Art in unexpected places
Art in Unexpected Places by Tim Baker
Baker is a documentary photographer based in Coalcliff, NSW. His work is informed by a genuine curiosity toward the people and world around him. Baker often explores juxtaposition and duality as a means to make sense of it all, with his keen eye and enthusiasm for a good story usually leading to a photo unfolding right in front of him.
Baker takes a humanist approach to photographing strangers candidly, choosing to portray them as true to life as he sees it.
In 2024 he released his debut zine "There's Sunscreen in the Holy Water" which was shortlisted in PHOTO 2024's Photobook Prize (pre-press category). A show of the same name was held at Clifton School of Arts.
Baker recently completed a 12-month residency with Wollongong City Council’s Creative Studios program and is a finalist in Galah’s 2025 Regional Photography Prize.
Locations:
• 211 Princess Highway, Rotary Park Albion Park Rail
• Shellharbour Primary School - Mary St, Shellharbour
• Lake Entrance Road (Wattle Road intersection).
• 128 Shellharbour Road, Warilla
Art in Unexpected Places by Ian Morrison
Ian Morrison is a local artist from Albion Park. He studied and worked as an Architect before further studies in theology led to his 11-year role as an ordained Anglican Minister.
Ian has always admired bold colours and shapes incorporating them where he could to create excitement and joy within his architect designs. After finishing working as an Architect Ian started painting as a hobby and outlet for creative energy. His place of residence (Dapto, the Blue Mountains, and now Albion Park) has offered inspiration for developing his landscape scenes.
Ian enjoys creating images, with a focus on shape and colour, that resonate and trigger fond memories of holiday locations and places of great sentiment.
Ian says ‘from stunning sunrises, to majestic hills, God’s creation provides every bit of inspiration that is needed for beautiful art. It isn’t hard to look too far to see wonderful backdrops we have in the Shellharbour Region that have been a delight to capture in different ways.
It is great to spend time in this wonderful environment. All of the artworks I have made have been inspired from photos I have taken while riding my bike around the Shellharbour region.’
Locations:
• 211 Princess Highway, Rotary Park Albion Park Rail
• Shellharbour Primary School - Mary St, Shellharbour
• Lake Entrance Road (Wattle Road intersection).
• 128 Shellharbour Road, Warilla
Art in Unexpected Places by Melissa Ritchie
Melissa Ritchie is a local artist who was born in Georgia, USA, and came to Australia as an infant. She has lived in the Shellharbour region for over 25 years and paints from her home studio.
Predominantly an oil painter, Melissa is known for her realist style still life paintings featuring a colourful array of everyday objects. She has been a finalist in many of Australia’s major art prizes including the Archibald Prize, Doug Moran Prize, Portia Geach Memorial Award, Kilgour Prize, Shirley Hannan Portrait Prize, Lester Prize, Brisbane Portrait Prize and the Percival Portrait Prize. She has won the Postcodes from the Edge Art prize twice, and been highly commended in many awards.
Melissa says her paintings ‘capture a moment in time where many represented items are meaningful beyond the composition. Many of my still life paintings feature a piece of folded paper or origami alongside modern everyday objects and heirlooms that pay homage to memories of my childhood. I’ve also painted iconic, locally owned family businesses in my urban landscapes, that celebrate our local region and local personalities. From nanna’s tea set and mum’s crystal vases, to 80s toys before wifi and the local corner store that sells the best mixed lollies… I’m a sucker for anything that brings on a sense of nostalgia’.
Locations:
• 211 Princess Highway, Rotary Park Albion Park Rail
• Shellharbour Primary School - Mary St, Shellharbour
• Lake Entrance Road (Wattle Road intersection).
• 128 Shellharbour Road, Warilla
Art in Unexpected Places by Lisa-Marie Vecchio
Lisa-Marie is a Brisbane-based graphic designer and muralist, illustrating art that encourages and uplifts. Her designs are recognised as colourfully eye-catching, created with the intention of communicating hope, joy and empowerment.
Lisa says of these artworks:
"As a firm believer in affirmation therapy to help me through moments of negative self-talk, so these artworks reflect my feelings and common phrases I've pondered on in my journey with overcoming anxiety and fear. There’s still some stigma around openly discussing topics like mental health, and I am all about carving out a safe space for it. Visuals play a big part - using bright colours and imagery like squiggles can take the sting out of discussing such hard topics. I believe everyone has a need to be seen, heard and valued and creating artwork is how I meet that need for myself and others."
