South Coast Artisans

Meet Alex, an artist from Berry with a wonderful following of her brand Wattlewood.  Finding inspiration all around her and growing up on the south coast, Alex has a wonderful whimsy to her detailed and abstract work.  

Meet Caroline Bloomfield, the woman behind Willowvale Road. This local business creates candles, diffusers and tantilising scents, each one inspired by the South Coast scenery. Caroline is normally found tucked away in her purpose-built barn among the rolling hills of Gerringong.

Meet Pete, a photographer with a deep affinity to the natural world. His inspiration comes from the rolling hills and gentle waves of the South Coast, with his images a reflection of the area's innate beauty. Pete lives in Jervis Bay but is usually spotted strolling the green hills in search of his next photograph.

Meet Lee-Anne of MbK for Life, who sustainably hand-harvests kelp from the pristine waters of Mystery Bay. This seaweed  offers a healthy infusion of natural iodine, great with all kinds of recipes. Lee-Anne can usually be found drying racks of kelp in the warm South Coast sunshine.

Meet Bonnie, who seeks out beauty in everyday life on the South Coast. She transforms the forgotten and unnoticed places into works of magic, creating unique paintings and collages that bring the South Coast to life. You can find Bonnie in North Nowra, when she isn't out looking for matchboxes, bottles and ghost signs.

Meet Zeynep, a ceramic artist who takes inspiration from the ocean of the South Coast – just as it can be calm and clear one day, so too can it be tumultuous and unpredictable the next. She firmly believes the pot decides what it wants to be. You'll normally find Zeynep in her pottery studio in the seaside village of Gerroa.

Meet Tracey, who has been working in skincare for over 20 years. Finding that people were sensitive to synthetic ingredients in mainstream cosmetics, she created her own range of natural, organic, plant-based products. You'll usually find Tracey in her lab concocting new moisturisers from the South Coast's fresh produce.

Meet Dianna, the woman behind Creative Culture. Influenced by the beauty of the South Coast, she loves nothing more than featuring natural materials in her bohemian inspired fibre art. Dianna loves to share her art with others and hosts Creative Culture Workshops throughout the South Coast and beyond.

Meet Magdelena from Vspora Art.  She designs intricate pieces of jewellery using recycled sterling silver, minimising environmental impact by reusing metal rather than mining for more. Magdelena works from her little coastal studio in the seaside town of Kiama. 

Meet Amie from the Shoalhaven, the talent behind Beloved Scents.  Designing products within this successful range has been a passion that began when Amie was in the corporate world.  With the brands motto being "discover your wild" the range has gone from pouring candles in the kitchen to a studio designing a range that can be found across Australia.

Meet Sid, who started the clothing brand Buckin’ Dog. Her clothes are inspired by the Aussie mentality: strength and power of the bucking bull;  loyalty, courage and tenacity of the friendly dog. When she isn't working as a nurse, you'll find Sid designing new T-shirts at her South Coast home.

Meet Rachel, who finds that chai is the perfect antidote to modern day 'busy-ness'. Her and husband Jake plan to deliver ease, release, luxury and alignment  – all in a single cup. You will usually find Rachel, encouraging more people to join the UNBUSY tribe. 

Meet Kim, who founded Feather and Nest, offering a collection of cards, postcards and stationery –each item depicting a little snippet of life on the Far South Coast of NSW.Kim is based in Bega, where you'll often find her writing poignant letters.

Meet husband and wife team, Cliff and Paulina. Between them, they have over 20 years experience in hospitality. The blends they create are inspired by the laid-back South Coast lifestyle: something they discovered after to moving to Berry from stressed-out Sydney.

Meet Mel and her wonderful Tea range. Her journey to becoming a Tea master only began after having worked as a hairdresser for 10 years. It was after working in a tea shop her eyes opened to the beautiful world of tea, graduated from my Tea Master and Tea Blending courses through The Australian Tea Masters company down in Geelong and she has never looked back.

Meet Gitte and Kerry, artists and the founders of Fern Street Gallery. This award-winning contemporary art gallery provides opportunities for artists to exhibit in a professional gallery, enriching both locals and visitors with the world of beautiful art in the South Coast town of Gerringong. They have a talented team of Resident Artists and you can see their artworks right here. 

Meet Holly an abstract artist based in Gerringong. She create’s one off unique paintings which bring the viewer a sense of fun. Her love of the outdoors is her main inspiration as she invites people to look more carefully at the world around them.

Meet Evie McEachern, a 17 year old artist in her final year of high school doing the HSC. Evie has been painting for over ten years and especially loves to paint portraits. Having sold many works previously and being a 2019 Young Archibald finalist for a portrait of her younger sister which was on display at the Art Gallery of NSW.

Meet Rachel Tolosa Paz, a writer and photographer who settled along the South Coast after a writing residency in Argentina She writes about culture and the arts, with The Food of Argentina her first book. Rachel is based in Jamberoo, a colourful inland town on the South Coast.

