Eltham Council (now the Shire of Nillumbik) commissioned this work in 1989 to create an entrance / gateway to Edendale Community Farm. It was also aided by a grant from the Ministry of the Arts (now Arts Victoria). The former name of this work was "Gateway to Edendale Farm". Edendale Farm is a demonstration farm modelling sustainable environmental practices, providing support to the local residents of Nillumbik. Established in 1986, the land was purchased in 1970. It was previously an English gentleman's residence and was used for grazing. It consists of 5.6 hectares, with the Diamond Creek meandering through the property. The Victorian Fences Act 1968 governs liability of occupiers of adjoining lands to fence, and deals with disputes between neighbours regarding boundaries fences and costs. This work took into consideration ideas and suggestions from residents and committees, who required the use of recycled materials and that the work celebrate man's relationship with nature, animals and the earth, as well as relate to the fence-line on the far side of the carpark. Trembath also absorbed significant aspects of local history, making references to Eltham's agricultural past, the clearing of the land, the destruction of trees, the ruthless pruning of trees by suburban Councils and incorporated such Australian features as the post and rail fence. 'The Fences Act 1968' is significant for aesthetic, historic and social reasons at a regional level. It makes prominent the historical and social significance of Edendale and the rural aspects of Nillumbik. The use of existing tree stumps and salt pots in the work explores the iconography of the countryside such as the isolated farmhouse, pioneering farming practices, post and rail fencing and the regrowth of lopped trees. The title of the work, as well as the extensive community involvement in its creation, also makes reference to the Victorian Fences Act 1968, which makes neighbours jointly responsible for the cost of construction and maintenance of fences in the partitioning of land for settlement. 'The Fences Act 1968' has been classified as of regional significance by the National Trust of Australia. The work is an installation of wood and metal, approximately twenty five meters long. The design is very informal and rustic and runs the full width of the fence-line. It comprises groups of recycled tree trunks fitted with metal caps (chrome-nickel 'salt pots' that are shaped like tall bowler / top hats). Metal rods protrude from the trunks and some of these rods have metal birds. Two larger, sentinel-like stumps at the two outer ends have metal flame-like wings, which bend inward. To the left of the entrance, a simple architectural element indicates an isolated farmhouse. The rustic fence runs between the groups of tree trunks with native planting in clumps along it. The fence-line incorporates a functional engineered double gate and post and rail fencing. There may be many interpretations of the work and the intention is to stimulate interest and imagination rather than alienate. Interpretation is based on the personal experience that a visitor brings. The artist recommended that no explanation of the design logic be positioned with the work. N/Apublic art, sculpture, edendale, recycled, wood, metal, fences act 1968, gate, trembath, salt pot, tree stumps

Alan Marshall was an author of more than fifteen books, and lived much of his life in Eltham. He became a central figure in the area's arts community of writers, artists, sculptors, film makers, actors and musicians. He is shown stroking a book to his heart, perched on a crutch, which references his disability (contracted polio when he was young), and his status as one of Australia's most successful and loved authors. His most famous book, 'I Can Jump Puddles' is based on his life story and the obstacles he faced as a child in trying to overcome his disability. Marcus Skipper submitted the idea for the work to the first 'Art in Public Places' Awards in 1990. The selectors at the time recommended that the work would be more suitably placed near the Eltham Library. It was commissioned and installed for the new Eltham Library, which was designed by Greg Burgess in 1994. It was partially funded by the then Shire of Eltham's Art Development Fund (Eltham Arts Council) and the rest donated by the artist Marcus Skipper. This work has significance for its reference to two well known names associated with Eltham and its history. The sculpture is a realistic statue of the famous Australian author Alan Marshall who wrote "I Can Jump Puddles". He lived and worked in the Shire. The artist Marcus Skipper represents a highly recognised family of artists associated with Monsalvat. The sculpture 'Alan marshall' has been classified as of regional significance by the National Trust of Australia. A realistic depiction (almost life size) of Alan Marshall cast in bronze with green patination. Dressed in a jumper and slacks, Marshall is shown perched on a crutch, holding a book to his heart, gesturing to his audience to come and listen to his words. alan marshall, bronze, skipper, i can jump puddles, eltham library, novalist, ekphrasis2017, figure, public art

The site specific sculpture is located at the entry to the office of Nillumbik Shire Council. It was commissioned in 1994 by the Shire of Diamond Valley for their 20 year celebration. Baines was chosen from a short list of three artists. He is an internationally renowned artist, particularly in the field of gold and silver smithing. 'Transaction' takes on the visual and aesthetic vocabulary of its surroundings. It is a statement of the geometry and idiosyncrasy of its immediate site. The series of arcs are reinterpreted into longitudinal curves in the sculpture. It is a transaction between the place and the anticipated entry to the building. The title also suggests the flow of civil and administrative procedures that take place daily within the Shire's offices. A large cascading form in stainless steel. Multiple rows of concave dishes set on long steel stems, which progressively increase in size as they rise in height. The work plays elaborately with perspective, and its repeated shapes are arranged in a orderly mathematical series. It faces a wheelchair ramp lined with polished steel rails, and is integrated with the architectural features of its forecourt setting, for which it was designed. The piece is sited in a small garden area and can be viewed from within the building's foyer. In bright sunlight, its dish-shapes cast elliptical shadows across walkways and lawns. N/Apublic art, transaction, ekphrasis2017, stainless steel, disks, poles, council

