Jessica Taylor: The Art of Wholeness It takes a certain amount of courage and resilience to invite strangers into your studio, allowing them to scrutinise your deeply personal creative work. Sometimes finding the right mentor helps give you both the push and support that you need, and Jessica Taylor happily found her mentor in Dee Constable who embodies the MHOS motto of Building connections through art and creative spaces in the hills. After painting for only a few years, Je

Our next two featured artists work a kind of magic as they take what was once essentially mud and sand and transform them into beautiful works of art. The mediums might be different, but their passion for form and colour is clear. Jane Newton and Silvana Ferrario have been involved with the Open Studios Art Trail for over a decade, happily sharing their work and knowledge with other artists and visitors, whilst continuing to create lovely work. In her own words Jane Newton ge

Albert Einstein just might have had educators in mind when he said those words and throughout long teaching careers Robin Dale and Trenton Harris have passed on the joy of creative expression and knowledge to countless students, without losing their own passion for art-making. Their dedication to exploring all things art has led them to opening their studios for the first time this year as part of the MHOS family. This week I was lucky enough to visit both Robin and Trenton i

Why MHOS makes the perfect Perth Hills date day.

Behind the scenes: How an artist prepares for Open Studios “It’ll be fun,” they said. “It’s just two weekends.” Ha! Deciding to open my studio to visitors as seemed like a good thing to do after years of creating art that very few people saw: so I screwed up my courage and applied to be one of the artists in MHOS 2024. Then I took stock of what I needed to do before welcoming people into my home. After working through the mental and psychological aspects of major imposter sy

Ric Burkitt: Painter A common thread running through the artists I’ve visited this year is the commitment to being a full-time artist after years of other work- even, or maybe especially, if it has still been in the creative sphere. In The Soul’s Code, James Hillman might have expressed it as returning to what one was always supposed to be- fulfilling destiny- or the acorn theory of intrinsic character. Ric Burkitt has definitely followed his “daimon”, devoting himself to the

Silver, copper, polished stones and enamel are just some of the ingredients which make up Ren Masetti’s beautiful jewellery. I visited Ren last week and was warmly welcomed into a well-organised studio full of shiny metals, benches and tools, where she also runs workshops for others to explore the art of silversmithing. We chatted about Ren’s creative journey, how she became a jewellery maker, what inspires her and many other things along the way. The creative urge can take m

By Kat Hardwick Each one of my ceramics teachers tells me that clay has memory. Clay holds grudges: treat it with anything less than the full respect it deserves and it will bide its time, then break your heart. My first memory of clay is sliding down the slippery slopes of my father’s property, after the afternoon rains in New Caledonia, then getting into trouble for entering the house covered head to toe in terracotta-coloured mud. There is something of that childhood joy t

Thanks to artist Craig McKeough for this great wrap-up. Since its low-key beginnings with just 10 artists in 2009, Mundaring Hills Open Studios (MHOS) is now established as a key cultural event on the local calendar. It is one of the longest running art trails in Western Australia, and in 2025 featured 81 artists at 30 studios across the Mundaring shire. The event has been an important platform for Hills artists to show their work and elevate their art careers. Equally, it h

We were pleased and honoured that the Hon Klasey Hirst presented a speech in parliament about Mundaring Hills Open Studios and her experience. The speech is attached below.

With only three sleeps to go until our studios are officially open there's a buzz of activity in the Hills. Artists are busy creating, framing and polishing; studios are being tidied, cleaned and organised; we’re putting out the Welcome Mats and trying not to stress. It’s exciting, and a little nerve-wracking! For most of us the next two weeks represent the culmination of twelve months’ work, but for a special few, Mundaring Hills Open Studios offers the chance to display ye

The opening of A Taste of MHOS exhibition was a great opportunity to showcase a selection of the art that will be available to view at...

The Mundaring Hills Open Studios (MHOS) annual Art Trail event was kicked off at a recent function which launched the promotional...

It is such a pleasure to visit artists in their studios- they are unfailingly generous with their time and happy to share their expertise...

Leith Street Studio: Kat Hardwick Reaching Kat Hardwick’s atelier took me on a drive through the lovely, quiet rural areas around...

On a very cold July day I visited three artists who generously gave up some of their time to talk about their work. Being the only...

What a privilege it has been to visit some of our amazing artists this week. They have been so welcoming and generous with their time,...

It might be chilly outside, but don’t mistake this as a time of hibernation for our artists. Inside studios, ateliers and workshops we...

Artists from Mundaring Hills Open Studios are showing a selection of their works in the city. This preview offers a glimpse into the...

Here is our last blog before our open studio event. We have another garden to explore and we have a map of a studio art trail for you to...