It never ceases to amaze me just how much talent, creativity and skill there is in the arts community here in sleepy ol' Perth. Though we are in the most isolated capital city on the planet, we have a diverse and eclectic range of artists excelling in their chosen fields.
I am very, very humbled to find myself in a brand newly published coffee table book with over 60 of Perth's best, with the launch of 'Artist of Perth' by Premium Publishers, Gabi Mills and Lisa Shearon.
Last night we gathered as a 'palette of artist' and got our paint stained hands on the first copies...and we were not disappointed.
It is truely fantastic! Each artist has a double page spread with images of themselves, their work and their studios (thank you Crib Creative for your excellent photographers) and the book is alive with stories, revealing each artists 'inspirations, achievements and aspirations for the future'. It has been described in the paper this week as 'something of an illustrated Yellow Pages.', the who's who of the Perth art scene, with webpages and social media links listed for each artist.
What has amazed me as I started to read each artists story last night, is just how much Perth and its beautiful surrounds of both land and sea, inspires and provokes our creative pursuits. I cannot wait to read this book from cover to cover.
This is the second book of its kind for Premium Publishers, with the release of 'Artists of the Margaret River Region' in 2016, which won a gold medal in New York at the Independent Publisher Book Awards this year. Paintbrushes crossed 'Artists of Perth' will achieve the same awesome result!
The hilarity of the night was how many times I heard someone say 'Oh! I follow you on Instagram!' So wonderful to finally put faces to names and to voice the same words back! So nice to see old friends also in print and know that new friends are in the making.
Congratulations one and all.
P.S. Don't forget to sign up for my monthly newsletter and win a free painting! Read all about it here.
Mia x
('Artists of Perth' is available at Premium Publishers, Dymocks, The Art Gallery of Western Australia and all major bookshops Australia wide, $45) http://www.premiumpublishers.com.au/home