Featured Artists for June: Esther Perry and Rosemary Bambrook

Esther Perry
Esther Perry has spent much of her life in the Lennox Head and Lismore areas, and for the past 13 years has called Alstonville home. Her artistic journey began around two decades ago with the creation of greeting cards, which gradually evolved into the intricate and highly personal art form known as treasure journals.

Approximately eight years ago, Esther’s creative direction shifted when she discovered the beauty of using recycled materials. She began incorporating vintage lace, photographs, envelopes, and recycled paper into her work, hand-binding these elements to craft her distinctive journals. Over time, digital imagery has also become an integral part of her practice, helping to enhance the theme and vibrancy of each piece.

Esther hand-ages most of her papers to give the journals a unique, antique appearance. Many also feature hand-stitched or machine-sewn elements, such as pockets or book covers. Each journal is one-of-a-kind, typically taking about a week to complete. They are used for everything from daily diaries and photo albums to mixed media and art journals.

She shares:
“Each and every journal I make is unique and one of a kind. A journal will typically take me about a week to complete from start to finish. The journals are used for art, photos, mixed media or just a daily diary. I hope you will find inspiration as you turn the pages as I love making them.”

Rosemary Bambrook
Rosemary Bambrook has long held a deep passion for the arts. Over the past 20 years, living in the Northern Rivers region has further nurtured her love of pottery.

She holds a Fine Arts degree, majoring in ceramics, from the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology. Her career as a secondary school teacher culminated in her role as Head of the Arts Faculty at a girls’ college in Melbourne, where she curated exhibitions, organised artists in residence, and collaborated with a Japanese museum on children’s art programmes.

Rosemary has exhibited widely, including at The National Gallery of Victoria and various galleries throughout Melbourne, as well as locally in the Murwillumbah “Mud and Art Trails” in Northern NSW. She is an active member of the Murwillumbah Potters’ Group and has volunteered for several years at the Northern Rivers Community Art Gallery.

Her pottery blends both wheel and hand-building techniques to create functional kitchenware. Each piece is decorated with vivid colours and imaginative patterns inspired by nature. Her style is constantly evolving as new ideas flourish.

You can find out more about Junes Artists  HERE