The inaugural Kin Kin Art Fair proved so popular, bringing 620 people through the door of the School of Arts hall, organisers Max Webberley and Jo Wiles repeated the exercise last Saturday with a Christmas Art Fair.
The former Melbourne journalists moved to the region to retire but, after a couple of failed attempts, they decided to launch a business and opened the Kin Kin Depot.
Max said when they discovered Kin Kin to be a real community, they wanted to organise something to bring everyone even closer together and, being aware of its depth of art and nature lovers, thought an art fair was a good way to do it.
The diverse group of artists exhibiting at the fair is a collection of long time professionals and newcomers to their art.
Landscape artist Peter Hughes, 86, is widely known for his art. Greg Liersch has sold his seascapes at galleries across Australia and the US.
Erica Evans has created art pieces for 30 years including jewellery and art, and now specialises in painting birds.
Lauretta Sela was inspired by her father, a mosaic artist, and mother, a stained glass artist, to follow an artistic path.
“I’ve always wanted to get into it. I just made one piece and went from there,” she said.
Semi-retired doctor Annette Tyson always had an urge to paint but a career and children got in the way until, at age 50, she took up a brush, taking workshops across the country, before finding her own style.
“A lot of people can’t afford a painting. I wanted my art to be affordable.” So Annette has been putting her art on cards, fabric, tea towels and, more recently, children’s jigsaws.
Kay Emery began painting landscapes five years ago and has gained success with her paintings.
While Viv Bright has returned to painting after an absence of 20 years.
Max said he and Jo planned to hold two art fairs a year on the first Sunday of the month to coincide with the farmers market at the Showgrounds, giving locals a reason to linger longer in the town.
He said they aimed to hold other events on other months of the year.
