Artists Shed

Artists Shed is a Kingston, Canberra gallery with a broad creative focus: it brings together Margaret Hadfield’s gallery, an art materials store, studio spaces, art lessons and an Emerging Artists Gallery. That makes it more than a place to view finished work. Visitors can browse original art, look for supplies, or explore ways to develop their own practice through classes and mentoring.

The gallery’s online collection includes paintings by a range of artists, with works such as Jo Hogan’s “All Lit Up” and “Bird of Paradise”, Edwina Walsh’s “Anglers Dream” and “Babinda Boulders”, Ami Spinks’ “Barrington Tops”, Tanya Lovric’s “Birds Eye View” and Chan Dissanayake’s “Boathouse on the Clyde River”. The listed works span Australian landscapes, birds and other subjects, as well as paintings inspired by places beyond Australia. The gallery also presents more than 25 of Margaret Hadfield’s entries to the Gallipoli Art Prize, giving her historical and commemorative work a notable place within the collection.

The space has a distinctly handmade history. The original Artists Shed began in 2004 in Queanbeyan as a shared studio and rustic gallery founded by Margaret Hadfield and Dennis Mortimer. After that building was sold, Margaret developed a new Artists Shed in 2019, using discarded doors as walls and making recycling and upcycling part of the venue’s character. The site described by the gallery includes Margaret’s personal studio, exhibition areas, an art supplies store and teaching spaces, alongside the work of emerging artists. Its story is closely tied to Canberra’s arts community and to a practical, community-minded approach to making and showing art.

Margaret Hadfield has worked as an artist in the Canberra region for more than 30 years, painting across multiple mediums and exhibiting in solo shows and art prizes. Her practice includes landscapes, seascapes, murals, portraits and works responding to history and service. She also teaches everyone from beginners to emerging artists, with periodic special courses covering themes such as seascapes, portraiture and gum trees. Canberra-based artist and teacher Caroline Jeppesen is also introduced as a tutor who works mainly in oils while teaching a range of mediums. Artists Shed should suit solo visitors who enjoy browsing art, people looking for materials or lessons, and small groups wanting a creative, art-focused outing.