If you’ve ever thought about picking up a paint brush or getting your hands dirty with some clay, then make sure you get along to the Muswellbrook Creative Arts Fair on Saturday, October 4.
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Even if you don’t have a creative bone in your body, there will be something for the whole family at the fantastic free annual event.
This year will be the fifth Creative Arts Fair, with performances by rockabilly sweetheart Shelley Minson, buskers and belly dancing, as well as Lachlan Phelps playing the didgeridoo.
Have hands-on fun at the African Drumming workshop and by decorating your own Raku fired ceramic piece.
Muswellbrook artist Leanne Ward is ambassador of the event and says she’ll be encouraging locals to put their stamp on a piece of community art as part of the day’s festivities.
Ms Ward’s background is as colourful as her acrylic on canvas artworks. While she didn’t study art at school, she says she was always crafty as a child and would prefer to colour-in rather than watch TV.
“After I finished school I did an interior decorating course by correspondence,” she said. “Then I went through our whole house and revamped everything on a budget. Then I studied a foundation course in Fine Arts at Newcastle TAFE, and a Certificate in Fine Arts at Singleton TAFE.
“I did a mosaic weekend and then I mosaicked everything I could get my hands on. I’ve studied woodworking with power tools, antique furniture restoration and upholstery.”
The 51-year-old says most of her work is done in acrylic on canvas.
“Oil takes so long to dry and I’m not patient enough to leave it alone,” she says.
Leanne says art is therapeutic and she likes to include meaningful symbols into her work as a way of keeping precious family memories alive.
As well as her emotive canvases, Leanne has completed community mosaics in Simpson and Hunter Parks in Muswellbrook.
She says the Creative Arts Fair is a great event to bring the community together and showcase the creativity in the area.
“I’d just like to get people to come along and pick up a brush,” Ms Ward said. “And if anyone has an interest in art, or wants to know where to start, then I can set them on the right track to find out about art classes, or groups in the area.”
The Creative Arts Fair will be held at Lions Park, Lower Brook Street, Muswellbrook from 10am to 3.30pm.
Children can attend art workshops and have their face painted. Olaf from the hit animated film Frozen is dropping in to say hello and aspiring Stick figure artists are catered for with the Charteris Award stick figure competition.
There will be spinning and weaving, ceramics and painting demonstrations.
The annual Artists’ Shootout at Noon will be a great spectator event. Entrants have one hour to create their individual masterpiece, with a $500 cash prize for senior entrants and $250 for youth and more prizes for junior entrants.
