Step into the vibrant world of Subiaco’s local art scene with Walmsley Windows, an outdoor gallery project that showcases the creative talents of several talented artists. This unique project features a series of windows that mimic the real windows of Bar Amelie, with each window featuring a stunning artwork by one of six different artists. Learn about the talented individuals who brought their imagination and creativity to this unique project, including acclaimed artists such as Kelly Canby, Michelle Gilmore, Mia Laing, Brian Clark Mosson, Annette Peterson, and Peta Riley. Join us as we explore the creative process behind the Walmsley Windows gallery and discover the inspiration behind each breath-taking work of art.
Michelle Gilmore
Michelle Gilmore is a Visual Arts student at ECU Mt Lawley, after a lifetime of dabbling with drawing, painting and textiles. Her work responds to the joyful exuberance of organic forms, and lovingly explores the rich detail in even the smallest of natural objects. Above all Gilmore is a fascinated by the endless variety of the human face and how a person’s rich inner world of memories, experience, and heritage can be revealed in their portrait. Gilmore works with a variety of media, including painting in acrylics, oils or soft pastels, drawing and printmaking.
Annette Peterson
Annette Peterson was born in Norway and grew up in Whadjuk Boodja. Peterson first completed a Bachelor of Arts with majors in Psychology and English Literature at UWA in 1997. Peterson has been awarded Masters of Applied Design and Art (2017), a Graduate Diploma for Art and Design (2016) and BA Honours in Visual Art (2019), from Curtin University. Peterson has received numerous awards, including a Commendation from the Head of School for Art and Design and the Art Award for her Master’s degree , 2017. Sone other awards include the 2018 City of South Perth Emerging Artist Award, 2019 Joondalup Community Art Award, and the 2021 City of Stirling Art Award. She has been in the City of Joondalup Invitation Art Award 2020 an 2021 and has recently returned from an art residency in UK.
Brian Clark Mosson
Brian Clark Mosson was born in Glasgow, living in Anderson near the city centre. In his street was a library built in the style of the Mitchell Library with its glass domes and sandstone facades discoloured by smoke from the many coal fires. His street also had stables, a pub at the bottom, grocery stores at each end of the street, with the bonus of tramcars running at the top of the street in summer when twilight made the days long.
Mosson was able to take in the beauty of it all so would draw, sketch and paint from a young age. He left school at 15 to start an apprenticeship, moving to Australia in 1974. He is a seasoned world traveller, and his many visits to Europe had a lasting effect on his painting as the buildings are so colourful and he found the lay out of the villages and town centres to be breathtaking.
Kelly Canby
Kelly Canby is an award-winning, internationally published, illustrator and author of over two dozen books for children. Kelly was born in London, England, but has lived in Australia since the age of three, which is probably around the same age she started playing with pencils and crayons, and it was probably only a few years after that that she decided playing with pencils and crayons was something she wanted to do for the rest of her life.
Canby’s second picture book The Hole Story won the prestigious 2018 Western Australian Premier’s Book Award for Writing for Children, while Littlelight was shortlisted for the same award in 2019. Rodney, The Hole Story and Littlelight have all been Children’s Book Council of Australia (CBCA) Notable books for Picture book of the year. Kelly is also well known for her illustration work on writer Jaclyn Moriarty’s Kingdoms and Empires series of books. Together they have made four books which have either won or been shortlisted for several awards.
Mia Laing
Mia Laing is a professional artist who has been working in the Western Suburbs for the past 12 years. Throughout this time, she has been the proud recipient of numerous awards. Her passion for art began with her pursuit of a career in children’s illustration, a field that continues to interest her. Laing’s current artwork is focused on narrative illustration and is characterized by its humour, joyfulness, and sense of fun. She also creates traditional still life, figurative work, and landscape pieces.
Peta Riley
Peta Riley’s creative practice covers many art disciplines with her main focus being ceramics and textile design. Her highly patterned work interprets Western Australia in a bright maximalist story.
Peta has worked closely with regional artists and Aboriginal art centres (Mt Magnet, Port Hedland & Arnhem Land) delivering workshops to design and develop their work into textiles thus enabling other artists to do what they love too.