Reflecting on another successful year of Hilltops Off The Beaten Track Arts & Cultural Trail
The Hilltops Off The Beaten Track Arts & Cultural Trail opened on 14 March, and I welcomed visitors into the Chesterton studio for my first open studio and abstract art workshop series for 2026. There’s something quietly exhilarating about allowing people to move through a working studio—it’s a little like inviting them into the mind behind the work, where canvases rest mid-thought and process is still visible on every surface.
This year’s workshop series, Colours and Curiosity, explores intuitive painting, texture art techniques, and contemporary abstract practice. At its core is the belief that creativity is curiosity made visible.
Importantly, these are not traditional paint-and-brush sessions. Participants work with flow mediums, acrylic pours, texture mediums, and gestural mark-making tools—including palette knives, spatulas, and unconventional implements—to build layered, expressive surfaces. The focus is not on technical precision, but on process-driven, contemporary abstract painting, where movement, material, and instinct lead the work.
Blending elements of mindfulness, colour exploration, and tactile engagement, the workshops invite participants to step outside expectation and into experimentation—creating deeply personal works shaped as much by feeling as by form. Each piece becomes a record of presence, memory, and response to the surrounding Hilltops landscape.
The first weekend - Saturday 14 March - brought a generous mix of familiar faces and curious newcomers. Some travelled intentionally for the trail; others arrived by chance, drawn in from the road. The open studio format allowed people to engage on their own terms—whether stepping fully into the workshop experience or simply observing the rhythm of a working artist’s space.
The second weekend – Sunday 22 March – expanded the experience further, with Boorowa-based artist and printmaker Kirrily Vanderfield joining me for a pop-up at Chesterton. Her meticulous, highly considered printmaking practice offered a striking counterpoint to my own gestural, abstract approach. Together, it created a dialogue between precision and movement—two distinct but complementary expressions of contemporary regional art practice. Kirrily also hosted an ATC (artist’s Trading Card) booth, where visitors could create their own trading cards, and trade with Kirrily. Austin, Mackenzie and I all had a chance to experiment with the various art materials and make a trade on the day.
The final weekend - Sunday 28 March - I hosted a textural workshop alongside the open studio. Kirrily returned with her magical prints for sale and Artist Trading Card booth. The studio space settled into a natural rhythm of conversation, making, and shared curiosity. It was a fabulous day, with workshop feedback including “I’ve never felt so relaxed doing anything - and creating has always been so foreign to me. Thanks for making my day Ang! I can’t wait to hang my masterpiece in my home”.
Future workshops in abstract painting, texture art, and intuitive art practice will be announced via the AngHart mailing list. Subscribe here to stay in the loop!
The Art and Cultural trails came to a close on Sunday the 29th of March, culminating in the closing of the doors of the Young Society of Artists “Big Art and Sculpture” exhibition. Austin and I were able to take in the screening produced by Kev Greaves from Reload Productions “Tomorrow’s Future Echoes” - The story of 3 young Hilltops Artists. The film featured Aylie Corkery, Sarah McDonald and Harrison John. Kudos to these talented young artists that are an amarging force from the Hilltops region!
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