Pablo Browne - Judith Martinez & Craig Billingham: artists-in-residence July 2015


Pablo Browne, Gunyah collage, 2015


We arrived at Gunyah just after the sun was setting, so it wasn’t until the next morning that we realised how magical our location was. Our home for the next 12 days had a wild native garden leading to a jetty, and resident wallabies and pelicans dotted the scenery.


Judith working at Gunyah, 2015

Craig and I settled into our new environment very quickly. At first, we had a sense of urgency about what we'd set out to achieve – we were only too aware of what was waiting for us when we returned and we wanted to make sure everything was completed before we left. But that approach soon faded as we let the days at Gunyah unravel by themselves – reading, writing, sketching, stitching, scribbling, thinking – it all just fell into place.

Pablo Browne, Gunyah collage, 2015

We developed the characters for our manuscript. The storyboarding process saw a change in our initial narrative – one we welcomed. This inspired Craig to start work on a story we have had planned for a couple of years and never got down on paper. I spent a day working on the facial expressions of the main character and another developing the mannerisms of his companion. All this sketching led to a breakthrough in my drawing technique that allowed much more movement in the characters but still retained the naïve style in line work. This is something that has consumed me for many years! - and could not have happened without time and practice.

Pablo Browne character development drawing, 2015

On a rainy afternoon, I categorised the antique photographs I have collected for my work. Seeing the photographs laid out made me realise what I had and how I could use them. I completed seven of my ‘Last Engineers’ for an exhibition that will take place in November. This pottering fed into my daily routine and became part of the creative process.

Judith sorting photos in the Gunyah studio, 2015

A few short day trips allowed me to take some landscape photographs for my photo-media montages and inspired some short story writing.

Pablo Browne, Gunyah collage, 2015


Craig also managed to do some writing for his doctorate and had time to process what the next two and a half years will be like for him as he completes it.

Judith Martinez, The three fates, 2015
The days, uninterrupted by phone calls, emails, internet or television, were longer – measured by waking up, working, walks, mealtimes and preparing the evening fire to keep us warm. This allowed many ideas to come into sharper focus, and for several to materialise.
Thank you Gunyah.

Judith Martinez 
July 2015

Judith Martinez, The last engineers, 2015

The Operative - Kelly Robson and Daniel Hollier: upcoming artists-in-residence

The Operative - directors Kelly Robson and Daniel Hollier, with Ella Barclay's installation Maelstrom Studies, 2012

 The Operative is a new creative industry service run by Sydney based husband and wife team, Kelly Robson and Daniel Hollier. During their residency Kelly and Daniel plan to further develop The Operative's business strategy, company structure and marketing plan. By combining their skill-sets and experience, Kelly and Daniel are uniquely positioned to provide an innovative service to the creative industry sector. From concept to crate, they are passionate about each step of the artistic process and assisting creative producers. Together, their expertise spans exhibition design, exhibition installation, curating, fabrication of exhibition furniture, project management, professional development and creative consultancy. theoperative.com.au

Kelly Robson at Gaffa, photo by Helen White Photography

Kelly Robson is an artist, curator and creative industries consultant. Kelly was the Founding Director of Gaffa, in Sydney 2006 and has now taken the role of Special Projects Manager, stepping aside from her role as Acting Director at the beginning of this year. Gaffa is an artist-run initiative with a long established reputation for their commitment to providing space and support to emerging artists and designers gaffa.com.au. Kelly's curatorial work focuses on cross-platform, collaborative work, with a particular interest in the point of intersection between art & design, as is reflected in Gaffa's program of exhibitions. In 2010 Kelly facilitated the relocation of Gaffa Gallery from its home of 4 years in Surry Hills to its current heritage listed premises in the Sydney CBD. This involved the design and coordination of building renovations, the preparation of development applications and liasing with the National Heritage Council. In recent years Kelly has managed and coordinated significant public art projects including out-door art installations for The City of Sydney's Live Laneways Festivals, and pop-up exhibition programs utilising empty spaces in The Rocks provided by the The Sydney Harbour Foreshore Authority. Kelly is regularly asked to participate in industry round-table sessions, panel discussions & workshops.
In November 2013 Kelly began a new role in cooperation with The City of Sydney developing and managing their new Creative Tenancy project, the Creative Live Work Spaces, in Sydney's Darlinghurst area. In this role Kelly is instrumental in developing the application and selection criteria and works closely with the tenants to ensure maximum professional development opportunity and connection with the wider creative community.
Read an interview with Kelly

