The benefits of an island artistic trail will be featured on a coming show thanks to the Seven Network’s Queensland Weekend.
Presenter Anna Daniels gave The Friendly Bay Islander a call a few weeks ago and said she wanted to do a special story on Macleay Island, and did we have any ideas and contacts.
I’ll say we did!
We told her about our growing and very artistic artistic community, and suggested she might like to highlight our artists and the artistic elements of our islands.
We introduced her to some island artists and Anna soon came up with a script that sees her on a search for island art and some fantastic talent.
Visits included to the Macleay Island Arts Complex art and pottery classes and visits to the studio of leading artist Maddi Ekeblad and then onto timber sculptor Ted Upon and jewellery maker Linda Upton.
And at Maddi Ekeblad’s Anna was exposed to the amazing Tea Pot Tree!
The tree has become island famous.
It started out with a few tea pots that Maddi had accumulated, and soon total strangers were leaving tea pots on her doorstep.
At the foot of the tree is the ‘Death of a Piano’ and a maze of crazy, tiled paving.
Needless to say, Anna Daniels and her camera man Aaron Bottero, had a great day of filming fun with some beaut island artistic characters.
Our hope is the program will entice more artists to our island shores.
Our island ambience offers a quiet destination for artists to be their most creative.
Anna will inform us when the program will be going to air, so we can advise you in plenty of time to ‘tune in’.
• Anna Daniels and cameraman Aaron Bottero with Maddi Ekeblad.