Commissioned by Nillumbik Shire Council - 1997 The selection panel in the commissioning process to this 'extraordinary acquisition' was Rhonda Noble, Director of La Trobe University Museum of Art, Jeph Neale, Eltham Roundabout Advisory Group, Chris Marks, NSC Curator of Collections, Geoff Glynn, NSC Manager of Infrastructure Development.'Nest' highlights the indigenous flora and fauna of the Shire. The stiff, coarse grass used to create the nest is indigenous to the area and the eggs are like those of the spotted quail thrush, a ground-nesting bird of the Shire. The circular flow or placement of the eggs recalls the revolution of the seasons and nesting cycles. There is a tall light pole above the eggs, shining down at night. The effect is of a giant incubator. Enrichment and nurturing of the larger environment can be associated with this sculpture. This work resembles a large bird's nest, with three egg-like forms of fibreglass covered in a pebble render, set on sand. The nest is positioned within the paved boundary of the roundabout. The nest shape has been created out of stiff, coarse indigenous grass, periodically trimmed so the view is not obstructed. The eggs are a brown-speckled, creamy yellow colour. The three eggs are arranged in a ring, with the narrow end of each pointing to the large end of the next, in a circle that mimics the flow of traffic. N/Apublic art, nest, eggs, eltham, ekphrasis2017, mosaic, pebbles, roundabout, spotted quail thrush

Michael Wilson learnt the craft of Goldsmithing after seeing well known sculptor and silversmith Matcham Skipper working in his studio at Montsalvat in and around 1970. This work is a gift to the Eltham Community in recognition of his twenty five years of developing his goldsmith skills and operating his business within the Shire. Wilson officially opened his commercial premises in 1985. Michael Wilson is a local jewellery maker. His work is influenced directly by the environment in which he lives. This sculpture is representative of his distinctive style of work as a nationally and an internationally recognised Designer and Goldsmith. Made of steel and powdercoated in aluminium with a concrete base. Decorative elements such as the ring encasing the cicada and the cicada's wings are guilded with 24ct gold leaf. The steel rod is burgundy in colour with the cicada painted a dark olive green to represent the 'Green Grocer' variety common in Eltham. The colours used in this sculpture match the surrounding Elm and Ash trees in the landscape. N/Apublic art, cicada, wilson, gold, green grocer, jewellery

1996 Nillumbik Art in Public Places Award (installed late 1997). A biennial program that ceased in 2007. The program commissioned artists to make and install public art in various sites around the Shire. Award judges that year were Tony Trembath and artist Peter D. Cole. Susie Kumar has a Bachelor of Landscape Architecture degree from RMIT and Naomi Kumar has a Bachelor of Fine Art in photography degree from VCA. The Kumar sisters designed the sixty meter gently curving bench in response to the topography of the site, Conventry Oval. The sculpture is designed to describe the boundary between the formal oval and the natural creek bank and a considered relationship to the bike track and the river. It forms a link between the activities and aesthetics of its environment. The work is a comical interpretation of the utilitarian public bench. From a distance the bright red runners (the colour of the local football team's stripe) appear to float about the surrounding green. One end of the work is straight and finished. The other remains 'unfinished' hence allowing for the concept of unlimited extension. The 'legs' (steel hurdles) are arranged with a sense of movement and rhythm in sympathy with the activities happening around the work and with the stands of trees in he background. 'Benchmark' also serves as a functional purpose; providing a choice of places to sit to watch action on the oval. Stainless steel, timber (Victorian Ash) and red enamel paint. Sixty meter long red bench that gently curves in response to Conventry Oval. Bolted on top of evenly spaced stainless steel hurdles, four rows of timber runners are joined to provide unbroken continuous lengths. The bench stands on a framed bed of crushed rock (Lilydale topping).N/Abench, sport, wood, victorian ash, stainless steel, public art, ekphrasis2017