Locations:
• Princes Highway, Albion Park
• Lake Entrance Road, Oak Flats
• 40 Lake Entrance Road, Oak Flats
• 128 Shellharbour Road, Warilla
Date: August 2024
Art in Unexpected places by Chris Smith
Chris Smith is a Sydney based emerging artist with a strong connection to the south coast. Smith develops bright, vibrant and colourful work that represents scenes at the beach reflecting movement, joy and playfulness.
We see people painted within some landscapes reflecting the lifestyle of many locals and those who holiday in this region. The artworks allow the viewer to connect to a time and place in their own lived experiences that allows for a little escapism.
A thread within each painting of this series features little seagulls. Perhaps you can find them if you’re travelling on the bus and visit the following bus shelters.
Locations:
• Princes Highway, Albion Park
• Lake Entrance Road, Oak Flats
• 40 Lake Entrance Road, Oak Flats
• 128 Shellharbour Road, Warilla
Date: April 2024
Art in Unexpected places by Edwina Green 
Edwina Green is a First Nations artist who grew up between the Western suburbs in Melbourne, and Queenstown, Tasmania.
Green’s practice is informed by her connection to culture and ties to reclaiming intergenerational disconnection. Green investigates narratives of perception, historical re-framing, and the post-colonial paradigm and its impact on people and place. She uses a multidisciplinary approach across the mediums of sculpture, installation, film, and painting.
The artworks on display include; The Badary series (learn, yarn, listen, play, pause). Green says these images ‘explore a playful connection to kin; simple phrases, and ways that our badary (little ones) can understand, and engage in.’ She explains they are ‘all elements necessary for a strong cultural bond’.
The image haz una canasta mis flores ‘looks at colonial languages, cultural material, and how Australia as a nation, prioritises being a single language country, despite holding 500+ different languages both First Nations and those that are living away from their homelands.
While the final image of the Map of Australia depicts First Peoples language group as according to the AITSIS map. ‘It is a reminder of who's country we live, work and exist on, and the diversity and complexity of language groups across this country.’
These amazing pieces will be installed in January 2024 at the following bus stops across our LGA.
Locations:
• Princes Highway, Albion Park
• Lake Entrance Road, Oak Flats
• 40 Lake Entrance Road, Oak Flats
• 128 Shellharbour Road, Warilla
Date: January 2024
Art in Unexpected places by Gennifer Anderson
Gennifer Anderson is a local Shellharbour-based artist who creates ‘abstract ethereal’ works using a variety of mediums and materials. Often working experimentally, her work begins in abstract, as she scours for materials with history, such as wood, recycled paper, ribbon, thread or dried paper. Anderson combines these with wax, resin, acrylic paint, pencils, pastels and other mark-making methods to scratch and scrape the artwork surface.
Drawing from her lonely experience of moving to the Illawarra in the early 1980’s, much of Anderson’s work focuses on the concept of belonging. Telling stories through texture and depth through layering, she achieves captivating colours and finishes, reflecting the natural and manmade world.
There is something new to discover on close inspection, no story is ever completely finished.
Anderson says, “There is a little bit of my own story in every piece and my story is often a mirror to yours… I find we all just want to belong and my greatest hope is that my imperfect art will speak to the imperfect heart helping it to feel it has come home.”
You can find these artworks on display until early January, 2024.
Locations:
• Princes Highway, Albion Park (across from house number 295)
• Lake Entrance Road (Wattle Road intersection)
• 128 Shellharbour Road, Warilla
• 40 Lake Entrance Road, Oak Flats
• Mary Street, Shellharbour (at Shellharbour Primary School)
Date: October 2023
Sun Passage by Emma Anna 
Anna’s design makes reference to the sun and its journey across the sky. Boonerah Point is a source of natural wonder and the big sky and expansive vistas which it allows for is achieved through a panoramic layering of parkland, water, hills and sky. The sun is a constant presence and passes across this horizon, shaping colours, reflections, moods and memories.
Location: Amenities screening at Boonerah Point Reserve
Date: September 2023
Art in Unexpected places by Michael Black
Michael Black is a Sydney-based artist with a distinct, dynamic and expressive style that explores human experiences and how classic story models symbolically parallel our own life. Utilising mixed media painting and drawing, Michael provides us with a collection of abstract landscape scenes.
Michael Black’s artworks explore his response to found landscapes and experiences. His work allows him to capture direct moments in time through the use of a variety of mixed media techniques and his philosophy presents the idea that individuals all have sacred moments, experiences, and places of significance in their lives. These moments are celebrated in this display, as Michael’s painting practice invites the viewer to be transported to the sacred space within their own consciousness.
