Looking into Margaret Olley’s Studio
Last week my husband and I headed south to the Gold Coast for a few days with family, and also over the border to the beautiful Tweed Valley. I was captivated by the contrast of the landscape compared to Maleny. So much sugar cane! I didn’t know at the time of shooting this video that Margaret Olley’s family purchased a sugar cane farm in the area in 1931.
The Doug Anthony Window 
Lunch-time on the gallery terrace
The Tweed Regional Gallery is a modern gallery taking advantage of the views around. The Doug Anthony Memorial Window beautifully frames Mt Warning in the distance. This visit has been on my Bucket List since 2014 when the centre was completed. There were other exhibitions on and we planned to also see the Sydney Nolan Ned Kelly Series after lunch, but by then I wanted to re-visit the Margaret Olley Centre. I’m glad we did as there were so many things that I hadn’t noticed in the morning.
I really wondered whether this post should be titled Looking into Margaret Olley’s Home, as her home is her studio, and visa versa. She obviously lived for her art. She was surrounded by her art collections, books, still life objects, and several nooks set-up where she could paint and follow the sunlight for her subjects.
Was she dedicated or eccentric? I don’t know. I don’t care. I have always been inspired by her beautiful art. I always will be. This reconstruction of her Paddington (Sydney) studio is so worth the visit. The atmosphere of every corner is spellbinding. https://artgallery.tweed.nsw.gov.au/
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