Collingwood Gallery is great art space in the centre of the large Collingwood art scene…read more The rental space is over 120 square meteres and has been host to some amazing art exhibitions. My friends and I were lucky enough to attend 'HELM2', and Portrait exhibition from Benjamin F Guy. It was a real eye-opening exhibition, we loved the spacious area of the gallery and afterwards enjoyed a drink and meal in one of the many great pubs in the area.

I was walking along Smith St. and to a look inside Collingwood Gallery. I've seen some excellent…read moreexhibition here in the past and I've seen some truly awful exhibitions here. This time the art is all right, it is not amazing but it was worth a look. In another two weeks there will be a different exhibition from who ever rents the space. This is basically a kind of grungy empty shop space available for rent for short-term art exhibitions. There is a partition wall somewhat dividing the space and not much else to it. The gallery's opening hours depends on who is running the exhibition.

I went to Sutton Gallery to see the latest exhibition by Gordon Bennett, a contemporary Queensland…read moreartist with aboriginal ancestry. I always enjoy Bennett's painting style and the thoughts behind the paintings. Sutton Gallery represents Gordon Bennett and other established Australian artists. When I arrived at Sutton Gallery as one of Gordon Bennett's large canvases, "(Abstraction) indigene" 2011, sold for $38,500. There was a small group of people talking as the gallery assistant went and stuck a small red pin into the wall beside the painting to indicate the sale. Sutton Gallery sell art to major art galleries and other public collections; I've seen a Gordon Bennett painting that I first saw exhibited at Sutton later in the Bendigo Art Galleries permanent collection. Although the address for the gallery is Brunswick Street, Fitzroy the entrance to the gallery is on the side in Greeves St. The building looks like it has been converted from an old garage or maybe a stable; there are these large doors on the side. Inside the large white walled space is divided into two gallery spaces. There is another space behind some open half doors with the gallery office. Sutton Gallery has a different exhibition every month.

New kid on the block won me over in no time at all. I've spent endless hours here drinking teas and…read moreperfectly made coffees; chowing down on the mad delicious Shanghai balls; and working away in peace on my laptop amongst the abundance of greenery. Okay okay, I use noise cancelling headphones for the peace part, but honestly this place is spacious and not as hustle bustle as lots of cafes in the area. I actually get work done here! You won't find a friendlier place to welcome you in for a feed, work session, or catch up. It's my new go to place when I'm in town.

Motto: "Something More is a place that motivates, inspires and educates. Cafe by day, events by…read morenight." It is "a place for the people, the creatives, those who want a little more. A place to unload or reload, crystalize or create, bending the borders by day and by night." A cute and fun little place that acts as a cafe, art gallery and event space. Good place to grab a cup of coffee + breakfast, catch up with your friends and just chill out with your friends!

Walking along Gertrude St. in Fitzroy there are so many art galleries to see and most have the same…read morewhite walled format. Although Dianne Tanzer Gallery is a serious commercial gallery it does look a bit different to many of the other galleries. Dianne Tanzer is not another white cube of a gallery; there is a dinning table and coffee making area in its large front window, with a painting hanging behind it. I thought that galleries were creative places so it is good to see some variety. There is the sign "Dianne Tanzer Gallery + Projects" at the door; lots of galleries are adding "project spaces". I'm not sure what space it refers to at Dianne Tanzer Gallery, there are are a couple of exhibitions at the gallery. Inside the gallery I take a look at the exhibitions. Dianne Tanzer Gallery represents some notable Australian artists including Reko Rennie, Juan Ford and Vincent Fantauzzo. The exhibitions are generally of the highest quality and the current exhibition of new paintings by Magda Cebokli is no exception. Off the main gallery there is also a video pod for the increasing amount of video art shown at the gallery. I'm glad that I stopped to have a look.

Galerie Montmartre sounds like it should be an art gallery... and I guess it technically is, but…read moreit's probably not what you're thinking. The Galerie is the place you go when you want something for your walls with history. Home to literally thousands of vintage posters spanning more than a century in advertising and product information, here you can find artworks with a difference. No matter your taste, there's a poster to suit. Art deco? Check. Luxury fashion? You bet. 1930s alcohol? Indeedy. With such an enormous range you can find a poster for almost any budget, too... although if you have the cash, you can spend thousands. Most posters come with a certificate of authenticity and independent valuation so you know you're getting the real deal. My advice? Go with some time to spare and make sure you check out their version of a bargain bin.

On Wednesday evening I went to the opening at Seventh Gallery's latest exhibition by a group of…read morefive Melbourne artists. The small gallery was packed with people talking, drinking, spilling out into the street and occasionally looking at the installation, paintings and video. The video projections on the window of the gallery, the night screen, are on most nights. "When are the performance elements going to start?" This is seriously cool art and a lot of fun. It is called Seventh Gallery because at the time that it was established it was the 7th gallery on Gertrude St. It is an artist-run space, not for profit exhibition space. And it often has the best exhibitions that I see when I look at the Gertrude St. galleries. The committee of artists who run the gallery make some excellent choices about interesting contemporary art to exhibit every three weeks. There are two exhibition spaces in this small artist run gallery. There is the larger converted shop space with the front window and a smaller windowless exhibition space in the backroom, what must have once been the shop's storeroom. In this exhibition the same group was exhibiting in both spaces.