Daniel Hollier, Shibuya Colour Series, 2014, gouache and acrylic on polyester, installation view

Daniel Hollier has a Bachelor of Fine Art with Honours from the National Art School Sydney. He was the recipient of the 2008 Clitheroe Foundation Scholarship and a 2009 Queen Street Studio Residency Award at Fraser Studio Projects. In 2010, Hollier was the recipient of the Storrier Onslow Cite de Paris Residency, which he undertook in early 2011, and later that year was also awarded a New Work grant by the Australia Council for the Arts. Hollier has been a finalist in the Helen Lempriere Travelling Scholarship in 2011 and 2010. His work has been exhibited widely in Australia and overseas, including You Give Good Colour in 2012 at Sophie Gannon Gallery, Melbourne, and in New Orleans, USA in the ALASKA Project As Above-So Below, at Good Children Gallery. Hollier's work is represented in the collection of Artbank as well as private collections in Australia, United Kingdom and Holland. Hollier works and lives in Sydney where he is currently undertaking his Masters in Fine Arts at Sydney College of the Arts, supported by an Australian Post-Graduate Award Scholarship. Recently Daniel held a solo exhibition at Chalkhorse Gallery and participated in a group exhibition at Sarah Cottier Gallery, Sydney. 
See more of Daniel's work on his website danielhollier.com

Find The Operative on Facebook 

Marynes Avila: artist-in-residence June 2015

Marynes Avila, Working at Gunyah, June 2015

The Gunyah artist residency offered me a precious opportunity to reflect, explore and further expand my work. The contact with the land, the waters of North Arm Cove and the wonderful architecture of Gunyah house has been invaluable.

Marynes Avila, Gunyah nights, June 2015

I used Gunyah’s studio and house to ponder and to develop new projects. During my residency the weather was sunny and warm and I spent several hours a day exploring the local region. The outcome of my investigation was an extensive new body of work including thousands of digital photographs, digital micro photographs and a series of site specific temporal installations as a response to the surrounding landscape, in particular the amazing sand dunes at Dark Point.

Marynes Avila, Si02 - Echo III, June 2015

The works entitled ‘SiO2’ and  ‘SiO2, Echo I’ SiO2, Echo II’ and ‘SiO2, Echo III’ are tackled in a macro and microcosmic way. They make use of mirrors (found at Gunyah) and sand to extend on the concept of multiplicity’s complexities.  
Marynes Avila, Si02, digital micro photographs (sand grains under the microscope), June 2015

‘SiO2’ takes us through a journey of multiplicity not perceived by the naked eye. Exploring sand grains under the microscope, the outcome unveils the unperceived beauty that surrounds us all and confirms we are the sum of a myriad of particles in a complex universe of multiples. Each sand grain is unique and completely different.

Marynes Avila, Si02 - Echo I, June 2015

The works ‘SiO2, Echo I’, ‘SiO2, Echo II’ and ‘SiO2, Echo III’ reflect on the concept of multiplicity and the estimate that the total number of all the sand grains on the planet could be approximately 2000 billion, billion. Utilizing mirrors, these site-specific installations simultaneously denote the dunes’ magnificent details and emphasize the importance of each sand grain to form the Dark Point’s dunes.

