Artisans

 Bella Monde Fashion 

Bella Monde Fashion is a specialist fashion house with its flagship boutique previously located at Main Beach on Queensland's Gold Coast.  Style and beauty are two words that gel with the carefully selected designer labels sourced by boutique owner, Vicki Chapman. 

Complemented by funky and innovative fashion jewellery and accessories, Vicki's gallery range of fine and exquisite fashions are much sought after by all in  the  region. 

One fabulous label is where all the garments are completed full circle by a talented textile designer named Katherine Ackland.

Miniature Horse-Drawn Vehicles 

Bruce Rankin is a skilled hobbyist who delights in working with timber.  Ably assisted by his wife Norma they create authentic horse-drawn vehicles in miniature. 

These replica models reminiscent of "days gone by" are highly valued and sought for different reasons:  G. E. George commissioned an original transport coach for their Brisbane offices and the Carmady Family recently commissioned a bullock team wagon to reconnect with their ancestry who were once owners of a fleet of bullock teams and wagons in the Taree area.

Dirk Blokland is an artist born in Holland who immigrated to Australia aged 25.  He has won several awards and has exhibited widely.  Dirk specialises in capturing buildings and family homes, however his quality of detail and crispness of colour is reflected in his large portfolio on a wide range of subjects. 

Dirk was commissioned to produce illustrations of historic buildings for a series of booklets for the Natonal Trust.

Annette Trout, a talented artist whose skill and control of various techniques is reflected throughout her wide range of beautiful paintings which are all highly desirabale and affordable pieces. 

John Heseltine is a photographic artist.  He migrated to Mackay, North Queensland in 1951 as a 13 year-old and did not start schooling in Australia very well.

John's interest in photography blossomed after getting married and from there it grew particularly when he got his first SLR camera in the 1980's.

He undertook to better his photography and did a certificate course which took him to developing his own photographs to a much better scale.  From there on he could not be stopped and has of course settled on a variety of photographic adventures.  Now days, John concentrates on landscapes, seascapes and nature in all its glory and has won numerous prizes and awards all at competition level.

Romy Andres, a fibre artist, has demonstrated, displayed and achieved remarkable talent with numerous mediums of art, but at present, she is most passionate and very enthusiastic about felt making.  This is because of her delight in ability and peak at 25 years of now being able to transform wool straight from a sheep or alpaca into shape and form!

Romy first began spinning and weaving until she discovered a good teacher who taught her how to make her dreams come true ... she found her medium and passion for making caps, hats, shawls, scarves, bags, masks and much, much more!

Brett A Jones is a multi-award winning artist who has completed a series of limited-edition fine art prints.  These completely freehand works in graphite individually take up to nine months to complete and have been described as visual books, with inspection through a magnifying glass revealing more levels of detail.

"Brett has mastered his subject and chosen medium, which is clealy evident in the finished result."

Les Donges, timber master-craftsman.  Excellence in woodcraft is the mantra of Les Donges.  For the past 19 years Les has made traditional heirloom quality furniture worthy of the label:  Furniture of Distinction.  Beautiful hand-carved fine works of wood-art made from any species of timber in the style and dimensions of your requirements. 

Geoff Briggs, scrap-steel artist extraordinare!  Geoff clearly demonstrates in the pictures below how one person's worthless junk can be recreated into functional and unique objects of desire ... a very creative person with a vision that is boundless! 

Katrina Dobbs, pet portraiture.  Katrina and her signature pouch, Molly, were snapped as artist-in-residence whilst participating in the Studios of the Scenic Rim.

Dick Vanderkolk is a multi-talented local artist.

 Lisa Kirk, Artist. After Year 12 Northam High School graduation Lisa then spent a year in Pennsylvania, USA, on a Rotary Student Exchange scholarship.  She returned to Australia to study for a further two and a half years at the Curtin University.  A wonderful smattering of art education flavoured all those years:  from a Fine Arts Minor, to six Dressmaking and Fashion Design Units at Midland TAFE and two Visual Arts Subjects at Bremer TAFE. 

Lisa's work celebrates her inherited "given gifts", from the intricate designs found in nature to the raucous riot of colour in a sunset!  

Made by Alisa, affordable designer jewellery with each piece being unique.

"Creating beautiful jewellery is therapeutic - not only for my hands but for my mind.  There is nothing more mentally stimulating than to have a vision of a design and have the freedom to create it.  But, even more rewarding, is to see a person feel enjoyment from wearing my designs, or giving them to someone as a special gift." 

... Alisa Robinson, Made by Alisa Jewellery.                                                                                                                                                               

Margaret Mauchlan is a fibre artisan living locally.

Margaret's passion for the past 22 years has been patchwork quilting. 

She was a seamstress who learned the art-craft of patchwork from a teacher in Wynnum (Brisbane). 

One  could say Margaret is an emerging artist not restrained by formalities, a textile artisan who has been largely self-taught ... who still delights in her creations as does all who view them.

Old World Charm

Decorator items that ooze old-world charm to enhance your home or garden.  Wrought iron and cast iron arches, benches, cherubs, plinths, statues, gargoyles and urns feature in a constantly changing collection of the unusual and the eclectic.