Darwin Art Trail

Tick off your Christmas gift list with a weekend on the Darwin Art Trail. 

With six private studios open to the public, you can chat with the artists in their natural habitats and buy art that comes wrapped in a great story about how and where it came to life.

Nestled among native trees on the edge of a paperbark billabong in Girraween, Marnie Jay – a supreme nature-lover at heart – is in her element inside her quaint and airy Bird House Studio. You'll fall in love with her colourful acrylic paintings and prints on canvas. 

Step inside an unassuming demountable in Howard Springs to find leather crafts made from the wonderful textured skins of calf, crocodile and even cane toad. Acquire a one-of-a-kind item or a custom creation by Jenny Glencross at Little Egret Fine Crafts.

Peter Jettner and Troya Bywaters of Getrocked Gallery in Girraween produce rustic steel sculptures and ornaments including birds, bats, fish, crocodiles, birdbaths and more. 

Debra Senjuschenko at Gallery 105 in Howard Springs has a tinkling array of lampwork, chainmaille and silver jewellery, as well as fused glass art and beads, with a modern and contemporary design. 

Visit Robyn McLean at Susurrus Studio in Darwin River, the home of bippidii boppidii. Her fabric designs for clothes and furnishings inspired by the flora, fauna and lifestyle of the Top End are popular for good reason.

At Studio Elevenlee, a small suburban studio in Moil, you'll find Kate Bussey producing sculptures using clay thrown on the pottery wheel, decorated in bright colours and finished with recycled materials. Gerald Clapham shows his passion for many techniques in clay and works in stoneware clay, making functional pottery.

It’s art tour meets personalised purchasing – this special Christmas edition of the Darwin Art Trail takes satisfying Chrissie shopping to a whole new level.

Thumbnail image: Marnie Jay, 'Admiralty House' (detail), 2009, acrylic on canvas

Header image: Flowers by Kate Bussey.