists participating has more than doubled over 10 years and the event is now the largest Open Studios event in Australia, last year recording more than 130,000 individual studio visits by art lovers!

To make the most of Open Studios, we recommend pre-planning, and this year there’s a handy new ‘Trail Maker’ on the event website. Check out the artist profiles and photos, and if you like what you see, click ‘add to my trail’. Google Maps will do the rest, logically mapping a trail with travel times.

MRROS has appointed two Art Ambassadors this year – multi-award-winning Australian hyperrealist painter Michael Zavros, and Perth interior designer Andrew Thornton-Hick. Both will be participating at two special events: an Art Dinner on 9 September at Aravina Estate, and Grassroots to Global Success – a breakfast talk and Q&A at Margaret River Heart.

Margaret River aerial by Martine Perret

An Art Dinner highlight is an auction of money-can’t-buy artistic experiences, which this year include a private tour and half day with Michael Zavros in his Brisbane studio; a Busselton Jetty underwater sculpture exploration with Swan Dive featuring works by MRROS artists Georgia Zoric and Alan Meyburgh; exploring a section of Cape to Cape track with charming landscape painter Karina Buckingham; a signed and embellished bottle 2019 Leeuwin Estate Chardonnay featuring a Leon Pericles work on the label; and an up-close experience with endangered red tail black cockatoos cared for by acclaimed artist and bird rescuer Lauren Wilhelm.

Lauren Wilhelm at work in her studio

There’s also three exhibitions featuring multiple artists:

• ‘ART IS….’ – Following the success of last year’s show, Christian Fletcher Gallery in Dunsborough has created another extraordinary collaboration of 25 south west artists interpreting a Christian Fletcher photograph in their own style and medium. There are works on oils, acrylics, felt, clay, glass, timber, resin, wood, textiles and jewellery.
• Something Unexpected – an open-air exhibition at Karen Seaman’s farm studio in Boallia near Cowaramup. The curated art walk will take visitors through lush forest on the property, exploring the unconventional interplay between art and nature.
• Group Show – Yallingup Galleries has curated a group show of their Open Studios artists. See the contrast of their work in a gallery setting before heading out to their home studios. Featuring the work of Alan Meyburgh, Dorothy Davies, Emily Jackson, Ian Mutch, Ingrid Windram, Josh Windram, Leon Pericles, Martin Pavey, Peter Scott, Roslyn Hamdorf and Tanya Cole.

Book your Private Properties accommodation now and plan your springtime artistic adventure.