As National Tree Planting Day approaches, I grapple with a deep sense of frustration. While well-intentioned, planting trees feels hollow against the backdrop of ongoing destruction of cherished landscapes like Scott’s Farm in Ripley Valley. Despite the proven mental and physical health benefits of nature, urban sprawl continues to encroach on every green space. National Tree Day, established by Planet Ark in 1996, aims to foster environmental stewardship by encouraging Australians to plant and care for native trees. However, without concrete plans and sustained actions, these efforts risk becoming mere PR gestures. Proper tree management, selecting the right species, and ensuring aftercare are crucial. We need to shift the conversation to comprehensive green growth planning, creating urban jungles rather than concrete deserts, and fostering a genuine culture of environmental responsibility. Only then can we make a meaningful difference.
Winter in Ipswich brings cold nights and warm days, perfect for gardening. Mulch to maintain soil temperature, fertilise with Silica and Potash, and protect young plants from frost. Start a herb garden, plant seed potatoes, and enjoy winter blooms like camellias. Maintain your lawn, care for fruit trees, and focus on herbs and leafy greens in your vegetable patch. Keep your garden thriving all winter with these expert tips.
Amid discussions about exotic species becoming problematic in Australia, it’s crucial to re-examine native plants' role in our gardens. While I cherish native plants, I also appreciate many exotic species and believe they can coexist harmoniously.
Recognise that native plants can become weeds, like the Cootamundra Wattle (Acacia baileyana), which can invade higher rainfall areas. Native gardens require effort, including soil cultivation, fertilising, and regular maintenance.
Genetic modification to meet consumer demands for constant flowering plants risks diluting native species' genetic integrity, weakening resilience and harming ecosystems.
By prioritising robust genetic traits and educating consumers, we can create sustainable gardens that celebrate both native and exotic species.
Want a beautiful cottage garden using only Australian native plants? This list should help you on your way with both natives for dry sandy soils and natives that can handle humidity, dry, frosts, clay soils
Gardening after deluges of rain can be hard but worth it for our mental health. Recent weather events have lead to our home gardens being inundated with large amounts of water. Unfortunately our productive gardens may not be exactly ready for plantings and other established plants are rotting in the ground. Here are some quick tips for gardening after the rain.
Summer Afternoon Oil on Panel 30cm x 40cm Value: $495
Cynthia Copely: An Australian expressionist artist who captures the natural world through her interpretation of colour, feelings, and connection with the environment. She works primarily with watercolours and oils, creating vivid and emotionally charged landscapes.
Auction Item : Summer Afternoon
This eucalyptus tree is located at a beautiful winery, 'Lisdillon Estate' on the East Coast of Tasmania at Little Swanport. I spent a few days on the estate with my family whilst on holidays. It was a painter's paradise. I wandered to the property with paints and paper in hand, delighting in every glorious detail. They do a lovely drop of red too!
Oil on Panel, 30cm x 40cm Value $495
Auction Item : Watercolour Tuition
Spend some tme with Cynthia learning Watercolour. 2 hours tuition for either a beginner or intermediate painter. Choose from fundamental watercolour techniques or take the next step if you're a painter wanting to expand your current watercolour skills. I can tailor the lesson to your interests.
Value : $195
Mel Sinclair: A passionate landscape photographer with a deep appreciation for Queensland's regional areas. She creates atmospheric imagery from around the world, though what she enjoys most is chasing fog in winter in the Lockyer Valley and Scenic Rim. Mel combines traditional and contemporary styles to craft images that inspire viewers to support local artists and appreciate the beauty of the world around us.
Majestic Snowgum
Digital Image on Canvas, 30cm x 45cm
Value $250
Auction Item : Majestic Snowgum
High up in the Australian Alps, among the hiking trails and wild brumbies, above Thredbo NSW, the mountainside is littered majestic snowgums. These trees are the most incredible natural colours and are twisted by the conditions in which they thrive. This image was featured in my 2022 solo show at Arts Alive Ipswich and was one of the most popular. It's perfect as a statement piece in a smaller space, somewhere it will catch the natural light.
Digital Image on Canvas, 30cm x 45cm
Value $250
Kylie Stevens:An Ipswich-based artist dedicated to showcasing the beauty of nature and inspiring viewers to protect our precious natural spaces. Her multimedia art practice expresses her deep connection with the environment.My arts practice allows me to express my deep connection with the earth. It is my aim to showcase the beauty and alchemy of nature, inspiring in the viewer a deeper respect for and desire to protect our precious environment. My recent work has focused on working with rivers, with a spotlight on my local rivers Urarrar (The Bremer River) and Maiwar (The Brisbane River).