Wayne Alfred is a member of the Namgis Tribe of the Kwakwaka'wakw people. As a master carver he has an extremely high level of carving skill and knowledge about his peoples cultural objects, customs, tribal stories and legends. The Totem Poles of the North Pacific Coast in British Columbia and Alaska are traditionally carved out of red or yellow cedar, which has a spiritual and practical purpose. The wood was known for its durability, its resistance to rotting and the inner bark was utilised in ropemaking, clothing, hats, baskets and so forth. The Kwakitul People consider the cedar tree to be among the most sacred of all things provided by the Creator. They believed the Cedar tree to be the axis of the world and a pathway to the upper world. The wood is shaped using implements such as adzes, axes, chisels, carving knives, and chainsaws. Misinterpreted as Gods and idols to be worshipped, totems usually serve six purposes, such as a house pillar for support, a memorial or mortuary pole to commemorate (and house) the deceased, a potlatch pole (used for important traditional indigenous celebrations), a ridicule pole used to shame and a heraldic or family crest pole. Characters and symbols on these totem poles usually display family crests, history, wealth, social rank, inheritance, and privilege, as well as animalistic imagery derived from native animals and mythological creatures. Their sequence are indicative of past family events, ancestors, myths, and heraldic crests, with the bottom figure usually being the most prominent. In this work the 'thunderbird' is symbolic of power, strength and of ancestory. The Commonwealth Games Totem Pole was presented to the people of Nillumbik on behalf of the Canadian Government in recognition of Melbourne as the hosts of the Melbourne Commonwealth Games Team in 2006. Carved in cedar wood, this totem pole incorporates bold cuts and colours (such as red and green) offset by strong black. A relative degree of realism is used to depict the alligator located on the bottom of the pole, a man and a 'thunderbird'/eagle located on the top. With protuding element. No inscriptions. Bold cuts used to outline the characters and symbols as well as decorative and stylised features all over the pole. public art, kwakwaka'wakw, namgis, alfred, north pacific coast, british columbia, canada, totem pole, carved, commonwealth games, melbourne festival, cedar

A finalist in the Shire of Eltham Art Awards in 1985. Born in Harrow, England, Graham Fransella studied at the Bradford School of Art, Yorkshire. He came to Australia in 1975. Graham Fransella lives and works in Melbourne and is represented by galleries across Australia.Fransella is an artist (printmaker) of national significance. “A feature of Fransella’s art is that it has an immediate visual simplicity, sometimes possessing the lucidity of graffiti-like directness, but this is attained through the most complex and intricate means. The surface on which he works is the arena in which he performs with an endless layering of marks, surfaces and signs. It seems that he surrenders to an intuitive process, one in which chance serves as an active collaborator. Ultimately his practice engages with the theory of the artist’s subconscious being allowed unbridled freedom of expression.” Sasha Grishin AM FAHA, in 'Gorgeous simplicity in signature themes: Graham Fransella', Sydney Morning Herald, April 5, 2014This etching depicts a busy and carefree day at the beach in bright colours of red and blue. The figures are drawn with spontaneity and simplicity, which is characteristic of Fransella's style. Figures are positioned in states of relaxation or bounce around beach scenes in joyful exuberance. eltham art award, etching, print, beach, figures

Jane Annois had a long involvement with Potters Cottage in Warrandyte, where she taught for many years. Potters Cottage was established in the late 1950s in Warrandyte as an artist co-operative. Founding members included Reg Preston, Phyl Dunn, Gus McLaren, Artur Halpern, Sylvia Halpern and Elsa Ardern. These talented artists had the ingenuity and foresight to create a teaching studio, gallery shop and restaurant to experiment, make, promote and sell predominantly domestic wares of the time. These activities helped financially sustain each member’s individual creative practice. Potters Cottage was influential in the development of contemporary ceramics, building and developing practices that experimented with traditional ceramic processes, raw materials and locally sourced clay. The group mentored and nurtured many interested in the art of ceramics, producing alumni and teachers such as Peter Laycock, John Dermer, Greg Daly and Jane Annois. Jane Annois is a ceramic artist who has lived and worked locally in Warrandyte for many years. She focuses primarily on exploring the art of Japanese raku, adapting the technique to develop the typical characteristics of crackle glazes and lustres, with contrasting areas of black. Jane also applies a fine slip called terrasigillata which gives soft, warm ochre colours. This technique was once used by the Greeks over 2000 years ago to seal and decorate their pots. She is also strongly onfluenced by the French potters, particularly in the style of terre vernissee, a decorative form of terracotta tableware. Three piece stoneware and raku fired ceramic sculpture. The first piece is a hollow, dome shaped object. It is orange (terracotta slip) in colour with a copper metallic band and a black edge on one side with a small yellow glazed rounded triangle and metallic strip of colour on the otherside. The second piece is shaped like a traditional vase. It is orange (terracotta slip) in colour with white crackle on the inside. It has a yellow slip edge with a dark glazed square on one side and on the other side a black thick edge that mirrors the contour of this shape. The third piece is shaped loosley in the form of the letter 'z'. It compliments the second piece with a yellow slip edge and black glazed square to its lower left side and top right as well as on its' other side a black thick edge that mirrors the contour of this shape. This piece has a very small skewed square opening at its' top. All three pieces have elements of crazing and variations of colour and lustre, caused by the raku process. 2006.52.1VA has the artist name/signature 'J. Annois' inscriped small (with fine point ceramic tool?) on the front of the piece, bottom right; 2006.52.2VA has the artist name 'Jane'? inscribed (unlegible - with fine point ceramic tool?) underneath; 2006.52.3VA has the artist name/signature 'Jane Annois' inscriped (with fine point ceramic tool?) inside its hollow form. evolution, raku, stoneware, terrasigillata, terracotta, glazes, slip, terre vernissee

