Review & photos by Alison Huth
I am not sure if the name Art Gallery Trail is exactly right for this fabulous trail, but then again, I am not sure what else you would call it. Peter and I were heading out for a day, and our first stop was Montville, so we called into the Montville Art Gallery. There were some beautiful paintings on show there, one really did catch my eye, but I resisted the temptation to buy a Pro Hart – a mere snip at $25,000!
But there were other things in the gallery, glass and sculptures in all shapes and sizes, just stunning. By the time we had finished there we needed a coffee, so headed over to The Edge a coffee shop in the Mayfield Centre, sitting on the escarpment with views down to the coast. But that is not all, Illume Creations are there too. This is full of the most glorious glass, brightly coloured and amazing shapes. It really has to be seen to get the full value from it. I am not sure that my ability with a camera would ever be good enough for this glass.
Our last stop for the day was Art on Cairncross, reasonably close to Mary Cairncross Park (a lovely place for a picnic). This was totally different again, and had some amazing things including some really interesting masks that would look great on just about any wall in your home. There are also some stoneware 'plates' here, which just catch the light and seem to become 3D without you doing anything - including putting on those special glasses. I am still trying to work out where to put one, as soon as I do, one is coming home with me.
Now this is not all that the Art Gallery Trail has to offer, but it is all that we did on that day. The whole trail includes 18 different galleries, some small, some definitely not small. They are spread around a large area, and go from Pomona and Noosa at the northern end to Landsborough and Booroobin at the southern end. A large area and a lot of galleries, which means that you need to allow a few days if you want to see them all.
The range of product in the galleries goes through painting, woodwork, glass, ceramics, batik, jewellery, bronze, restoration services and Devonshire Teas! There really is something for everyone, and the prices are really good. To be fair, a Pro Hart is a collector’s item. Norman Lindsay and Hugh Sawrey are nicely covered too at Tiffany Jones Fine Art Gallery in Buderim.
If you want to have a look at the really good map for the Art Gallery Trail on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland, please call (07) 5429 6404 or (07) 5442 9174 to get a copy. To do the trail justice, it takes much more than one day.
