Did you know that the largest artist studios in NSW are right on your doorstep Pyrmont Village? one+2 Artist Studios in Rozelle houses around 50 artists working in a huge variety of different styles and disciplines media including painting, sculpture, glass, ceramics, installation and mixed media.

Once a year the doors to the studios are thrown open and the general public is invited to visit. This year’s Open Weekend is on 29th and 30th November from 10am to 5pm and offers a unique opportunity to meet the artists in their studio environment. Take a look around, stop and chat about the art production process and you may even be inspired to buy work direct from some of the artists!

The studio will also be staging a group exhibition to illustrate the variety of talent, styles and imagery that the creative studio relationship fosters. A percentage of funds raised from the exhibition will be donated to The Smith Family.

So what can you expect to see? Long-term one+2 artist, Ursula Kolbe has been with the studio for ten years. “For some years I’ve been exploring ways to integrate fragments of handwritten words within the barest suggestions of landscape. I am fascinated by the power of almost unreadable words to evoke memories”, explains Ursula. She paints with oils and oil sticks on canvas or wooden panels, using thin glazes and sometimes beeswax. Her beautiful, atmospheric works proved hugely popular at a recent exhibition at Charles Hewitt gallery and you can see more examples at the Open Weekend.

Another of the one+2 Artists, Rone Waugh, has been with the studio nearly two years. His cubist-inspired paintings of the human figure are painted in vivid acrylics over a beeswax base. He explains, “I’ve always found the human form a source of inspiration. And being at the studio offers a second source of inspiration, via the other artists’ positive feedback”.

Recent National Art School graduate, Ochre Lawson, will be showing a range of work including ceramic figurative sculptures, forms made from wire and paper mache, works on paper and some paintings. “Although I’ve covered a few different mediums, my general source of inspiration surrounds nature and people’s place within it”, explains Ochre. “It is a theme I’ve been exploring for the last eight years as an artist and I’m still excited about it. My most recent work explores human’s animal instinct and how we relate to our environment.”

Housed in a converted Rozelle warehouse, 1+2 Artist Studios has been operating since 1991, when it opened with just 7 artists in residence. Today the studios house around 50 artists and continue to be a centre for creative talent in the inner west. The artists work in different media including painting, sculpture, glass, ceramics, installation and mixed media.

Studio Director, Rogerio Blanc-Ramos, believes that the unusually large group of artists works well together, because the co-operative studio environment encourages artists to think outside of their individual boundaries.

“The space encourages a cross-fertilisation of ideas which is a continual challenge and source of inspiration to all of the artists”, says Mr Blanc-Ramos. “Our open weekend is a unique opportunity for people to get behind the scenes and see what goes on before art arrives in the pristine white spaces of commercial galleries. We find that that it breaks down barriers between the artist and the public, creating an environment where people are much more comfortable discussing, approaching and enjoying art”.

Another of the studio artists, Ian Thomas, has been at one+2 for 8 years. “I had my first solo exhibition in the studio’s gallery space in 2001 and I’m now preparing for my 8th solo show in March next year at Danks Street Depot. It’s been the perfect place to develop my painting style, to share ideas and to receive advice and criticism from more experienced artists. I do think it’s a completely unique space - and there’s nowhere else like it in the area”, he said.

Come and see for yourself!

When: Saturday, 29 - Sunday, 30 November 2008
Where: 483 Balmain Road, Rozelle, Sydney (cnr Cecily Street, opposite Sydney College of the Arts, Callan Park)
Time: 10am-5pm
Further Information: Contact Ian Thomas on 0402 829 555