Eltham was a creative hub during the twentieth century, attracting innovative visual artists, architects, writers and film makers to collaborate, forging lifelong friendships and artistic legacies. Skipper produced this bronze sculpture of friend, Composer George Dreyfus for the then Shire of Eltham Art Award. Matcham Skipper (b.1921 NZ - d. 2011 Melb.) was a renowned local sculptor, jeweller and builder and an accomplished teacher, designer, ironworker, and photographer. His work is held by many museums and public collections in Australia and overseas. He was a long term resident of Montsalvat in Eltham with his family deeply involved in the building and evolution of this artists colony, which was the vision of architect and painter Justus Jorgensen. George Dreyfus (b.1928 Germany - arrived 1939 Aus) is an Australian contemporary classical, film and television composer. He has composed numerous film and television scores, including Tim Burstall's 'The Adventures of Sebastian the Fox' (1963), 'A Steam Train Passes' (1974), 'Rush' (1974), 'Dimboola' (1979) and 'The Fringe Dwellers' (1986). It was the score for 'Rush' which brought him wider recognition. He has written four operas, two symphonies, chamber music and film scores spanning five decades. Dreyfus is well known for having worked with the late director, writer and producer Tim Burstall, a key figure in Australian postwar cinema and local who lived in Eltham. Burstall was instrumental in rebuilding the Australian film industry in the 60s, creating groundbreaking Australian films including 'Stork' and 'Alvin Purple'. Figurative bronze bust of well known Australian composer George Dreyfus. He is wearing a shirt underneath a sweater. His left arm/hand is placed over his chest. His eyes are half closed as if immersed in the music. A green patina can be seen in areas on the sculpture. Signature and date cast (incised with tool) onto the back shoulder blade: 'MATCHAM SKIPPER 1987'ek prac 2015, montsalvat, eltham, george dreyfus, matcham skipper, bronze, bust, tim burstall, sculpture, rush

Rick Amor was a good friend of three times Archibald Prize winner Clifton Pugh, living and working at Pugh's artist colony Dunmoochin, (Cottles Bridge) during the 1980-1990s. Amor made frequent outdoor painting trips with Pugh. His studies of Williamstown and areas around the port fuelled a period of sustained painting in his studio at Dunmoochin. Amor is an artist of national significance who had lived locally in Dunmoochin (Cottles Bridge) during the time of this work's making. This painting was exhibited/entered into the 1993 Shire of Eltham Art Awards. The work is representative of Amor's style and interest in seascapes as subject matter. Oil on linen, seascape painting. A solitary and motionless male figure in an overcoat stands at the edge of a dock/jetty with his hands in his pockets looking out to sea with his back towards the viewer. A motorised boat is moored close by and a white house with a blue roof can be seen in the distance. The figure is engulfed by the landscape and a resounding sense of desolation. A storm is brewing; the mood forecast by dark, heavy and thick ominous clouds, alternately darkening with the approach of night, a polluted haze and rough seas. In red paint, lower right, signed 'RICK AMOR '93'amor, seascape, painting, personal, boat, dramatic, atmospheric, ekphrasis 2015, dunmoochin

Deborah Halpern was raised in Nth Warrandyte. Her connection to the area and the significant contribution that she and her family (founding members of Potters Cottage) have made to the artistic heritage and culture of the Shire is acknowledge with the commission of this piece. Deborah Halpern is a highly recognised and respected local artist with an acclaimed national reputation in the arts community. This work is a gateway piece, welcoming residents and visitors into the Shire from the southern end of the boundary. 'Queen of the Shire' reflects the creative spirit that flows endlessly in the Shire, inspired by the landscape. This work forms part of a series of sculptures that Halpern has created along the banks of the Yarra in Melbourne ('Angel' - Birrarung Marr and 'Ophelia' - Southgate). This sculpture is an excellent example of Halpern’s ouvere and 'tile construction' technique for which she is renowned. Materials: coloured glass tiles, fibreglass, aluminium, steel. A sweeping stylised (female) form covered in bright and colourful tiles held aloft by two steel poles. queen, sculpture, semi-abstract, stylised, glass, tiles, public art, halpern, ek prac 2015

The 'Black Saturday' bushfires were a series of bushfires that ignited across the Australian state of Victoria on and around Saturday, 7 February 2009. It was Australia's worst ever natural disaster. The fires occurred during extreme bushfire-weather conditions and resulted in Australia's highest ever loss of life from a bushfire: 173 people died and 414 were injured as a result of the fires.This work is by a local contemporary artist with a national and international reputation for figurative and portrait works. The 'Black Saturday' series is a powerful investigation of emotion and grief as experienced by many Nillumbik residents during the 2009 'Black Saturday' bushfires. A cluster of bronze figurines either stand alone or embrace in groups. Their expressions and gestures of despair are made more pertinent with the raw like application and surface treatment of the material used. The 'Black Saturday' series is a challenging work, but one that encourages healing, connection and empathy. Two men embrace in despair. One man throws his arms around the other man's shoulders. The other man holds the other's back. Surface treatment is textured. Dark metallic brown colour with figures starting to turn a green patina. Note stuck with tape underside of sculpture 'Savage Art Prize Peter Wegner (phone number) The Embrace 2011'wegner, bronze, figurines, black saturday, sculpture