You can find these on display until the end of September 2023. You can also check out his recent Mural at Hall Lane here!
Locations:
• Princes Highway, Albion Park
• Lake Entrance Road, Oak Flats
• 40 Lake Entrance Road, Oak Flats
• 128 Shellharbour Road, Warilla
Date: July 2023
Art in Unexpected places by Simon Theuma
Simon Theuma is an underwater and wildlife photographer from Shellharbour NSW, Australia. He was born on the Mediterranean island of Malta. Surrounded by the sea, from a young age, the lure of what lies underneath instilled in him a passion of everything marine.
His underwater photography journey started in 1999, exploring the islands of Malta and Gozo and continued on expeditions to the Red Sea, the Great Barrier Reef, Truk Lagoon, Komodo, Raja Ampat, Thailand and the Philippines.
Simon works as a Vocational Education Trainer and regularly conducts photography workshops.
In 2020 Simon had the opportunity to exhibit his underwater Fine Art prints in the solo exhibition ‘Ornate by Nature’ and ‘For the Love of Whales’ as part of a group exhibition.
With his images, Simon hopes to inspire a greater appreciation of the natural beauty of our oceans and to raise awareness for the wellbeing of our planet.
Keep your eyes peeled for Simon's works on display in your local bus shelters from April until July.
Locations:
• Princes Highway, Albion Park
• Lake Entrance Road, Oak Flats
• 40 Lake Entrance Road, Oak Flats
• 128 Shellharbour Road, Warilla
Date: April 2023
Art in Unexpected places by Patrick Shirvington
"My work investigates the relationship to the natural world through drawing, believing the practice of drawing is fundamental to the cognitive process and to opening doors to the unseen.
I tell my story with mythical symbols, whether from the brush on a large canvas to the more intimate illustrations in children’s books, I feel the unknown is more important than the known, as it awakens our dreams and intuition.
Through our dreams we delve deeper than the mere surface. My artmaking looks at the natural world surrounding us, firstly bringing our attention to the picture surface, followed by a deeper revelation."
Patrick Shirvington is an accomplished children’s book illustrator with a Master of Cross Disciplinary Art and Design UNSW.
His picture book, Can You find Me?, written by Dr Gordon Winch, was shortlisted for the Wilderness Society Environment Award for Picture Books (Australia), a CBCA Notable book, with Patrick being nominated for the Crichton award for
illustration. Patrick’s books have now been published worldwide.
Keep your eyes peeled for Patrick’s works on display in your local bus shelters from early January until March.
Locations:
• Princes Highway, Albion Park
• Lake Entrance Road, Oak Flats
• 40 Lake Entrance Road, Oak Flats
• 128 Shellharbour Road, Warilla
Date: February 2023
Art in Unexpected places by Clare O'Toole
Dharawal-based artist Clare O’Toole has been exhibiting since 2017 and is a Wollongong local. Clare has a multidisciplinary practise, focusing on painting, sculpture, photography and drawing.
Clare’s practise embodies still-life compositions from everyday consumer products; drawing inspiration from the pantry to the grocery store. Clare enjoys recreating iconic packaging, in a unique and vibrant style, inspired by the likes of pop artists such as Andy Warhol and David Hockney.
You can find Clare’s works at your local bus shelters and at the Shellharbour Village Imaginarium.
Locations:
- Princes Highway, Albion Park
- Lake Entrance Road, Oak Flats
- 40 Lake Entrance Road, Oak Flats
- 128 Shellharbour Road, Warilla
Date: October 2022
Seagulls by David Boyle
Seagulls is a robust outdoor sculpture that seeks to create an interaction between people and oversized birds.
The artwork creates informal seating where passers-by can have fun with the shapes of the seagulls, with each seagull having its own individual character.
This artwork was installed as part of the Warilla Town Centre streetscape upgrades. More of David’s work can be found at Warilla Library!
Location: Behind Wals Pharmacy, near the amenities building on Hall Lane, Warilla.
Date: 2022
Magical Realism by Leaf Klevjer
In a time of huge personal and global suffering, walking and taking photos has been a practice which has saved me again and again. I use my camera phone because having it handy is a way that I can stay attentive to beauty, light, form, line and shadow all the time. Simple tools remind us that we are the ones who generate the creativity. My work is an invitation to us all to stay open to the magic which is all around us, in our homes and streets.
