Garden Art at Growing Friends Plant Sales

Meet Our Artists

Arenaria
Denis is a South Coast based sculptor working mainly with Bundanoon and other local sandstones. Self-taught and constantly learning and evolving, he is inspired by nature and the infinite variety of colour, forms and textures in Australian sandstone. He uses a number of carving techniques but lets the unique features of the stone guide him to release the magic within.

Barbara George
Barbara’s introduction to clay came somewhat late in life under the mentorship of the late ceramic artist, Pamela Webster in New Zealand. After a transatlantic shift, Barbara found her own niche by adopting but adapting Pamela’s bird-making mantle. However she has found the application of different hands produce quite contrastive results, and also the challenge of hand-building has its own surprises, tinged with fun and frustration! Barbara notes that while each bird looks similar when first finished, it is the application of a vibrant colour palette that creates the unique features particular to each one.

Vanessa Hegarty
Vanessa has been involved in sculpture for the last 15 years and works in a variety of media including aviary wire, timber, driftwood, clay and limestone. She likes to create pieces that are not to be taken too seriously. Sometimes pieces turn out differently to what was initially intended, however, it is always fun and rewarding to create works of art for people to enjoy.

Julianne Smallwood
Julianne is a ceramic artist living and teaching in the northern suburbs of Sydney. She has a degree in Ceramics from SCA. Her work has won People’s Choice Awards in both 2018 Hidden Rookwood and her collaborative installation in 2012 Scenic World’s sculpture exhibitions. Julianne has also been a finalist at Sculpture in the Vineyards, Sustainable Sculpture at Ku-ring-gai Wildflower Garden, Hunters Hill Art Prize, and Artisans in the Gardens. She loves the process of raku firing with its element of surprise and transformation. Her birds are sold in galleries around NSW.