Sanders was a well-known local potter who worked for a time with David Boyd at the Martin Boyd Pottery, before returning to Melbourne where he had some association with Arthur Boyd, at the pottery in Murrumbeena. Sanders set up a studio in Eltham in the early 1950s and made the first of a series of architectural ceramic murals with painter and print maker Lawrence Daws in 1956. In 1957 he left for Europe and while there was inspired by the Spanish artist Joan Miro’s unconventional painting style and large scale murals, in particular Wall of the Moon (1957). After returning from his travels in Europe to Australia in 1964, he began to work solely on creating ceramic murals, some of which were commissioned for Southland Shopping Centre in Cheltenham, Melbourne, 1968 (now demolished), the National Mutual Centre, Melbourne,1964-5 (now demolished), Dee Why Library, Sydney 1966, Woden Valley High School, ACT, 1967, Tullamarine Airport Melbourne, 1969-70 (now demolished), Perth Concert Hall, 1971 and The University of Melbourne,1975 (with John Olsen). This mural is one of only three remaining in the public realm by Tom Sanders (the others are at the Perth Concert Hall (1971) and at the University of Melbourne (1975). Ceramic mural (earthenware tiles) consisting of a playful/organic abstract design similar in style to the Spanish artist Joan Miro. Shades of blue, yellow and black glazes are layered onto matte black and shiny bronze tiles. N/Amural, public art, earthernware, pottery, ceramics, glaze, eltham, ekphrasis2017, eltham town square, joan miro

The painting was purchased from the Eltham Outdoor Art Show. Smith endeavours to capture mood, atmosphere and light in this work by heightening and intensifying the imagery where possible. Smith is concerned with expressing a 'sense of place' inherent in the subject matter. Painting of a landscape at dusk with dirt walking track and trees somewhere in Eltham. Oil on composition board. Moulded frame. Painted in the 'Western Realist Tradition'. Signed 'HARRIS SMITH/84' Hand painted in capitals in red paint; bottom right. eltham, painting, landscape, smith, evening

In the early 1970s, Arthur Boyd bought and restored a large, two-storey traditional farmhouse called Il Paretaio. Situated on the crest of a hill and surrounded by fields and olive groves, it is five kilometres from the village of Palaia in the province of Pisa, Tuscany. Boyd established this farmhouse as a residency programme, (which was later managed by the Australia Council). The residency program ended in 1990. Anthony Pryor undertook an Australia Council residency at Paretaio in 1984. This work is one in a series made during his time there. This work was entered into the Shire of Eltham Art Award in 1985.Pryor is an artist of national significance. This work is an example of his series of 'boxes' made principally for his own pleasure and often swapped with artists and other friends as soon as they were finished. The 'box' series was part inspired by Japanese techniques of wooden construction. Pryor first visited Japan in 1975 and was immediately drawn to Japanese methods of working with stone and wood. Many of these boxes are based upon the principles of the Japanese Zen Buddhist monk Sengai Gibon (1750-1838). This work relates to Sengai's famous hanging scroll Circle, Triangle and Square in which the circle can be read to stand for the cosmos, the square for the individual, and the triangle for aspiration. A heavy, box-like (cube) structure created from huon pine, with bronze, brass and stone elements. Within the cube is an eastern inspired, rear lattice wall in combination with bronze domestic fittings, and symbols (cube, pyramid and circle). Metal lightning, clouds and wooden rainbow hover over an asymmetrical bronze bed floating within the cube. A chair leans and a tilting ladder reaches towards the sky. Stamped into wood: lower right 'ANTHONY PRYOR PARETAIO'huon pine, pryor, brass, bronze, stone, cube, paretaio, italy, eastern, japan, sengai gibon, symbols, zen buddhism, sculpture, personal

This was the first work de Clario painted during his Australia Council residency in Paretaio, Arthur Boyd's studio in Tuscany. It was painted in an old stable with a vaulted ceiling that reminded de Clario of a cenacolo or supper room. Domenico de Clario has an international reputation, gained particularly through his installation work and collaboration with composers and musicians. De Clario made many irregular shaped, un-stretched paintings during this period. He was involved with Arte Povera, a socialist based art movement where the 'poverty' was reflected in the choice and use of materials. This work was entered into the 1986 Shire of Eltham Art Awards. Painting: oil on canvas mounted on stretched canvas. Semi abstract painting containing out of focus objects within a room.de clario, painting, semi abstract, expressive, painterly, personal, arte povera, paretaio