Maiwar
Brisbane River water, copper leaf, ochre, limestone, charcoal and acrylic paint on canvas, 76cm x 76cm
Value $600
Auction Item : Maiwar
In my process river water thins my paint, allowing it to pool and travel across the canvas, with the addition of hand-ground ochres and charcoal the canvas is marked, giving control to the river in this stage of the work. Then I map the river in charcoal and copper leaf upon the richly textured surface. Using the natural elements of river water and earth in the work gives it an essence of the place it represents.
Brisbane River water, copper leaf, ochre, limestone, charcoal and acrylic paint on canvas, 76cm x 76cm
Value $600
Kate Roberts: An artist whose journey spans various mediums, with a special focus on metal and silversmithing. Her artistic exploration and experimentation with different materials make her craft a constant adventure.
Auction Item : Decadence – Lavish Attachment
Lavish Attachment is a Copper, Sterling Silver and Crystal brooch, which can be worn with a necklace.
Value $350
Decadence can be 2-edged sword! We as the average person strive to have a little decadence in our lives, to savour and enjoy on special occasions. Yet if allowed to dwell in the in indulgent decadence as a part of our everyday lives, it brings our world and the wider society to questionable decisions that can bring about certain ruin. This dwelling in decadence has led to recent turmoil in local leadership and the fallout continues to affect the average person who still just wants a small experience of a little decadence. This piece is designed for just that, within a humble earthy background of copper.
Lavish Attachment is a Copper, Sterling Silver and Crystal brooch, which can be worn with a necklace.
Value $350
Auction Item : Ring making class for 2 people
Ring making class for 2 people
Workshop - 3hr
Materials and equipment included
Value : $250
Amanda Wachevski (IPSWICH PHOTOGRAPHY STUDIO) : Amanda Waschevski has established a reputation for empowering, inspiring and innovative portrait photography. A visual celebration of individuality - Ipswich Photography Studio.
Auction Item : Portrait Session
Portrait Session
THE RED CARPET EXPERIENCE!
Perfect for business owners, creatives and other detail-oriented folk looking to take their online presence to the next level, and be seen for who they are, not just what they do.
What’s included:
In Person Consult | Personalised Planning Session
All the Time you Want
All the Guidance you Need
Unlimited background & wardrobe changes
Value : $625
Jodi Bowen (LONE GOAT STUDIO):A creative force that brings quirkily beautiful ceramic art and decorative pieces to life. Her works are handmade with love and often carry a touch of humour and a sense of the quirky.
Auction Item : Pink on Pink
I love the colour of the Australian landscape. Native flora provides bursts of colour contrasted by shadows and the pink sunsets of late. It is so captivating.
Oil pencil on paper. 15.5cm x 23.5 cm.
Framed and ready to hang.
Value : $250
Amy Stapleton: An emerging artist who draws inspiration from the natural environment to create contemporary, mixed-media landscapes. Her work blends traditional materials with a modern touch, incorporating elements of photography and graphic design.
Auction Item : It's All Changed Now
This piece is from Amy’s personal collection and is called “it’s all changed now” as this is what College’s Crossing used to look like before the devastating 2011 floods.
Mixed media on timber panel in oak frame. 30cm x 40cm
Value : $250
Brisbane Story
$300
Andrea Baumert Howard (ART BEFORE HOUSEWORK): A multi-disciplinary artist who finds inspiration in everyday moments and believes that art and beauty are all around us. Her work is born from ideas that persist until they materialize into reality. Andrea’s backyard studio allows her to get messy and follow any direction inspiration takes her. She is currently obsessed with handmade recycled paper. She uses shredded junk mail and office discards, dyed with inks and natural materials to create multilayered papers. Every sheet of paper is individually crafted in the mould, hand coloured and mixed in the vat. The delicate nature of the handmade paper is tested in the extreme when put through a printer, sometimes a whole piece falls apart, and she usually only gets one try. Her love of nature and environmental concerns are a strong theme in her current work. She hopes the use of recycled junk-mail and office paper, sparks conversations about recycling and mindful reuse of resources.
