Art on North Stradbroke Island

- October 29, 2022

Art on North Stradbroke Island

While on a brief stay to North Stradbroke Island I managed to visit a couple of artistic displays in North Stradbroke. The island has a strong aboriginal history so there are many examples of indigenous art.

1. My highlight however was a visit to the gallery of Alan McKinnon. He has been on the island for 47 years. He arrived as a young surfer from West Australia who developed into a local artist.

His art is all about the beach, the sand, the plants and animals. It is bright, colourful and detailed. Alan also had a unique sales idea. You could buy the original artwork for $1,200 or a limited copy for $350. Both are identical in size.

2. Next stop was to a craft shop called Starfish Studios. They sold the work of local painters, weavers etc. On duty was Koo. She had a number of small paintings say 100 X 150mm, mainly of foreshore/headland scenes priced to sell at $100. Her story was interesting. She had never done art but taught herself during COVID lockdown by watching YouTube videos.

We of course swapped photos and created a self-admiration group of two.

Click the link to see more of Koo/s work.

KOO'S CARDS – STARFISH STUDIO & SEASCAPE STRADBROKE

3. Lastly in Dunwich, the town where the ferry deposits the tourists was a shop called “delvene cockatoo-collins”. This was operated by Delvene an extremely talented and creative person. Her shop was full of only her work. She designed and printed many, many items such as original artworks, ceramics, sculptures, homewares, prints, clothing, scarves, earrings, cushion covers, even the sale tags.