A glorious spring day hung golden suspended as we set out the Arts Studio Trail, a stream within the NSW Southern Highlands Wine Arts & Roses Festival. The festival runs for the first three weeks each November each year with dozens of artists, artisans, wineries and gardens throwing open their doors to the wider public.
The Woodworkers
Our first port of call was the workshop of the Southern Highlands’ Woodies’, a group of enthusiastic 
local wood workers. We were the first visitors of the day and were given the warmest of welcome by the eight or ten charming members in attendance to show off their work.
The ‘Woodies’ passion is wood turning in all of its variations. Most of the 50 or so members are amateurs with a smattering of professional and semi-professional or retired crafts or trade people. The quality of the work on display was far from amateurish consisting of high quality pieces made from every imaginable type of fine timber.
Club Vice President Roger Wilson kindly guided us around the pieces on display, each coming with its own personal history! Bowls, cups, ornament holders, handmade cutlery all took on a life of their own; most of them deserved to be put up for adoption rather than just sold!
Club President, John Powell (pictured), noticed that the attention of our two youngest daughters was drifting slightly and in a blink of an eye had them giggling away as he gave them the choice of a basket full of hand turned trickets put aside for visiting children.
Maddi’ was so impressed with the goodies on offer that I heard the fatal words “Christmas presents, excellent”, muttered gently under her breath. Her intentions became clearer a moment later as she asked me if I had a ten or twenty dollar note in my wallet.
“No sorry darling”, I replied without thinking, “only a fifty”.‘That’ll do, she uttered, moving with ninja like swiftness to remove the wallet from my grasp. 20 mins and sixty five dollars later she had cornered the market in hand made honey curlers ,custom made cheese knives.
The Cartoonist, Artist and Potter
Oaklands, the studio of cartoonist and illustrator Brendan Akhurst, proved to be a real delight. We were 
greeted by graphics artist and potter, Steven Jones, one of the movers and shakers behind the respected Highlands Graphics. Steven, a potter as well as graphic artist, had joined wildlife and portrait artist Tracey Warren in displaying some of their work alongside that of Brendan.
Tracy Warren, both and artist and art teacher, arrived a few moments later and shared with us some of her recent experiences which have included exhibiting in several US states and being commissioned by no less than NASA to carry out work to commemorate the first moon landing! Tracy's work radiates a genuine love of animals whilst her extended portfolio stretches across a range of genres some of which touch on the world of fantasy as demonstrated by her fairy art. Tracy's work can be seen on her website, Willow Productions.
Cartoonist and Illustrator Brendan Akhurst was a revelation and his quick fire series of yarns about his remarkable career stretching back over forty years were totally absorbing. There appear to be few leading publications that have not displayed his work at some stage or another encompassing everything from Womans Weekly to the Bulletin and practically every car mag every published in Australia. His Wayne and Vicky cartoon strip is still being published and is a favourite of car lovers throughout the country.
We were intrigued to learn that Brendan was the the creative behind none other than the iconic Louie the Fly cartoons. A sharp wit, underscored by a well-honed technical and artistic ability, are all wrapped-up in a literate approach to his craft, not to mention a good dose of the larrikin as was evidenced by the work on display in the 'adult studio' upstairs.
With archived material stretching back decades it would be wonderful to see Bernard's work in a retro exhibition at some stage. Bernard's website can be found at Oakwood Art.
Master Artist - From France to Africa to Bowral and Everywhere in Between
After a bite of lunch we visited the Bowral-based studio of Master Artist Annette M. Corrie Dutoit, a most remarkable woman. A mother of nine, Annette's passion for life and her art is electric. With a smile that would light the darkest of rooms she was kind enough to guide us through her light filled gallery.
Annette has been successfully exhibiting her artworks throughout a career that has spanned over the past 45 years, exhibiting throughout Australia, United States of America, Canada and France. She was most recently awarded the accolade of ‘Master Artist’ by International Artist Magazine. Her studies have also taken her from Mexico, through the Native American tribes of U.S.A. and Canada, and through East Africa.
The work on display was simply gorgeous including works covering the artist's stints in Africa and France. In one room of the well-presented home based gallery we enjoyed oils of Bull Elephants and three-dimensional cheetahs in painted terracotta plus some delicious hand-painted silks. A second contained works showcasing the artist's time in Paris where she lived for several years with husband Lucien. Annette's work is currently being exhibited in the French capital.
Annette M. Corrie Dutoit's work can be viewed online at her website. As well as commissioned works she also offers art lessons with very personal touch for those just starting out (including children) or for those wishing to develop their skill base further.
Billington Photography - Last Man Standing Using Film?
Robert Billington's studio in Bowral offered a small selection of this experienced photographers work, but more than enough to give a firm indication of his talent.
Billington is one of the most widely recognised fine art photographers in Austrlaia. While his primary focus is on photography as an art, he is also known for beautiful and emotive portraiture photography. His work has been exhibited at the Australian National Gallery, The Art Gallery of New South Wales, Queensland 
Art Gallery and the Museum of Sydney. In 2000 and 2001, the Museum of Sydney recognized his unique photographs with two exhibitions. Robert’s work has also been widely published and exhibited in New York, London, throughout Europe and included in the worldwide M.I.L.K exhibition.
Unfortunately Robert had been called up to Sydney on assignment at short notice but his delightful wife, Julianne (pictured), a successful graphic artist in her own right, showed us through. We were intrigued to learn that Robert has only just switched from using film to a digital camera, a necessary change due to the demands of his corporate work. This would possibly make Robert the last full-time professional photographer in the country to have switched over to digital - we had a brief silence to acknowledge the moment. Robert's portfolio and offerings can be viewed at Billington Photography.
Eclectica - Winifred West Schools Foundation Art Show
Our final visit turned out to be a very high class affair at the Frensham school campus. Eclectica 2011 proved to be a total immersion experience featuring emerging and established artists an
d artisans. We had been slightly dubious that the show could live up to what could have proven to be a very pretentious title, Eclectica, but our doubts were quickly dispelled as we joined the large crowd viewing the works on display.
Our children were very interested in proceedings, possibly as they had some of their own work on display as part of a colective Gib Gate school offering (above)!
The gorgeous weather and the delightful Frensham grounds provided a fine setting for the exhibition that would not have been out of place in any capital city. Photography, art, garden sculpture, video art and quirky craft were all on display. It was gratifying to see an entire room dedicated to some decidedly bizarre moving video art which provided just the right degree of challenge to our senses that we relish in contemporary art!
The garden art was absorbing with works by Margot Curtis, Tim Hankinson and Folko Kooper amongst others. Our children were fascinated by the quirky nature of the exhibits and we were reminded how a garden space can be lifted by a few judiciously placed pieces of art. Our only challenge on the day was r
eminding the children that the outside sculpture and designs were for "eyes only' and not intended as interactive pieces!
Reflecting the professionalism of Winfred West Foundation, the exhibition is backed-up by a comprehensive web site which not only lists the artists on display but provides extensive examples of the featured work at Eclectica 2011.
A further insight into the event is provided by our guest blogger Interior Designer Deirdre Brennan who very kindly provided us with her impressions of the show in Eclectica - More than an Art Show!