Marynes Avila, Si02 - Echo II, June 2015
The series of digital photographs entitled ‘Gunyah’s Dusk’, ‘Gunyah’s Nights’ and ‘Gunyah’s First Light’ are the result of hours of my contemplation at Gunyah’s waterfront. The effect of the light reflected on the water at different times of the day mesmerized me.

Marynes Avila, Gunyah's first light, June 2015

The Gunyah Residency has enriched my current practice and the experiences at Gunyah will certainly informed my future artistic endeavours.
Marynes Avila, Gunyah's dusk, June 2015

Thanks to Kath Fries and the Gunyah Board for their generosity and for providing me
with such a fascinating and unique opportunity.

Marynes Avila       

Marynes Avila, Gunyah's visitor, June 2015

Upcoming artists-in-residence: Pablo Browne - Judith Martinez and Craig Billingham

Pablo Browne - Judith Martinez and Craig Billingham, The Empty Jar, page 2, 2014, children's book

Pablo Browne is a creative partnership between Judith Martinez (illustrator) and Craig Billingham (writer). Together they created The Empty Jar, a children’s picture book launched at The Melbourne Writers’ Festival last year. They live in the Blue Mountains, NSW. 

Pablo Browne - Judith Martinez and Craig Billingham, The Empty Jar, page 1, 2014, children's book


Craig Billingham is a poet and fiction writer. His work has appeared in many Australian journals, including Meanjin, Heat, Review of Australian Fiction, and Antipodes, as well as having been twice selected for The Best Australian Poems. A slim collection, Storytelling, was published in 2007. Craig has a Masters in Creative Writing from The University of Sydney.

Pablo Browne - Judith Martinez and Craig Billingham, The Empty Jar, page 3, 2014, children's book

"My poems and stories typically involve some form of misunderstanding, and the confusion that ensues. These misunderstandings could be of emotions, or actions, or identities, etc. Very often they arise from misheard statements, or from words taken to mean something other than what their speaker had intended. Working with this confusion – chasing the next word, or the next image – propels the story, and not always towards a resolution." Craig Billingham
Follow these links to read some of Craig's fiction and poems, or listen to him reading… 

Pablo Browne - Judith Martinez and Craig Billingham, The Empty Jar, page 4, 2014, children's book

Judith Martinez is a artist, illustrator and graphic designer. She studied at the College of Fine Arts, UNSW, and has completed various printmaking courses at the National Art School. She has worked on the creative for major festivals and events in Sydney, designed book covers, historical interpretation graphics for The Rocks, and worked on numerous publications. Judith's work has recently featured at The Blue Mountains Cultural Centre exhibitions Keepsake and The Black and Blue Project, as well as Seven Illustrators at The Everglades, Leura. The Empty Jar is her first picture book.

Judith Martinez, Illustrations from The Empty Jar, 2014


"My work is made up of carefully salvaged objects, textures and images – which allow me the privilege of creating new narratives. This is a technique I use in both my fine art and illustration work – through collage, photomedia and drawings. The use of layers in my work creates visual maps for the viewer to navigate – inviting them to return and decipher the stories within the works." Judith Martinez
You can see more of Judith's work in Katoomba and on her websites hopestreetpress.com.au and judithmartinez.com.au

Judith Martinez, We must give them shapes and names, 2013/14,
digital photo montage with scanned and manipulated found photographs


During their Gunyah residency Judith and Craig plan to develop their second book for children - The Alphabet Thieves, aimed at children 5 to 9 years old. This picture book seeks to entertain and to contribute to the development of children’s literacy skills. The artwork for The Alphabet Thieves will be hand drawn illustration, digital collage and mixed media. A draft of the story has been completed, but their previous experience on The Empty Jar suggests that the storyline will grow as writer and illustrator work more closely together. This is a time consuming process that requires a period of focused concentration – the Gunyah residency will be an ideal opportunity to progress the project.