Reinis Zusters OAM was born 15 October 1918 in Odessa, Ukraine, of Latvian parents. Zusters’ father died before he was two years old and he was raised in an orphanage from an early age. He had one sister. He studied Art at the Riga Technical College, Latvia, from 1935 to 1940. He married Aldija Kapteinis, and they had a daughter, Rudite (born 1942 in Riga). After World War II the Zusters family were refugees. They reached Western Australia in 1950, where they stayed for 6 months before moving to Canberra, ACT. In 1952, Zusters moved from Canberra to Pennant Hills in Sydney with his second wife, Arija Biks. Their daughter Laura was born in Sydney in 1956. In 1966, Zusters met his future third wife, Venita Salnajs. In 1969, Zusters bought a house in Greenwich, Sydney. He married Venita on September 17, 1976, and they moved to Wentworth Falls in the Blue Mountains. Zusters died on 8 October, 1999 at Wentworth Falls, and was cremated at Rookwood Crematorium, Sydney. His ashes are buried in the Latvian section of Rookwood Cemetery. Zusters studied at the Technical College of Riga (Latvia), and at East Sydney Technical College, Australia. He was influenced by his Latvian cultural heritage, and admired the artist Voldemars Tone (1892-1958). Shortly after arrival in Australia, Zusters became a draughtsman with the Department of Works and Housing in Canberra. Later he was appointed chief designer with the Australian-American architectural firm Austin-Anderson, at St. Leonards, Sydney. Zusters practised as a full-time professional artist from 1968. Zusters was a prolific painter, predominantly in oils. He produced many large landscapes, including triptychs of the Blue Mountains. His landscapes were mountain scenes prepared in the manner of Jackson Pollock and completed with washes and pale glazes of colour. His cityscapes featured a rich paint surface and sharp-edged thickness of paint applied with a palette knife, layer upon layer. He painted urban scenes of Sydney, inland Australian scenes, and several major portraits including Sir Winston Churchill’s gardener (purchased by Art Gallery of NSW). He made many small informal portrait-drawings of friends. His usual signature was “Zusters”. His work is represented in numerous public and private collections in Australia and abroad. He won numerous prestigious awards in Australia, Japan and USA and was honoured with the Order of Australia Medal in 1994.

This artwork was a finalist in the 1987 Shire of Eltham Art Awards. The materials Cowcher has chosen constitute different transformations of earth - stone, sand (fired into glass), bamboo and dried grass. The work is a sign of the artist's passion in working with these materials and 'packaging' them into an aesthetic composition that connect and dance with one another.Three purple glass objects in the form of pine cones, held together by raffia, resting on a large slab of white stone. N/A

Lesley Sinclair studied art at the National Gallery School in Melbourne in the 1920s, and lithography at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology. She became a member of the Melbourne Society of Women Painters and Sculptors, but rarely exhibited her work. She was a student of Justus Jorgensen and a founding member of the Montsalvat group in Eltham. She lived at Montsalvat and taught painting until her death.

Dean Bowen is renowned for his charming, child-like aesthetic and unique thematic interplay between the urban and rural as well as humans and animals. Bowen has developed a distinctive and humorous symbolic language that filters through each work. His highly charismatic and whimsical renderings of animals, human characters and Australian environments celebrate the vicissitudes of life, evincing the simple pleasures of human habitation within the artificial and the natural world. The work and thoughts of Jean Dubuffet, particularly those which focus on the philosophy of 'Art Brut', give support to Dean's belief that untrained artists are more honest, that artists interested in emulating the art of children are trying to regain the pure expression they lost with childhood. 'The Offering' was a finalist in the Nillumbik Art Awards in 1997. The work refers to the act of giving back, rather than taking which Bowen sees as more prevalent in our Western society. While the image is childlike, the expression of the boy is a mixture of sadness and happiness, knowing and naivety, youth and age. The smile has a Mona Lisa quality and the earthy and sensuous colours suggest landscape. When realising the images he relies on memory rather than observation so that the struggle with drawing and representation sometimes doesn't work. The style of the drawing and the flat space relates to the graphic style of cartoons and caricature. The intuitive and the imaginative are essential elements in his work. lower right 'Dean Bowen '97'

Isobel Clement has been practising since the 1980's. She completed her post graduate diploma at Phillip Institute (RMIT) in 1990. She paints, draws and uses installation for creative discourse. She has had more than ten solo exhibitions. Her work is included in collections such as National Gallery of Australia, the Australian Print Workshop Archive, Art Bank Australia and The Bundanon Trust. She has been shortlisted for the contemporary painting prize, the Bayside Art Award, on three occasions in recent years and was the winner of the Nillumbik Prize in 2009.Isobel Clement is a local artist who won the 2008 Nillumbik Prize. Painted in monochrome the artwork depicts two vases (with decorative edges) and two cups on a table in a row. Each of the four objects are slightly different in scale and shape and parallel to the picture plane. N/Astill life, nillumbik prize, painting, monochrome, vases, cups

