
This past weekend we visited the Artist’s Retreat Open Garden and what a treat it was. Some gardens are all about the gardens, others the gardens+ambience and this one was the garden+ art.

We really focused on the house block (the whole property is 105 acres!) partly because we didn’t have a lot of time but mainly because we got so sidetracked by the beautiful art in the artist’s workshop and placed around the garden. All of the art was made by local Northern Territory artists including the garden owner, Jasmine Jan.

It would be such a delightful place to live with the sound of bird calls everywhere.

There is a huge billabong which would be quite spectacular in the Wet Season, or later in the Dry when there are yet more birds around.

What a pleasure our Top End Open Gardens are, and this one’s artworks added another dimension as well. I’m mindful of privacy and artistic copyright so I’ve limited the images I’m uploading but I’m sure you’ll see what I mean. It makes you want to rush out and add art to your own garden.


And so you could do just that there were paintings and various artworks available for sale, plus the opportunity to watch the artists working on glass beads. I’ve been flirting with doing a course for a while and I think this may have tipped the scales.

Here is a web link for another of the artists, Andrea McKey and Michelle Burgoine.
. Do go and have a look at the artists’ work on their websites.