Onkaparinga Arts - Sauerbier House

Celebrating 10 Years! 🎉

Throwback | Richard Lavender

Artist in Residence, March-May, 2016
HOME

"Home and our surroundings has insistently inspired me. Not just through the artwork I create, but through the little appreciations and mindset I reside within. It’s not the word, the letters or the sound they make, but rather the underlying feelings connected with home. The elements we look past due to familiarity and the others that catch our attention every time. The feeling of home sick, and the contrast of finally returning back again. This body of work will serve as a personal tool for myself to explore, consider and look deeper into the landscape and structures, the people and the animals, the colours and temperatures within the place I call home. Recreating these elements with the use of paint demands an insightful consideration of pigments, sizes and applications to reflect the internal complacency felt when home."

Images: Exhibition and studio documentation, courtesy the artist.

LIBBY ROSE & JOSEPH BOAS
FRAGMENTS OF NATURE

27 June – 1 August

Wash House & foyer

Fragments of Nature explores the artists’ experience living and working on the Fleurieu through clay and textiles, exploring shifting landscapes, natural textures, and the quiet interconnectedness of collaborative making.


Opening Saturday 27 June 2–4pm

Please join artists in residence Libby Rose and Joseph Boas to celebrate the launch of 'Fragments of Nature'. Libby and Joseph join studio friends Valerie and Sera for an informative series of short artist talks to open the exhibitions from 2:30pm.



Image: Fragments of Nature (WIP), 2026, wild clay, botanical textiles. Image courtesy Artists

VALERIE KIRK
RIVER OF CONNECTION

A quiet dialogue between landscape, history, and making—foregrounding care, connection, respect and continuity through investigating the Onkaparinga River and blankets.

Opening Saturday 27 June 2–4pm

Please join artist in residence Valerie Kirk to celebrate the launch of River of Connection. Valerie joins studio friends Sera Waters, Libby Rose and Joseph Boas for an informative series of short artist talks to open the exhibitions from 2:30pm.

Hallway Gallery | 27 June - 1 August

Shout out to our friends at Fabrik Arts for generously supporting Valeries research.
Fabrik Arts & Heritage

Image: Fibulae, 2026, wool, felt, cotton thread, beads, dimensions variable. Photo courtesy Artist.

SAMPLING ECOLOGIES
SERA WATERS

Waters experiments with patterns discovered within the ecologies of Port Noarlunga, leaning into the innovative possibilities of sampling using embroidery and paint.

Opening Saturday 27 June 2–4pm

Please join Sera to celebrate the launch of Sampling Ecologies. Sera joins studio friends Valerie Kirk, Libby Rose and Joseph Boas for an informative series of short artist talks from 2:30pm.

Sera is represented by Hugo Michell Gallery.

Image: Washed Up (detail), 2026, cotton on hand-dyed linen, 15 x 8cm. Photograph courtesy Artist.

Celebrating 10 Years! 🎉

Throwback | Veronica Calarco

Artist in Residence, Dec 2015 -Feb 2016
Once upon a time/un ar adeg.

"As with most Australians, I didn’t learn the language of the area from which I come. We all spoke English. As an adult I have learnt Welsh - a language to which I have no historical, cultural or family connection. I decided that I needed to learn the language of Gippsland. This is not an easy task - there are very few resources (dictionaries, grammars, how to learn) and so I find that I have embarked on a journey to find the language as well as to learn it. Mainly what I have at this stage is a list of words and a few grammars notes. But they are just words I can memorise and have no meaning - so with my work I am trying to put a meaning into each word or phrase as I learn it. Whilst at Sauerbier House I have been using a short story in Kurnai and translating it into Welsh. The images used in the works were influenced by the time I have spent at Lot 50 Kanyanyapilla - an area of land in McLaren Vale that was acquired by artist and cultural geographer Gavin Malone for an ecological and cultural regeneration project. By using the story (and the words) in the images I am giving the words meaning to me, making them part of my experience at Sauerbier House and the time I have spent at Lot 50."

Images: SH

Celebrating 10 Years! 🎉

Throwback | Lorelei Medcalf

Artist in Residence, Dec 2015 -Feb 2016
'We've got the Sky to Talk About'

Printmaker Elizabeth Abbott's work explores ideas around recalled, regained, remained and reframed.

"I am a visual arts practitioner concentrating on printmaking and painting. I have held many printmaking workshops with children and adults as well as being involved in group and solo exhibitions in the local area. I am also a qualified special effect makeup artist and have worked in film, television and special events. I have worked in schools, libraries and community centres demonstrating and applying my crafts. I also take private one on one session with beginners and artists who want to improve or add technical knowledge in their art practice."

Images: SH

Celebrating 10 Years! 🎉

Throwback | Elizabeth Abbott

Artist in Residence, Sept - Nov, 2015.
'REVISITED'

Printmaker Elizabeth Abbott's work explores ideas around recalled, regained, remained and reframed.

"I am a visual arts practitioner concentrating on printmaking and painting. I have held many printmaking workshops with children and adults as well as being involved in group and solo exhibitions in the local area. I am also a qualified special effect makeup artist and have worked in film, television and special events. I have worked in schools, libraries and community centres demonstrating and applying my crafts. I also take private one on one session with beginners and artists who want to improve or add technical knowledge in their art practice."

Images: SH

Celebrating 10 Years! 🎉

Throwback | Sandy Kumnick

Artist in Residence, Sept - Nov, 2015.
'ENDANGERED'

Sandy Kumnick's abstract play with oil paint and sand, locally sourced squid ink and endangered kelp, reflects her love of experimentation and respect for the natural world.

"I am a painter, as was my mother, who used to attend classes in watercolour painting classes at the Old Noarlunga main street studio-art-shop. My parents lived for 35 years in the home they built at Moana South, so although I am not a local, Noarlunga is special to me. My work usually starts in an expressionistic gestural style, reflecting the observed environments in colours and marks. Found objects, vegetation and imagery (on camera / paper) collected during daily walks, sketches, words-poetry, and other modes are utilised in capturing moments of focus.

Images: SH

Celebrating 10 Years! 🎉

Throwback | James Tylor

Fringe Dweller | Garden Gallery | 2015

James Tylor is an Aboriginal/Maori/Anglo photo media artist. His investigations into personal histories of place and identity combine intelligence, technical skill and an individual aesthetic which result in a fresh take on such complex issues.

Fringe Dweller was a site-specific work which explored Indigenous settlements and campsites on the fringes of Australian towns and cities. The project highlighted contemporary and historical Indigenous temporary dwelling on the fringes of Australian towns and cities.

Images: SH