Save The Date, Next Workshop @ Green Door Studios + New Bags & Scarves Sneak Peek

*Completing some of the larger works for* ***Surface Stories*** *at the SHAC,* ***Saturday, 11 October - 4pm***

Welcome to my August Studio News

Save The Date FOR SURFACE STORIES, AN EXHIBITION IN THE MAKING

Hello friends,

It’s newsletter time again — here to share my latest studio offerings with you — and to share where I find myself in the creative cycle right now.

There’s a particular moment in the creative process when you step back, take in the work around you, and realise the fragments you’ve been living with all year have begun to coalesce into something whole. That’s where I find myself now, in my studio, surrounded by completed canvases and half-finished work that are quietly becoming my October exhibition Surface Stories for the SHAC Gallery in Robertson.

This is the part I love most — not the first strokes, not the final varnish, but this in-between space where ideas are still able to unfold before they take their final form. My bird and botanical paintings, bold with colour and texture, are joined by Justine Wellman’s intricate and lyrical ceramics, and together they form a conversation: a shared reverence for Australia’s flora and fauna, for the way nature can hold memory, story, and silence all at once.

I’ve spent months watching these works grow layer by layer, line by line. There’s been discipline in the making — early mornings, long hours — but also a pleasure in the repetition, the steady return to the easel. Each piece feels like a small, distilled moment of observation and connection.

October will arrive soon enough, and I am already excited to be able to share both collections with you. For now, I’m content in this place between conception and completion, where the air smells faintly of oil paint, the table is rich with brushes and palettes, and the walls (especially the hallway) hum with colour.

SAVE THE DATE and watch out for your preview catalogue and please, mark your calendar: Saturday 11 October at 4pm, SHAC gallery. You’re warmly invited to join us for the opening of Surface Stories — to see the work, hear the stories, and be part of this moment we’ve been creating all year. Can’t wait to finally share with you.

Surface Stories

Paintings & Ceramics by Julie Lynch & Justine Wellman

Two artists.
Two voices.
One conversation with nature.

Australian blooms in bold brushstrokes.
Wildlife etched in clay.
Stories surfacing in colour and form.

📅 Saturday 11 October · 4pm
📍 SHAC Gallery, 91 Hoddle St, Robertson, NSW

You’re invited to the opening.
Come see what’s been quietly taking shape all year.

Open from Thursday, 9 Oct 2025 - 10:00 am until Sunday, 2 Nov 2025 4:00 pm (usual hours 10am - 4pm, always check website.

*Learn to paint your choice of Cockatoo and Magpie with impasto paint at Green Door Studios on* ***Sunday 24 August***

A Winter’s Flight of Fancy – Painting Magpies & Cockatoos in Impasto @ Green Door Studios

There’s something about a magpie’s knowing tilt of the head… or the flamboyant crest of a cockatoo. They’re theatre in the treetops – full of character and mischief. This winter, I invite you to capture that spirit in thick, textured impasto paint.

At Green Door Studios, we’ll spend a day layering colour and texture with brushes and palette knives, coaxing these iconic birds into life on canvas. Choose your muse – the clever magpie or the dramatic cockatoo – and I’ll guide you through each step, from vibrant colour mixing to building those deliciously sculptural textures.

We’ll be hosted by the wonderful Zoe Waters, whose warm hospitality is matched only by her marvellous cooking. Between brushstrokes, we’ll pause for morning tea and lunch by the fire, looking out over a beautiful farmscape that seems to slow time itself.

All materials are provided – simply bring your enthusiasm (and perhaps an old shirt or apron). You’ll leave with a textured, spirited bird of your own making – and perhaps a little more confidence in your creative tool kit!

📅 Sunday 24 August, 11am - 5pm
📍 Green Door Studios, 1 Rosgoll Rd, Robertson

DETAILS & BOOK

Work in progress, ***Cockatoo Bag*** at Momoyama Bags

New Bags and Scarves, Sneak Peek!

After the whirlwind success of my first collaboration with Momoyama Bags and RAFFAL Scarves, I’ve decided to put my creative neck—quite literally—on the line once more. This time, three new designs are taking flight, drawn from paintings that will feature in our October exhibition.

I keep receiving tantalising glimpses from Michelle—those beautiful in-progress moments where a piece seems to hum with possibility. If you’re even half as excited as I am (and that’s saying something), you’ll savour these sneak peeks.

The finished pieces will be every bit as lovely and effortlessly chic as their predecessors—crafted with that same luxurious attention to detail and beautiful nostalgic bamboo handles. The trio - already named: Cockatoo, Magpie, and Rosella—each a fond homage to the paintings from which they were born.

Be the first in line — join my VIP List and claim these bags and scarves the moment they arrive online.

BECOME A VIP

***Cockatoo and Wattle,*** *( 63cm x 53cm, oil on canvas painting, framed in oak) part of* ***Surface Stories,*** *and immortalised in a chic Momoyama Bag*

*Detail of* ***Firewheel****, ( 30 x 30cm, oil pastel on 350 gsm paper, framed in oak veneer with white mount ) part of* ***Surface Stories***

Until next time…

Thanks again for being here, for supporting my creative offerings.

Please—mark your calendars for Surface Stories (Save the Date: 4pm, Saturday 11 October at the SHAC), grab your spot to book the Magpie & Cockatoo Impasto Painting Workshop here, and keep your eyes (and wardrobes) ready for the chic arrival of Cockatoo, Magpie and Rosella bags (sign up to my VIP List to receive first access. Consider this your cue to circle dates, book seats, and claim your favourites before they take flight.

I look forward to catching up in person once I resurface from finishing all my work for Surface Stories — and I truly hope to see you at the exhibition, beaming, curious, and ready to share in the joy!

*Detail of* ***Maranta*** *( 50 x 50cm, oil pastel on 310 gsm paper, framed in oak veneer with white mount ) part of* ***Surface Stories***

Wishing you a cosy finale to winter — full of creative sparks, cockatoo crests, magpie mischief, and a glimpse of spring just ahead.

Julie x

AUGUST STUDIO NEWS