Wellington artist Leanne McCullough is among locals featured in 2023 SALA Festival

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This year, the South Australian Living Arts Festival (SALA) showcases more than 10,000 artists’ work at 550 venues across SA.

One of those artists is Wellington resident Leanne McCulloch, who is exhibiting a range of her artworks at the Wellington Town Hall from last weekend until this Friday.

Ms McCullough often combines resin and paint and creates original artworks, prints, greeting cards, handbound leather journals and resin art tableware.

Apart from having the good fortune to live alongside the river, Ms McCulloch is also fortunate as an artist to have her own recognisable style and technique.

Surprisingly, she only started painting full-time around three years ago.

“I’m a lover of abstract fluid artwork, so I was doing abstract pieces and had created one which was very difficult, but I didn’t like it,” she said.

“I put it in the back of my workroom, and I woke up one morning months later and thought ‘I’ll paint over it and create my tree of life’.

“With the trees, I found my thing.”

Ms McCullough said many people didn’t appreciate how difficult it was to create her resin artwork.

“You’ve got to go over it and make sure nothing lands on it – one hair on your piece, and it’s ruined,” she said.

As a result, even her clearly un-stressed and under-worked cats are banned from the areas of her house where she creates her art – and go back to dozing in font of an open fireplace.

The cats Spooky, Henry and Jordy aren’t the only ones who enjoy the tranquil setting of a home right next to the river.

“We have a lot of birds here – blue wrens, egrets, cranes, honey-eaters, babblers and a solitary kookaburra,” Ms McCullough said.

“I love the peacefulness of Wellington, the access to the bird life and the bush life; we’re a tiny town with the beauty of the water.

“Even the flooding was a wonderful thing to watch.”

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Although Ms McCullough felt that the tranquil environment helped her to create her lovely art, she said she was not aware of it when she was working.

“When I paint, everything disappears,” she said.

“You don’t know where you are or hear anything – it’s a bit like meditation.”

The meditative process certainly results in colourful, vibrant and personal artwork, which is Ms McCullough’s way of offering something positive to people’s lives.

“It’s just such a sense of enjoyment and fulfilment for me, and it’s wonderful to allow people to see beauty in the world – it’s not just for me: it’s for other people to see.”

In last year’s SALA, Ms McCullough exhibited her work at the Wellington Town Hall, and she was “totally blown away” by how the Wellington community supported what she was doing.

“I had people every day and had sales every day,” she said.

“Because we don’t have access to a lot of the events in Murray Bridge and Tailem Bend, it’s offering something new.

“A lot of people from Wellington came up and introduced themselves, and I believe art can bring people together.”

So, why not visit Ms McCullough’s SALA exhibition and introduce yourself while you’re there?

It will be at the Wellington Town Hall from 11am to 3pm each day until this Friday, August 4.

• More information: www.salafestival.com.

More SALA exhibitions in the Murraylands in 2023

Other Murraylands artists will also be displaying their work as part of this year’s SALA, including:

• Art of the Mallee: 9am–4pm from August 4-26 at Mallee Arts Karoonda, 25 Peake Street, Karoonda. This exhibition showcases artists from the Mallee, Murraylands, Riverland and surrounding rural areas. The artists are Cherie Anderson, Jen Arnold, Kat Bell, Peter Coad, Skye Hayes, Amber Hayes, Grace Hayes, Natalie Koch, Hazel Koch, Eli Koch, Kylie Martin, Macy Martin, Jai Martin, Ravi Martin, Steve Oatway, Stephanie Page, Cindy Rooke, Ella Rooke, Gabby Rooke, Phoebe Rooke, Zahlia Turner, Greg Turner and Siann Watts. More information: www.salafestival.com.
• Creative Collections: 10am–4pm on Monday to Friday and 11am–3pm on Saturday and Sunday from August 10-20 at Murray Bridge Marketplace, 21–53 South Terrace, Murray Bridge. This is an eclectic mix of artworks by local artists of various disciplines and expertise. More information: www.salafestival.com.
• Ngarrindjeri weaving workshop: 10am–4pm on August 27 at Murray Bridge Regional Gallery. Join Aunty Ellen Trevorrow for a day of Ngarrindjeri culture, storytelling and weaving. More information: www.salafestival.com.
• Open day: 11am–4pm on August 13 at Palmer Sculpture Landscape, 372 Davenport Road, Palmer. This is an informative look at 45 sculptures that have engaged with the environmental restoration at Palmer. More information: www.salafestival.com.

Murray Bridge Regional Gallery will also host a networking event for creative types at 6pm this Thursday.

• More information: salafestival.com.

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