Margaret River’s artists to throw open their studio doors today

Open Studios launches this weekend and will see more than 100 creatives from paintersto furniture makers open the doors to the places they work their magic.

The event, one of the biggest art showcases in Australia, was reported to have attracted up to 10,000 people to the region in 2018 and pumped about $5 million into the local economy.

Margaret River Region Open Studios chairman Jim Davies said after months of planning, the team and artists behind this year’s iteration were ready to welcome guests into their worlds.

“I think when people come down here they want to see as much as possible, so we try to give them a taste of all different forms of arts,” he said.

“Some artists doing it for the first time can be nervous, but those who have done it before recognise the visitors are very respectful, interested and delighted to be welcomed into these spaces.

“When you can talk to the artists and see where work is created, it gives you a much better understanding of the art, and an insight into the process in which is was created.”

Davies said locals should try to get off the beaten track this year to check out studios they might not otherwise visit.

One such venue off the main roads is The Farm Margaret River on Burnside Road. It will play host to artists Elizabeth Whiteman, Paul Gatopulosz, Britta Sorensen and Martine Perret.

Whiteman, now on her third Open Studios foray, said the event had helped her find a place as a newcomer to town. “For me it has been a great opportunity to get into a local community and be involved in something local, which is important to me,” she said.

“Often people might know Margaret River for other reasons, whether it be wine or beaches, but maybe they didn’t know there were so many artists here.

“It is a really nice thing to bring people down to discover something different about Margaret River.”

First-timer Gatopulosz said he was a little nervous, but was ready to open his studio to the public. “There is nothing more amazing than artists being able to share their space, but it is also good for artists to open up to other artists too,” he said.

“It is people not just seeing it as a piece of art, but understanding the time, thought, effort, creativity and thought process which goes into one piece of art.

“The beauty of The Farm is when you get here you are immediately immersed into the surroundings and the studios really draw you into that.”

Gatopulosz has been an artist-in-residence at The Farm since August, 2018. Open Studios is free and runs from April 27-May 12 in Busselton, Margaret River and surrounds.