An artist run space is not the most everyday appearance, but they do happen often enough in…read moreMelbourne that you have start being quite out going with your social self to see them all. Seventh Gallery moves into video projection town, I believe largely due to the size of the space. Two and a half spaces (to rooms and a between) can often be found filled with light or in fact absent of it all together. Openings will occur every three weeks, with several return customers popping up as though locals, and the committee responsible for setting up and packing up but their hearts into it. The pieces themselves can be a little hit and miss at times, but it's well worth stopping in and checking it out, if only to move on quickly to the shopping opportunities around or the drinking establishments close by.

Compound Interest is one of the reasons why the inner north east is so amazing. Away from the…read morehustle of Smith Street and its bargain shops, is a wonderful brick building, home to a variety of different artists and their creations. Compound Interest is not only a gallery, it's a fashion shop, motorbike workshop and an insight into the wonderful mind of the artists that call Compound Interest home. The exhibitions tend to change every 4-6 weeks, so make sure you pop down frequently to enjoy the next amazing artist they are featuring.

I climb the stairs between two Turkish take-aways and upstairs. On the first floor, Tessa Yee was…read moreworking on the computer preparing for the opening of Brunswick Street Gallery's photography prize exhibition. I know Tessa well from the time that we had worked together on the Melbourne Stencil Festival. Milly, the gallery cat was hanging around and happy for me to pet her. She followed me around the gallery wondering why humans suddenly stop and stare at the walls. Sometimes I wonder the same thing about cats. The current photography exhibition had filled both floors of the gallery. The funds a lot of their exhibitions by organizing these group shows with prizes. The exhibiting artists are a mix of amateurs, semi-professionals and professionals. Brunswick Street Gallery has eight separate rooms that, on this occasion, were all full of entries to their photography prize, at other times there will be up to eight separate exhibitions. One of the rooms has black walls now, makes a change from the standard white gallery walls and the photographs look great against the black. The gallery has a bar that sells beer, wine and champagne at exhibition openings.

A quaint little shop with a broad take on its theme, Alice & Co is a self-proclaimed "purveyor of…read morelanguage and other wonders". Locally themed and published books, prints of classical illustrations, postcards, notebooks and other literary themed art are all displayed on dark wood tables and bookshelves. There's a whole shelf of different Alice in Wonderland illustrations on postcards in pigeon holes for $2.50 each, but not everything in the shop is directly associated with Lewis Carrol novel. Small prints of fairy tale stills and tarot deck illustrations go for between $15 and $30 each, it's a good place to stock up on things for your walls that aren't just band posters stripped from poles around Melbourne. Alice & Co also plays host to exhibits from illustrators, readings and book launches, as well as classes in humanities and languages. It's also been known to host puppet theatre. The proprietor is friendly and obliging, and lovers of literature will enjoy the general feel of the place.

As i have said before, i enjoy a colourful window display. Alice & Co is an Art space that focuses…read moreon language arts, book arts. illustration and is the street front for Littlefox Press. The window display right now is quite epic. There's variety of art all themed from Alice in Wonderland (I guess they wanted the window art to match the name of the gallery). The last time i managed to swing past Alice & Co was when they had an exhibition from a much admired photographer Ari Fainchtein. The small space is quaint and cosy but after a while in Alice & Co, it was time to move on, a coffee just around the corner finished off the visual feast. Alice & Co host a range of Book Launches / Openings, Exhibitions and even runs some classes for languages and social sciences.

This is more than a nursery, it is a peaceful place to meditate and admire nature. I have often…read morepopped my head in here when I want a quiet moment to myself - what is it about greenery that makes us so calm? My house is a borderline rainforest as a result of this feeling. I have numerous plants scattered around the house - even one in my shower! And the vast majority of these have come from The Artists Garden. They have a wide range of indoor and outdoor plants, pots, soil and all sorts of other knick-knacks that you might need. The thing that impresses me most about The Artists Garden is the impressive knowledge the staff have of each and every plant in their space. Whether it's a little cactus or a giant fiddle leaf fig, they'll show you how to care for it. Yes, it is a bit more expensive than your average nursery, but these plants are practically designer - they are the cream of the crop when it comes to greenery. The Artists Garden great place to buy a gift for someone - everybody loves a plant, right?!

This is such a great little getaway from the hustle and bustle of Brunswick Street…read more I visited Artists Garden when my little courtyard in my Carlton residence needed some love. I weeded it and put down some mulch and looked far and wide for a garden nursery and my closest local one was here, Artists Garden. The shop consist of all the needs to get some great items either plant based or decorative into your backyard. The items found there are mainly from local designers so you know your buying something that is one-of-a-kind. The staff are pleasant and happy to chat with you about what you would like to do with your graden. Theres the beautiful two story victorian shop as well as a small garden patch to the left that you can enter and explore. Coming here is a highlight for me, it's so peaceful and serene.