The Donnelly Verandah Residencies
6 – 30 June 2023
Donnelly River Village is on Pibelmen Noongar Budjar.
The Donnelly Verandah Residencies provide an opportunity for artists to immerse themselves in the unique Karri Forest at Donnelly River where imposing old-growth Karri-stands dominate a 1950s mill town. Artists undertake a residency for just over a week allowing them time to develop ideas, grow their art practice or create new work. They stay in one of the 35 cottages in the village with the intention that the forest surroundings will provide a ground for creativity and artistic development.
Well-known Western Australian artists Tim Burns, Sarah Thornton-Smith, Sarah Elson, Annette Peterson, Ross Potter and Nic Compton will take part in the seventh annual verandah residencies at Donnelly River Village in June 2023.
A Perth-based exhibition of works produced by this year’s artists in residence will be held at Earlywork in South Fremantle on 15-24 September, 2023. Please check back for updates and more information.
Winter at Donnelly is wood-smoke misty mornings and star-filled winter nights. On ancient land, surrounded by state forest, the 1950s mill town’s thirty-five workers cottages, boarding house and workers club each have verandahs that overlook the central stand of magnificent Karri trees. If wintery conditions keep artists to their cottages, these verandahs offer a sheltered outlook to the natural environment. The original steam mill, school, butcher shop and general store add unique architectural notes. Tame kangaroos, emus, possums, kookaburras, magpies, parrots, blue wren and other wildlife wander through the village and visit cottages. If the weather is fine and artists are looking for a change of scene, heading into the surrounding forest along any of the many bush trails offers new aspects at every turn, including a deep forest lake surrounded by majestic trees. We hope the Donnelly environment will provide a place of contemplation and inspiration for the artists-in-residence.
For accommodation bookings contact
Donnelly River Village PHONE: +61 (8) 9772 1244
or visit the website: donnellyriver.com.au
Latest News
Artists talks, workshops, paintings and exhibitions
David Carson – What Lies Beneath – work in progress
Work in progress, David Carson: What Lies Beneath Karri forest floor to canopy
Julie Podstolski – Verandah Resident
Red-Winged Fairy Wren on the verandah of the General Store at Donnelly River. Julie Podstolski, 2022 165cm (W) x 16.5cm (H) Neocolor II and coloured pencils on [...]
Matthew Wright, Donnelly Verandah Residencies setup
Matthew Wright. Plein air set up.
David Carson – First impressions from The Donnelly Verandah Residencies 2022
On returning from his residency in 2022, David Carson reflected; I have a lot of material to sort through - change of scenery can be stimulating, [...]
Andrew Daly – plein air, gouache on paper works from the Donnelly Verandah Residencies 2021
Andrew Daly spent his Donnelly Verandah Residency working in a medium he had never use before. Painting on site in the forest or from the verandah he [...]
The 2021 Donnelly Verandah Residencies exhibition , 10-19 September 2021
The 2021 Donnelly Verandah Residencies. Each year the Donnelly River Village invites artists stay in the village and respond to the iconic 1950s timber milling village [...]
The artwork that missed courier to Donnelly River Village due to Covid-19 restrictions
The carrier taking Jo Darvall's 2021 watercolour and pencil work, Wandoo #17 (51 x 68 cm - $2450) to Donnelly River Village for the the Donnelly Verandah Residencies 5-Year [...]
Rima Zabaneh, working/thinking in progress – Donnelly River Village, 24 June 2021
Rima Zabaneh, work-thinking in progress, The Donnelly Verandah Residencies, 2021
Rima Zabaneh, fixings in the ground – Donnelly River Village, 24 June 2021
Rima Zabaneh, fixings in the ground at the site of the Donnelly River Mill, 2021
A glimpse into Donnelly
Tuesday 4:30pm "Rules for residency: respond to surroundings on impulse. Follow impulse. Start two new works each day. No rethinking. Complete all works later." [...]
Kirsty Sadler, first artist to arrive at Donnelly
A glimpse into Donnelly Monday 5:11pm "Lit the fire on Friday and it hasn't gone out yet. Three 8 hour days painting so far, first time in [...]
2019 Donnelly Verandah Residencies artists announced
Kirsty Sadler James Giddy Linda Fardoe Jeana Castelli Mark Welsh As part of the Bridgetown [...]
Peter Barker’s paintings arrive for the 2018 Donnelly Verandah Residencies exhibition
This exhibition features the work of the 2018 Donnelly Verandah Residency artists who each spent a week living in one of the workers cottages [...]
The Donnelly Verandah Residencies exhibition 2018
Beginning with an official launch at 6:30pm on Friday 23 November 2018, the exhibition will be open from 10am – 4pm daily 24 November to 2 December, [...]
Ben Sherar, managing the weather
Ben Sherar's emails from Donnelly continue the wintery theme, "It's been pretty cold…". As well as working on the verandah, in the village and in nearby Bridgetown [...]
Andy Kent joins Ben Sherar as artist in residence at Donnelly
When their latest exhibition Small Works finished on Sunday 12 August, Ben Sherar and Peter Barker invited Andy Kent to join them at Donnelly River Village for [...]
Bronwen Newbury, misty winter forest
Bronwen Newbury's studies of the Donnelly karri forest in winter.
Peter Barker, painting and hailstorms
With a cold front bringing below zero temperatures to the village and a dusting of snow to Bluff Knoll, Peter Barker headed out to paint 'en plein [...]
Referencing Great Uncle Hal
A few more sketches from Donnelly. I'm trying to reference some of my great uncle Hal Missingham's 'Bush images' re style and medium as a loose "conceptual [...]
Ben Crappsley – from the verandah
"Having a great time at Donnelly River! Managing to make some drawings from the verandah so all good." - Ben Crappsley, 5 August 2018 [...]
Robyn Varpins – 2018 Donnelly Verandah Residency works
Robyn Varpins sent through almost-finished works at the end of her 2018 residency at Donnelly River Village - with the following notes."None of them are finished [...]
2018 artists arrive – Robyn Varpins
Robyn Varpins describes some of the techniques and decisions applied while painting on the verandah of cottage 9 at Donnelly River Village. Video Steve Alfrich. [...]
Final weekend of the 2017 Perth-Based exhibition
Saturday 7 and Sunday 8 October, 2017 are the final days of the 2017 Donnelly Verandah Residencies exhibition. Each artist spent a week living in one of [...]
Not strictly a verandah residency …
… but responding to Donnelly in the same spirit, Michael Spight, one of the Friends of Donnelly Village (FODV) Committee members, has just completed this series of [...]
The 2017 Donnelly Verandah Residencies exhibition
Donnelly River Cottages, Harvey Mullen - one of the works included in the exhibition which features six well-known WA artists. The artists each spent a week living [...]