In its fifth year, the Daylesford Macedon Ranges Open Studios (DMROS) program will draw thousands of visitors to the central Victorian countryside to experience the area’s vibrant arts community and the exceptional talent found there.
Around an hour’s drive from Melbourne, the Daylesford Macedon Ranges region encompasses 180 kilometres of idyllic countryside dotted with small towns, and boasts not only fine food, wine, spas and stunning scenery, but also the reputation of home to more artists than any other rural region in Australia.
While this year’s event will welcome back some familiar faces, it will also feature 11 new artists and their creative oases.
DMROS Creative Producer Jill Rivers explained that this edition’s selected artists specialise in a range of practices from fresco painting, mosaic, sculpture and letterpress printing to handcrafted jewellery and photography.
“What they share is a powerful connection to the inspiring region they have chosen to live and work in,” she added.
“The Open Studios program is their gift to you, an invitation into their world, to embrace the benefits of arts and culture and to experience the beauty and tranquillity of the Daylesford Macedon Ranges.”
Participating in the program for the first time is Daylesford-based drawer and painter, Brian Reberger, who specialises in charcoal and pastel drawings and oils on canvas.
Exhibited and purchased in Italy, England, America, Lebanon and throughout Australasia, Brian’s work is heavily influenced by his love for Italian life and culture.
It was his upbringing in Leeton, New South Wales, which sparked Brian’s life-long passion for Italy and la dolce vita.
In his early years, he became close with the Italian families which resided on small farms in the area, and his fascination with their love for food and strong familial ties was fuelled.
Years later, the talented artist’s studies exposed him to the history of Italian art and the magnificence of the classical imagery which came with it.
Having completed his studies and saved enough money, Brian found himself on a plane to Italy.
“As the plane was coming into Rome I burst into tears and I thought ‘I’m coming home’,” he recalled.
“That was the beginning of my love affair with Italy and it’s only become stronger with every visit.”
As the trips to Italy grew longer each time, Brian and his partner, Alfredo Santo, decided to fulfil their mutual lifelong dream to live in Italy for extended periods.
Having purchased a property in the northern Umbrian town of Città di Castello last year, Brian and Alfredo are heading over in June to commence renovations, and have planned to spend three to six months a year in their new Italian home.
Brian’s passion for the Belpaese is evident in every single masterpiece he creates, each of which has the power to transport viewers to another place and time, feeling every emotion and sensory experience of the moment he has captured.
“What I want to do with each piece is to distil the essence of what I’m experiencing at the time,” he explained.
“It’s a deeply thought-out observation of the feelings and my emotions about the place in one image.”
Whether it be a man passing under a wall of clothes hanging between two balconies while on a passeggiata, or an opulent statue depicted in all its glory, each of Brian’s works are so much more than a tourist’s snapshot of Italy; they are a piece of his enduring experience with the place and people.
It’s not only the content of Brian’s work which screams Italy, but also the mediums with which he depicts it.
Having initially specialised in chalk pastel and oil painting, Brian decided to master the art of charcoal and make use of its “evocative” power, before adding chalk pastel to accentuate certain aspects.
“Often that little addition of colour will make something pop and it transforms it into something different,” he said.
Proclaiming to have always favoured a bit of “bling”, Brian then began experimenting, to great effect, with gold and silver leaf in his work, paying homage to the Italian masters - Bernini and Cellini - and the ancient tradition which saw gold leaf used on religious paintings, altarpieces and church decoration.
“Initially, I wasn’t sure how it would work because, to my knowledge, no one had previously incorporated those two mediums together,” he said.
“I started with quite large amounts of gold and silver leaf in the work, but now I’m using just hints of it to give a little bit of a glisten in certain areas which changes depending on the light.”
Also a fan of crystals, Brian took his experimentation one step further by incorporating Swarovski crystals which are oh-so-subtle that you may miss them at first glance, until the light captures their beauty.
Brian is eager to share his techniques and the inspiration behind his masterpieces when he opens his studio as part of the DMROS program over three consecutive weekends, starting from April 29 – 30.
Visitors to Brian’s home and studio will experience the little piece of Italy that he and Alfredo have created, from the pencil pines and picturesque garden scenery, to the Italian objects which aid his creative process.
“It will be good for people to experience the whole package of where my work stems from and it will hopefully help them resonate with it even more,” he said.
Along with the other 29 participating artists, Brian will also showcase his work in the program’s Group Exhibition, to be held at the prestigious Convent Gallery in Daylesford.
Several artists will also open their gardens to the public, while 12 will participate in ‘Art-full Conversations’, sharing their inside stories and background in their studios at the beginning and end of the open days.
