This past weekend we visited St. Kilda Esplanade Market. On since 1970, the market is located on the Esplanade in St. Kilda. Open every Sunday it features works from over 200 local artists and craftspeople.
There are all sorts of handmade crafts from wood, glass, photographs, paintings, recycled materials, resin, and more. Although it doesn’t rival some of the bigger arts and crafts markets, it has the advantage of being right on the Esplanade overlooking the St. Kilda beach which gives the market a special feeling.
We took home some business cards from a few artists whose works we may pick up before we head home but on the whole we were keeping our wallets in our pockets (or purse, in my case). We weren’t in the mindset to splurge. And, as it so often goes, just when we weren’t searching for anything, we found something exciting.
Ryan can claim this major find. I say “major” in its significance to us, not in its size. It’s a rather small piece, no bigger than a foot each way. It’s a hand-painted work by Aussie artist, Karen Mason. It’s painted on wooden panels with acrylic and gouache paint. There are three separate sections fused together to form a complete cohesive image. And best of all, it’s called The Adventure.
We loved the symbolism of the piece given our situation and Ryan loved the colors which reminded him of the Australian outback. It doesn’t quite come through in the photo but there are also lovely hints of green and even a little purple. It’s our first major piece of art bought in Australia, although we have looked at quite a few. Now, on to Pinterest to find an appropriate color palette for the non-existent room this will feature in. 🙂
The artist, Karen Mason, does not have a website but can be reached at (03) 9531 8293 and is a regular at The Esplanade Market.
When in Oz 