Craig and Judith, with their book - The Empty Jar 
Blue Mountains Gazette 11 Nov 2014


Rhonda Pryor: artist-in-residence May 2015

Rhonda Pryor, Washing after dyeing, Gunyah jetty, 2015


A wonderful, if too short, residency that was a real delight. Pluto the dog was very impressed too, what with all those intriguing bush smells to check out. The family came to visit for the weekend and we took off to the sand dunes (which had moved so much closer to the road than we remembered – no doubt due to the recent storms), had morning tea at Tillerman’s in Tea Gardens, and lazed around the Gunyah living room, enjoying the fireside, world map jigsaw puzzle, art magazines and the views. We had a great time checking out the jetty (Pluto does love a swim), discovering charming little beaches, and walking around exploring – and baking bread.

Rhonda Pryor, Pluto and the collection, Gunyah studio 2015

Rhonda Pryor, Bundle dyeing process, Gunyah studio 2015


I used the time to play around with the local flora (luckily readily available because of those storms) making dyes for the silk lengths I brought with me. Pluto and I went on daily walks collecting interesting bits and pieces to include in the process. We washed the cloth down by the jetty before and after the dyeing – a serene and meditative process at Gunyah (it is so quiet). The lovely golden colour of the water no doubt contributed to the final results. Photographing the fabrics in the water was fascinating for me – I couldn’t get enough of it. The colour of the water, the rocks beneath, the swirling cloth, beautiful light.... I also used up some of the waste threads and string to make experimental ‘lace’ samples.

Rhonda Pryor, Evaluating…, Gunyah studio 2015

Rhonda Pryor, Lace experiments, Gunyah studio 2015

A big thank you to Kath and the Gunyah team! What a peaceful and laid back thinking/working environment! And the house is sooooo charming…
Rhonda Pryor

Rhonda Pryor, Beautiful sunset, Gunyah 2015

Marynes Avila: upcoming artist-in-residence

Marynes Avila, Synapses, 2014, approximately 300,000 Pine Needles, 
installed at Billilla Historic House Residency, Brighton VIC

Marynes Avila is a Melbourne artist who works with multiples as data connectors, investigating the uniqueness of each unit and its interrelationship with the group. Involving overwhelming quantities of a single familiar object, Marynes explores the resonance of multiples by utilizing them as tools of public intervention. From human cells to mass production, she investigates the public narratives of multiples as a reflection of the personal and the universal, the profound and the abject, chaos and order. Marynes works with the neglected and the potential of things - to redefine the object, its purpose and symbolism - by creating labor intense site-specific installations, sculpture, meticulous drawing, digital photography and film. Her practice is informed by science, particularly Neuroscience, and Carl Jung's concept of the Collective Unconscious and Depth Psychology. Recently, Marynes' research into the complexities of multiplicity has extended to create an analogy between human cells, the plasticity of the human brain and the reproduction of neurons and plants' anatomy at cellular and external levels.

Marynes Avila, Alcea Rosea Malvaceae Hollyhock Sepal, 2015, digital micro-photograph

Marynes has a Masters of Arts – Art in Public Space, from RMIT University, and has won several art awards such as the John Tallis Art Prize, the Toorak Sculpture Prize and the Moreland Sculpture Ephemeral Art Prize. Her practice and research has included field trips to Shanghai and the Xian Province in China; Tokyo, Kyoto and Hiroshima in Japan; the Buenos Aires, Neuquen and Rio Negro Provinces in Argentina; and Vancouver, Canada. Her work is included in public, private and corporate collections in Australia and overseas.

Marynes Avila, Shelter, 2013, approximately 300 Fallen sticks, 
installed at Laughing Waters Residency, Eltham VIC

"At the Gunyah Residency I plan to continue my research in multiplicity, focusing on the analogy between plants' anatomy at cellular and external levels, and explore the natural environment through digital photo micrography, pen and ink observational drawings of the native flora, and create a site specific ephemeral installation."

Marynes Avila with her work Emergent II, 2011

 To see more of Marynes Avila's work please go to her website www.marynesavila.com

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