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 many forms before...

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 to be found in...

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 has proved its...