Meet Ian Thuaux, the man (and the beard) behind Bearded Brewer. They hand-roast their own beans to create ethically-sourced local coffee for you to sip at home.  Ian and family are based in Nowra, a coastal town in the Shoalhaven region. 

Meet Tahlia, an author who writes magical realism and non-fiction titles She is an ex-dancer, visual theatre performer and high school creative-arts teacher. You'll find her living in the rainforest in Foxground, where she works as a freelance editor.

Meet Katherine Boland, an artist who draws inspiration from the natural South Coast environment. She also wrote a memoir in 2017 – Hippy Days, Arabian Nights; a rollicking tale of her unconventional life. Katherine arrived to the South Coast in 1979, where she lived on a bush property at Brogo. She now lives in Merimbula.

Meet Jo, the kelp farmer behind Sea Health – a range of seaweed products crafted for health and wellbeing. The kelp is harvested from the beaches before being washed in the mountain waters of Tilba. Jo lives in Narooma, near the South Coast's golden sands. 

Meet Janine Coddington, who is a multi-talented artist.  As a Visual Artist, she is inspired by her home town of Gerringong with her work being either semi abstract, whimsical or realistic in style.  Her felt work is using Australian and NZ wool and designs are in fashion and accessories.

Meet Lauren, the talented mum behind the Kathleen Creations. After the birth of her baby girl, Lauren started creating beautiful hand made prints and designs, including unique stationery boxes. Lauren lives in Jervis Bay with her daughter, who is now one years old. 

Meet Theres, the woman behind the beautiful pottery of Earth Hand Fire Studio. She has always been inspired by the natural world, creating decorative pieces that express her love of the coastal landscapes she inhabits. Theres was originally from Wollongong and now lives but works near the picturesque Jervis Bay.

Meet the duo behind Maple Ridge Jervis Bay, the company that create small batch, eco-friendly, sustainable products that are as good for your skin as they are for the planet. This family-operated business is located in the beautiful Jervis Bay area of NSW. 

Meet David, a relationship therapist, trainer, educator, radio broadcaster, pastor, husband, father, grandfather, Francophile, traveller, cyclist, skier, surfer and artist. David lives on the South Coast, where he writes about social justice issues.

Meet Dawn, founder of Chain Bay Sewcraft, who creates high-quality Australian fabric products. Dawn's products are all handmade, inspired by the abundant native wildlife and bush setting. Dawn works at Chain Bay, overlooking the Tasman Sea where the Clyde River opens into the ocean.

Meet Kerry, an artist whose inspiration is drawn from the rugged NSW coastlines: the sapphire coloured water, the sea foam, the delicate sea grass, and the dramatic colours of the kelp. Kerry lives on the Sapphire Coast, having spent 25 years working in marketing. 

Meet Emma from South Coast Kimchi Co. She decided to make her own kimchi after finding no one else on the South Coast was selling the real deal: and so the business was born. Emma lives in the coal coast region, where she spends her days pickling and fermenting delicious veggies.  

Meet Luke, of Luke Abbot Designs. His aim is to unlock the childlike wonder he associates with the natural world through his contemporary jewellery range. Luke is based in Jervis Bay, where he makes each piece meticulously with heat, then colours it using a hand held torch. 

Meet Donna, Artisan of Earthy magical bath + body products.  These gorgeous products are made with a conscious offering natural ingredients and made with love in her home studio on 10 acres in Woodstock Milton.

Meet Alan Baxter a multi-award-winning author of horror, supernatural thrillers, and dark fantasy. He’s also a martial arts expert, a whisky-soaked swear monkey, and dog lover. He creates dark, weird stories among dairy paddocks on the beautiful south coast of NSW, Australia where he lives with his wife, son and hound.

Meet Donna who began her journey with clay in 1982. She takes her inspiration from, where the Farmlands Meet the Sea on the beautiful South Coast of NSW. Donna uses her Heart, Head and Hands to create pieces which demonstrate her Passion for Pottery.

Meet Ann, a mixed media landscape artist from Dolphin Point.  Ann moved to the coast from Leeton last year and has a love of teaching classes and workshops from her studio.  The Australian landscape is her inspiration and experimenting with mediums such as ink, pastel, charcoal, acrylic and collage.

Meet Jo the Ceramic Artist and founder of Barefootfivetribe.  Jo designs White Contemporary Ceramics  Inspired by her love for the Ocean & Earth.  The all white range represents calm, purity and peace.  You will find Jo working on her designs in her Studio in the Boutique Seaside town of Gerringong.

I have a passion for gardening and creating. I love to bring this to my art. You will see that most of my art will have a flora theme and I'm gradually introducing the fauna into this too. All the backyard visitors seem to be finding their way in to my drawings. I am also inspired by my surroundings and places we visit as a family along the south coast of NSW.