George Baldessin (1939-1978) was born in San Biagio di Callalta, in the Veneto in Northern Italy and arrived in Australia ten years later. A printmaker and sculptor he built his bluestone studio at St Andrews (Nillumbik) in 1971 with his partner Tess and the three Hails brothers, Rob, Doug and Don. Made of recycled materials the studio today contains all of George’s equipment including the large press, which he modelled himself with the help of Neil Jeffrey (Enjay Presses). George won many prizes throughout his career and is represented in many of Australia's public art collections including his famous 'Pears' sculpture in front of the National Gallery of Australia, Canberra. In 1975 he represented Australia in the Sao Paulo Biennale, before living and working in Paris until his return to St Andrews in 1977. In 1978 George was killed in a car accident aged 39 years. In 2001 Tess returned to St Andrews to reclaim the run-down studio and reconstitute it as The Baldessin Press & Studio - a printmaking retreat. It operates in George’s memory, so that artists may continue to create, perpetuating the generous spirit of George. This work chosen for the folio is from an incomplete edition from 1966. It has been printed on Baldessin's original 1974 cast aluminium Enjay press (designed and made in collaboration with Neil Jeffreys) and restored specifically for this project by Dan Jones. In addition Deanna Hitti has used Baldessin's original Japanese Torinoko paper, stored safely in his studio for over forty years. ‘Portrait II’ is one of eight prints in the 'Baldessin & Friends commemorative folio. The folio was conceived by Tess Edwards as a fundraising initiative in celebration of the The Baldessin Press & Studio's fifteen year anniversary, and as a way to honour George Baldessin's memory. The Baldessin Press & Studio is a not-for-profit organisation created in memory of the late George Baldessin (1939-1978), whose original studio is now open to the public for creative use and as a practical legacy to living artists. The Studio is located in St Andrews, Nillumbik. The folio is a unique coming together of seven very different and acclaimed artists who are connected by their friendship to the missing eighth member, George Baldessin. This print is a fine example of Baldessin's primary interest of the figure, which displays great sensitivity to and observation of the human condition. Distortion, exaggeration and fragmentation were employed by Baldessin as tools to animate and scrutinize the displaced, dispossessed and alienated figure, flattened against the picture plane. Black and white distorted and exaggerated figure (head and shoulders), with hands raised to the face and the figure's right eye. acquatint, etching, baldessin, ekphrasis2018, figure

Painter, printmaker and installation artist John Wolseley was born in Somerset, England. He lived and worked throughout Europe before relocating to Australia in 1976. His work explores how people dwell and move within landscape. Wolseley see's himself as a hybrid mix of artist and scientist; one who tries to relate the minutiae of the natural world - leaf, feather and beetle wing - to the abstract dimensions of the earth's dynamic systems. Using techniques of watercolour, collage, frottage, nature printing and other methods of direct physical or kinetic contact Wolseley finds ways of collaborating with the actual plants, birds, trees, rocks and earth of a particular place. George Baldessin was one of the first artists John Wolseley met when he arrived in Australia in 1976. Both immigrated to Australia and connected through this shared experience. They were both at 'Realities Gallery' with Marianne Baillieu in the 1970s and 80s. George Baldessin (1939-1978) was born in San Biagio di Callalta, in the Veneto in Northern Italy and arrived in Australia ten years later. A printmaker and sculptor he built his bluestone studio at St Andrews (Nillumbik) in 1971 with his partner Tess and the three Hails brothers, Rob, Doug and Don. Made of recycled materials the studio today contains all of George’s equipment including the large press, which he modelled himself with the help of Neil Jeffrey (Enjay Presses). George won many prizes throughout his career and is represented in many of Australia's public art collections including his famous 'Pears' sculpture in front of the National Gallery of Australia, Canberra. In 1975 he represented Australia in the Sao Paulo Biennale, before living and working in Paris until his return to St Andrews in 1977. In 1978 George was killed in a car accident aged 39 years. In 2001 Tess returned to St Andrews to reclaim the run-down studio and reconstitute it as The Baldessin Press & Studio - a printmaking retreat. It operates in George’s memory, so that artists may continue to create, perpetuating the generous spirit of George. 'Life world of the Longicorn beetle' is one of eight prints in the 'Baldessin & Friends commemorative folio. The folio was conceived by Tess Edwards as a fundraising initiative in celebration of the The Baldessin Press & Studio's fifteen year anniversary, and as a way to honour George Baldessin's memory. The Baldessin Press & Studio is a not-for-profit organisation created in memory of the late George Baldessin (1939-1978), whose original studio is now open to the public for creative use and as a practical legacy to living artists. The Studio is located in St Andrews, Nillumbik. The folio is a unique coming together of seven very different and acclaimed artists who are connected by their friendship to the missing eighth member, George Baldessin. Communion and collaboration with nature are central to Wolseley's practice. He assembles different drawing methods to represent a kind of inventory or document about the state of the earth. His interest is to paint the processes and energy field of the living systems of this land. 'Life world of the Longicorn beetle' is his continued exploration of Australia's natural eco-systems. The beetle attacks the eucalypt and in the process of tunnelling into the wood of the tree leaves scribbly patterns. The work celebrates the cycle of life, and the wisdom and delicacy of these creatures. This three dimensional work consisting of three layers of paper is a varied edition, offering just the slightest difference between each print, reflective of variation in nature. The found log used as a woodcut acknowledges the interconnectedness of nature and living beings; the log is not apart from the art and the beetle has become an active artistic collaborator. An intimate and layered print of a tree log with line trails from the Longicorn beetle. Patches of pink, yellow and orange watercolour placed randomly. Woodcut from found log and etching on chine-colle with water colour on Gampi (top layer), Mulberry (middle layer) and Arches (bottom layer) paper. In pencil (handwritten): low plate: left '14/25' (edition); centre 'Life world of the Longicorn beetle' (title); right 'John Wolseley' (signature); low paper: right emboss 'GB' (Baldessin Press & Studio monogram)woodcut, etching, chine-colle, landscape, environment, longicorn beetle, print, baldessin, ekphrasis2018, eco, mixed media

