Surf Coast Arts Trail 2026 | Photographing Artists at Ashmore Arts | LJM Photography

by | 5 Jun, 2025 | Blog, Corporate, News, Uncategorised | 0 comments

Surf Coast Arts Trail 2026 | Photographing Artists at Ashmore Arts | LJM Photography

Photographing Artists at Ashmore Arts and Across the Surf Coast

Ashmore Arts is one of the Surf Coast’s best-kept secrets. A creative hub tucked away in Torquay, Victoria, where painters, sculptors, blacksmiths, designers, and photographers work side by side. It’s where many artists on the Surf Coast aspire to create, and with a year-long waitlist for studios, it’s easy to see why.

I’ve been based at Ashmore for nearly six years. I’m surrounded by some of the region’s most talented artists, from blacksmith masters like Simply Forged, to fine artists like Kirsten Walsh and Lucy Hardie, water colour specialist Natalie Martin to bold abstract painters like Rowena Martinich, Angela Nicolson and Kate Eliza. It’s a space full of energy, colour, and creative momentum.

But it wasn’t until the Surf Coast Arts Trail in August 2024 that I truly felt part of this community.

That weekend was the first time I opened my studio to the public. I shared my work and let people in. But the real shift came when I walked around Ashmore and visited the other studios. After years here, I realised I hardly knew the artists working just a few doors away.

Kirsten Walsh smiling in her Ashmore Arts studio in Torquay, standing beside a large-scale hyper-realistic charcoal portrait artwork
Rowena Martinich standing in her Ashmore Arts studio in Torquay surrounded by large bold colourful abstract paintings, holding a paint tin and smiling
Close up overhead view of an artist's hand painting a large watercolour work on a paint-stained studio desk at Ashmore Arts Torquay, surrounded by brushes, paint palettes and art supplies
Blacksmith working with glowing orange hot metal on a power hammer in the Simply Forged workshop at Ashmore Arts Torquay, wearing protective gear with tools hanging on the wall behind

What is the Surf Coast Arts Trail?

If you haven’t been before, the Surf Coast Arts Trail is a once-a-year event where local artists open their spaces to the public. You can explore over 50 locations and meet more than 200 artists showcasing their work, from paintings and ceramics to textiles and handcrafted treasures. You can discover their creative process, hear their stories, and buy directly from the maker.

The trail spans the breadth of the shire, from artists who live by the coast to those who practice in the hamlets of the hinterland. The 2026 event is coming up on 2 and 3 August and it is well worth a visit. You can find the full program at surfcoastartstrail.com.au.’

Overhead view of an artist's hands applying clay slip to a dark green ceramic surface with a brush, surrounded by raw clay vessels and pigment pots during a documentary studio session on the Surf Coast
Overhead flat lay of a paint stained artist's desk at Ashmore Arts Torquay showing watercolour palettes, ink jars, pastels, brushes and mixed media supplies bathed in warm light

A Quiet Commitment

After last year’s trail, I made a quiet commitment to myself. Not just to get to know the artists around me, but to document them. To use my photography to tell their stories, to listen, observe, and capture them doing what they love.

So I started reaching out. I offered portrait sessions in exchange for a piece of their work. It wasn’t planned, just something that felt right. A painting of my son by Kirsten Walsh now hangs in our home. There’s a handmade pot plant holder by Georgiewood. Ceramics by Mayde Concrete. A Jan Juc landscape by Kathryn Junor. Artworks from Natalie Martin, Mark Trinham and Lorraine Archibald. These swaps have become the heart of this project.

Black and white close up of Kirsten Walsh's hands holding a pencil over a detailed charcoal drawing on her studio desk at Ashmore Arts Torquay, large portrait artwork soft in the background
Black and white portrait of Mayde Concrete artist laughing and running her hand through her hair in her workshop at Ashmore Arts Torquay, wearing paint-stained overalls
Interior of Kathryn Junor's art studio showing multiple large colourful landscape paintings on easels depicting coastal and bush scenes with a ladder and art materials throughout
Overhead flat lay of a blacksmith's workbench at Ashmore Arts Torquay showing handcrafted metal feathers alongside hammers, grinders, tongs and wire brushes

The Artists of Ashmore

Ashmore Arts is a special place. Once you’re in, you won’t want to leave. The talent here runs deep, from painters like Lucy Hardie, Rowena Martinich, Sam Leggett, Loraine Archibald to large-scale muralist Geoffrey Carran, whose work stretches from intricate bird studies to entire silos.

Photographing them in their studios, watching them work, asking questions, being present, that’s where I’ve found myself most at home creatively. These sessions have reminded me that photography is less about control and more about trust and instinct.

And when you spend a lot of time alone in your own studio, connecting with other creatives is something that grounds you. Being around these artists has quieted that imposter voice that creeps in sometimes.

Close up portrait of Sam Leggett resting her chin on her hand with a thoughtful expression, colourful artwork softly out of focus in the background
David Graham grinding a metal sculpture with sparks flying across his workshop bench at Ashmore Arts Torquay, wearing full protective gear with blacksmithing tools laid out in front
Rowena Martinich seen from behind painting a large earth-toned abstract canvas mounted on a white wall in her Surf Coast studio, wearing paint-splattered jeans
Close up portrait of Anthony Christie wearing ear muffs pushed up on his head, looking directly at the camera in his Ashmore Arts workshop on the Surf Coast
Overhead view of hands in green gloves applying bold yellow and orange paint to a small canvas on a paint-covered studio bench during an artist documentary session on the Surf Coast
Black and white image of Mark Trinham using a chainsaw to carve a large tree trunk outside his Ashmore Arts studio on the Surf Coast, sawdust flying with another figure visible in the background

Come and Find Us on the Trail

If you’re planning to visit the Surf Coast Arts Trail this year, come and say hello. I’ll have my studio open and would love to show you what I’ve been working on. You can find the full map and program at surfcoastartstrail.com.au.

And if you’re a Surf Coast or Bellarine-based artist who wants to document your work or studio, I’d love to hear from you.

“Lauren is absolutely the best! She did a photoshoot for my workshop and she has such a way of keeping things at ease. It felt so natural and the photos really reflect that. She has an amazing ability of putting it all together into a cohesive story. We’ll be getting family portraits with her in a couple of weeks and I am looking forward to that! Thanks Loz!”

I’ll be there in Studio 15A

Want to see more > Dave Grahams behind the scenes making of art

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