General News
12 June, 2025
Artists put on a show
IT was always going to take more than a downpour to rain on the parade of the 10th annual Mortlake Art Show.
Hundreds descended on Mortlake over the long weekend, despite a three-day downpour which saw 75.8mm of rain hit the ground, to take in the sights of more than 120 pieces of locally produced art on display.
Mortlake Art Show convenor Cassandra Ellis said she was thrilled with the success of the event despite weather which undoubtedly hindered attendance.
“It’s almost like we willed it on the community,” she said.
“Everyone who has come in has been really grateful for the rain, and everyone who has braved it have really enjoyed the experience.
“We’ve got around 120 pieces, which would be our biggest exhibition yet.
“We’ve had a lot more installation work and physical art, and the exhibition from the Mortlake Men’s Shed has had everyone saying how wonderful it is to see what they do.
“It’s been wonderful.”
Ms Ellis said she believed the conditions had led the Mortlake Art Show to its most connected year yet.
While attendance was down on previous years, it gave volunteers the opportunity to have discussions and bond with those who did walk through the door.
“We said this year was all about connection, and it feels like that’s been the case beyond our expectations,” Ms Ellis said.
“This might be my favourite show ever.
“The quality gets higher and higher every year – the diversity this year was excellent, with exceptional quality from a lot of new exhibitors.
“There’s been something for everybody, with different techniques and styles, and the display from the kids under 16 was just out of this world – the quality was incredible.
“I think an art show is a great predictor of the environment because everyone comes from different backgrounds, different townships and lifestyles, so it highlights how everyone is feeling.”
The conditions also saw the neighbouring Mortlake Markets cancelled, but this led to a decision to bring the Country Women’s Association in to Soldier’s Memorial Hall to host an impromptu market stall.
“We’d decided at around 3pm on Saturday we would need to cancel the markets, but we had a few volunteers at the front desk who are in the CWA and do a baked goods stall,” Ms Ellis said.
“We e thought why not just host the baked good stall here.
“It ties in to the idea of community connectivity – it was creative in finding a way for everyone to connect.
“People have been up for a chat, we make it fun and wander around.”
The award winners in this year’s show were:
Best in Show Award – ‘Mount Shadwell Under Moonlight’ by David Hoyt of Penshurst;
Emerging Artist (Under 16 years) Award – ‘Bok-Bok’ by Isabella Robertson of Mortlake;
Photography Award – ‘Sun Rays’ by Gregory Wane of Camperdown.
Packers’ Award – ‘Taking Off’ by Rod Cameron of Warrnambool;
People’s Choice Award – ‘Mount Shadwell Under Moonlight’ by David Hoyt of Penshurst.
“There were very close voting numbers between the top three contenders for People’s Choice, as chosen by our visitors to the Mortlake Art Show,” Ms Ellis said.
“The second highest number of votes went to Armour Beardsley of Mortlake for ‘Storm Brewing’ and the third highest number of votes went to Amy Robinson of Penshurst for “Evening Light Towards Mortlake’.”
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