Imam is represented in the Nillumbik Shire Art Collection and was the winner of the 2015 Nillumbik Prize for her work "Diagram of sentiment #1" (judged by Linden New Art Director Melinda Martin). She was also a finalist in the Nillumbik Prize 2016, 2015, 2013 and 2010. Imam completed a residency at Laughing Waters in 2011. Imam works within photography, the moving image and installation to create works centred on themes of embodiment and the female perspective. In this work she participates in a dialogue between her body and the Finnish Archipelagos in order to develop a relationship with the islands as both a place and an organic body [of land] where flux and change occurs. Photograph of the artist immersed from the waist down in green moss (landscape).N/Afinnish, archipelago, inkjet, print, photographic, body, island, moss

Nillumbik Prize finalist (2018, 2016, 2015, 2014). The artist lives and works in Nillumbik. Abstract sculpture inspired by the artist attending a local ceremony in Nillumbik to harvest tubers of the Murnong (yam daisy), a traditional staple of the Wurundjeri people. Wirth was also inspired by the writing of Bruce Pascoe. Wirth works intuitively with awareness that meaning may be deciphered through the combination of material/mediums/techniques that she uses randomly. Through the process of experimentation and automatism Wirth allows her work to evolve organically. Wirth is represented in public art collections including: Victorian College of the Arts, Victorian Performing Arts Centre and Ararat Regional Gallery. She also completed a residency at Laughing Waters in 2012. Yellow abstract sculpture woven into a vessel with long tentacles using cotton yarn. N/Afinalist, nillumbik prize, abstract, textile, yellow, vessel, yam

This painting was sparked by a US studio residency at Yellowstone National Park, shortly after Trump’s election. In America, Chin witnessed conservative nationalism and divisiveness, but also an equal reaction promoting diversity and challenging structural inequality. Developing this work in Australia, Chin examined how a sense of place forms fluidly in the consciousness, to surpass geographic borderlines.Kevin Chin is a local artist. He has been a finalist in the Nillumbik Prize for Contemporary Art (2015, 2019). In this painting Chin explores economic, cultural and social structures that shape the world in which we live, questioning who has built what, who takes ownership, and who has the right to the land. Landscape painting depicting a house (upside down) and a half finished urban structure sitting amongst mountain peaks and land that has been cleared and immersed in fog/smoke.N/Alandscape, kevin, chin, structural, inequality, castle, trump, painting, nillumbik, residency, yellowstone, realism, oils

Vipoo Srivilasa works predominantly in ceramics, creating unique contemporary porcelain sculptures, vessels and figures to transmit a universal message of cross-cultural experience. His works explore similarities between the cultures of homeland, Thailand and his adoptive home, Australia. His work is both a playful, and at times a political, blend of historical figurative and decorative art practices with contemporary culture. For more than 20 years, Vipoo has exhibited both internationally and throughout Australia, including Museum of Fine Arts, Boston; Saatchi Gallery, London; Ayala Museum, Philippines; Yingge Ceramics Museum, Taiwan; Nanjing Arts Institute, China and the National Gallery of Thailand. His work is held in national and international collections including the National Gallery of Australia, the Art Gallery of South Australia, GOMA, and the Craft Council, UK.

I am naturally drawn to using bold colours in my work that I apply to the canvas with quite gestural marks using everything from brushes to my hands to create an image. For me the colour represents passion for all the beauty of nature and the movement of paint on the canvas is like the dance of life. The surrounding bushland of my home is the main focus of my paintings in which I spend a lot of time exploring and absorbing the many nuances of my subject. The work is an expression of the intimate relationship we have with nature, the human narrative we impose upon it and its ability to define us. This work, ‘Time for Clarity’ is about the positive impact COVID-19 has had on the environment, cleaner air, clearer skies and waters. It has opened the door to future possibilities, a glimpse of the ecological value of taking a more thoughtful and measured approach to the way we consume, it's slowed down time and given us a chance to be more introspective.This work was originally commissioned in 2020 by Nillumbik Shire Council for the exhibition 'Art in the time of COVID-19'.

Winner of 2015 Expressions: the Wool Quilt PRize. Created by Lisa Davis. Artist statement: "The Art of Record Keeping" pays homage to the work of Ernst Haeckel, German zoologist and evolutionist from the late 1800s. Raw edge machine applique and intricate quilting combine to create texture and detail reminiscent of Haeckel's illustrations. Including parallel lines in the quilting echoes the idea of documentation"Black wool quilt with white wool shapes