These temporary works will be in place from March – May, 2022
Locations: Princes Highway, Albion Park (across from #295), Lake Entrance Rd (Wattle Rd intersection), 128 Shellharbour Rd & 40 Lake Entrance Rd
Date: 2022
Art on Electrical Boxes by Richard Campbell
Richard Campbell, artist and Director of Gumaraa Aboriginal Experience, created nine paintings on electrical boxes that run throughout George Street, Warilla.
The artworks depict stories that have been passed down from generation to generation. Richard ‘paints from the heart’ and has been doing so for the past 30 years.
Date: November 2021
Art in Unexpected Places by Hannah Jensen
My artworks illustrate my connection to country, drawing inspiration from the land on which I was raised. I use significant symbols, colours and shapes to represent my perception of Country within the local context of Dharawal Country.
My work depicts significant meeting places and local native flora that make up the local landscape on which I live.
Locations
- Prince Highway, Albion Park (across from #295)
- Lake Entrance Road (Wattle Road intersection)
- 128 Shellharbour Road
- 40 Lake Entrance Road
Date: These artworks will be in place from December 2021 - February 2022.
Mural by Claire Foxton
The artwork is a celebration of local marine life in colours that would pop against the ocean and blue sky. Species featured include Mado fish, Green Turtle, Easter Blue Devil fish, Weedy dragon, Humpback Whale and the Short-beaked Common Dolphin.
Location: Beverley Whitfield Toddler Pool, Shellharbour Village
Date: June 2021
Amenities screening by Carla Gottens
Best in Show is exactly that, showcasing various exhibit entries that stand for competition in the Albion Park Showgrounds Annual Show. From Poultry to Dahlias, Best in Show celebrates the community involvement and pride in their region and in their achievements. The artwork draws on traditional wreath designs used for border decoration in printed manuscripts and around the edges of architectural features. The country show is an age old tradition the world over and its charm has seen it transform over the years to incorporate modern achievements while still celebrating skills and knowledge from the past.
Location: Albion Park Showground
Date: April 2021
Amenities screening by Yu Fang Chi
The artwork portrays a connection of local history. Chi’s design for this screening focused on the relationship between people and the contextual background.
Through reference images of events in the showground, the series panel design is a collage of figures, animals, and movements, which echo on the historical events and memories.
Location: Albion Park Showground
Date: April 2021
Amenities screening by Claire Foxton 
The privacy screening has been designed to create natural light for an open, inviting & secure space. It features a farm-themed design to reflect the park's history of when the land was owned & farmed by Dick McDonald.
Location: McDonald Park, Albion Park Rail
Date: 2020
Amenities Screening by Filip Bartkowiak
Bartkowiak’s design makes reference to the Illawarra Flame Tree (Brachychiton acerifolius), and explores the physical details and features of this plant. The design itself is a contemporary graphic of simplified line-work which utilizes patterns, forms and shapes found within the details of the tree. The installation of the panel evocatively showcases a beautiful interplay with natural light.
Location: Top Park, Shell Cove
Date: 2020
Who's got the Chippies? By David Boyle
Who’s Got the Chippies? is a three-piece sculptural installation by Victorian artist David Doyle, a regular exhibitor at the Sculptures at Killalea exhibition. The fun artwork consists of six simplified seagull forms, arranged in a grouping which is typical of the birds. The artwork installed in the courtyard area, encourages interaction and prompts a joyful response from library visitors.
Location: Warilla Library 
Date: 2020
Dragonettes by Vera Moller
Dragonettes were designed to mark Shell Cove as a site of human habitation on the immediate vicinity of an outstanding aquatic environment. Shellharbour’s Bushranger’s Bay Aquatic Reserve at Bass Point is one of the best diving and snorkelling sites in NSW. Dragonettes are sculptural forms arranged into various formations. The decorative surface patterns are loosely based on spot patterns found on the Weedy Seadragon.
Location: Waterfront, Shell Cove
Fluidity by Orlando Norrish
The sculpture is an abstract piece that spans 15 metres in length and is comprised of steel sheets that have been
folded into geometric shapes.
It resembles a school of fish that sweeps across the roof of the building and transforms into a flock of birds as it lifts up towards the sky.
The piece is a celebration of diversity, movement, and change both within the natural world and in modern society.
Location: The Imaginarium, Shellharbour Village
Date: 2019
Marine Plates
This collection of vibrant and colourful ceramic plates was part of an engagement activity to involve young artists from local primary schools in the activation of newly built Warilla Library. The budding artists, aged 4-12 years of age, painted artworks on plates in response to a marine theme. The schools involved were Lake South Primary School and Warilla North Primary School.
Location: Warilla Library, Woolworths Ave, Warilla
Date: 2019
Last updated : Wed 7 May 2025