Art lovers flock to see plans for Olley home recreation
PLANS for the Margaret Olley Art Centre were unveiled on Friday night to a packed gallery.
Tweed River Art Gallery director Susi Muddiman introduced the mastermind behind the design that re-creates the home and studio of artist Margaret Olley.
Bud Brannigan, who designed the new wing of the gallery, said he was inspired by the late artist's home.
"It set a very good stage," he said.
"It's a true artist's space and I have tried to reflect that in the design.
"I want visitors to get the sense of being there and really get the community involved."
Mr Brannigan said the sense of energy in Ms Olley's studio was "uplifting."
Ms Olley's home was described as a "dictionary of her paintings."
The artist is known to have said she could never work in an orderly studio.
Neither did she believe in housework.
"I'm not wasting my life chasing dust," Ms Olley commented to a friend.
The design allows visitors to move through the space and experience Ms Olley's work in an environment as close to her own as possible.
The design also allows for an outside environment representing her garden.
Ms Olley's Paddington house, well known for its items that the painter collected and used as subject matter for her art, is described as "her lifelong installation."
Mr Brannigan said that it would be faithful to Olley's house, "in all of its glory."