Auction Item : Brisbane Story
Digital Photograph on Handmade paper from Junk mail and office discards
Framed 47 x 57cm
Value : $300
Tree of Life
Beth Barrett: I am an Art Teacher with over 30 years of experience teaching children and adults. During this time, I have developed my own practice exploring the natural environment using a variety of mediums. Colour and shape would have to be the major influences in the development of an idea. My preferred medium is acrylic paint on cut timber giving me the ability to create a more tactile effect in the works. I like to draw with a jigsaw!
Auction Item : Tree of Life
For me, trees symbolise strength and connection between life and spirit. Each tree is unique and individual, its layers shaped by different experiences. This piece grew from a selection of timber off-cuts that would normally be discarded. Now, being reborn to reconnect and continue to create a calming presence.
Craved Acrylic on MDF Board
900 x 600 x 30mm
Value : $500
Rebecca Lewis (LITTLE BROWN DOG): Bec Lewis is a self-taught textile artist, seamstress, printmaker and collage enthusiast living and working in Ipswich, Queensland. In 2014 she held her first solo exhibition of at Cactus Espresso Bar. The show featured lino prints of local houses on old newsprint, timber and paper. Since then she has been exploring different ways to use her prints including traditional collage, outdoor or locative collages, stop motion animation and automaton. In 2018 she won the Queensland Regional Art Awards – Digital Art prize for a short stop motion film featuring her lino prints and paper cut outs. The prize was a week long residency at ‘The Edge’ at the State Library of Queensland. She used this week to experiment with simple automaton. Again ‘animating’ Lino prints but this time with simple hand cranked mechanisms. Bec has taught workshop in print making and animation from Brisbane to Biloela and regularly attends the GOMA Design Market with her screen printed wares.
Yellow-tailed black cockatoo automaton
Auction Item : Yellow-tailed black cockatoo automaton
Her latest work combines her love of Lino print and automaton with her fascination and admiration for Australian birds. Turn the handle to watch them fly.
2024
Hand printed fabric, wire, beads and vintage cotton reel
Value $250
Auction Item : Time with Bec
Come and hang in Bec’s garden studio for two hours. Would you like to have a crash course in screen print, Lino print or stop motion collage? You decide and we’ll make it happen.
All materials provided.
Value : $195
Handmade Teapot
Timothy AcuttStudio Potter and Visual Artist. With exhibits of his pottery, paintings and drawings in Ipswich and Brisbane.
Auction Items : Teapot
The form, functionality and aesthetics of the teapot is a constant challenge for the studio potter. My aim is to make teapots that are functional and also have a sculptural presence. I try to balance a defined form with a more immediate and spontaneous decoration.
Black stoneware teapot with thrown handle. 22cm x 23cm.
Value :
Auction Item : Day with Tim
If you have your own Pottery Wheel and are looking to improve your skills, Tim will come over for the day and give you some advice.
Creating a water-wise garden involves choosing the right plants, caring for the soil, and watering effectively. Healthy soil is essential for proper hydration, and deep watering promotes robust plant roots.
Fungus gnats, those pesky flying insects hovering around indoor plants, pose a threat to plant health in humid Australian climates. A blend of prevention and management keeps these pests at bay, preserving a healthy indoor garden.
Discover the unparalleled satisfaction of tending to your lawn. Dive into the myriad of positive attributes lawns bring to your garden landscape, from recreational spaces to mental well-being. Explore sustainable practices to enhance these benefits while minimizing environmental impacts.
You want a plant that flowers most of the year, easy to look after, doesn’t mind being a little on dry side and survives in the shade? I have the perfect plants for you - Streptocarpus
I find garden design concepts like ‘Mediterranean Garden’ hard to give actual plants for as it’s a concept, a feeling especially in Ipswich’s ever changing climate and soils. No matter what your garden design is it should be a complete sensory experience and practical for YOU. Here are my tips for creating a ‘Mediterranean Garden’ in Ipswich
There are many ways to use essential oils - massage (with a carrier oil), baths, inhalation, compress but by far the easiest way is diffusion.
There are three main ways you can diffuse your essential oils - Candle Oil Burners, Aromamatic Electric Oil Vaporizer and Ultrasonic Diffusers. I believe the Ultrasonic Diffuser is by far the best and most economical.
Buying open pollinated, no chemical treatment, bio dynamic seeds is ‘the best option’ for starting your thriving vegetable garden. We have chosen Eden Seeds as they are a great Australian company with an ethos we align with. They stock both Organic and no chemical treatment, Bio dynamic seeds and we try to stock a good range of both.
