I headed to Jan Murphy Gallery for a "drinks with the artist" evening on a Thursday night. The…read moregallery is open late on a Thursday and if they've got a new exhibition in, they sometimes host an evening similar to this. People are invited to come to the gallery between 5pm and 7pm and to enjoy the works over a drink and to have a chat to the artist. The laid back event was extremely accessible. I walked in and was greeted by a friendly staff member and the smiling faces of around 15 people. I was offered a drink (which I of course accepted) and walked around, taking in the wonderful artwork that surrounded me. The artwork was beautiful. The oil paintings were a mix of still life and landscapes and were exhibited with a great amount of skill. I chatted to the artist, the gallery manager and a couple of other people for the 45 minutes I was there. Having the chance to talk to the painter about his works gave the pieces much more dimension and I was impressed with his process. As I walked around, I brainstormed event ideas, as I know it can be used for private hire if the concept it right. The gallery itself is a beautiful space. It's small, but it's white walls and high ceilings gave me a feeling of being close to the art, something that is often lost in larger galleries.

It's not easy being an art gallery in Brisbane. We unfortunately don't seem to buy enough art…read morewhich is a real shame as there are some amazing local artists here. What that translates to is a fairly transient gallery scene. It takes a real gem to survive for any substantial amount of time - and one of those gems is Jan Murphy. Her gallery has been in it's Brunswick St location since the early / mid 90's and it has survived due to its clever exhibition mix of cutting edge, cool and classic. No matter what's on show there's always something beautiful, something kooky and something thought provoking - so essentially something for everyone.

As an ardent lover of Independent retailers and galleries,…read moreplaces like Neo Gallery never cease to inspire. Established in the early 2000's, I've walked past this gallery/ exhibition space in the valley on many occasions and always try and get a good peep in when I have the time. With exhibitions changing monthly, patrons are spoiled for choice with the plethora of modern australian and indigenous art on hand. Open for a limited amount of time during the week it may be hard to to get the timing right to visit, but if you have an afternoon free I highly recommend sussing this place out.

I never realised Philip Bacon Galleries is one of the posh commercial galleries in Brisbane. I use…read moreto just wander through in my naive, student days because it was a modern air-conditioned building, it had gorgeous art work and the staff liked to talk about their collection a lot in clipped voices with lots of hand gestures. It was just as well I was so naive otherwise I would have been intimidated and then I would never have seen the paintings of Margaret Olley, Garry Shead and Arthur Boyd (Oh what would I give to own a Garry Shead painting!) If you're an art lover too, then this gallery is definitely worth checking out. Don't worry if you can't afford to buy anything. I've always visited commercial galleries as I would public galleries even though I have no intention of buying, but simply because art exists to be admired.

From the owner: Exhibiting many of the country's most celebrated established and contemporary artists.read more

I don't get to Edwina's gallery often enough. Often I have to live vicariously through her…read moremail-outs of current exhibitions, but when I do visit I am always impressed by the quality of the works, Edwina's eye for talented artists who are both inspiring and collectible, and the charm of the gallery. I'm always warmly welcomed by Edwina and that keeps me coming back. I would love to fill my place with works purchased from Edwina Corlette Gallery!

Brunswick Street is a fantastic place to take yourself on an art date to if you want to see…read moresomething more than what GOMA and the Queensland Art Gallery have to offer. I always like to end on a good note, and so I walk from the Valley, down into New Farm so that Edwina Corlette Gallery will be the last that I visit. I can't remember a time when I haven't been impressed by the art exhibited in this gallery. The works on the wall never fail to have an effect on me. Most of the time, I leave with soaring feelings of awe. It seems to me that Edwina Corlette chooses to exhibit artists that are technically impressive. This isn't to downplay other elements at work in some of the art exhibited there, but it is to say that all of the artists I've seen exhibited within Corlette's walls are masters at the physical act of creating art, whatever their medium may be. There appears to be a certain celebration of fine craftsmanship in exhibitions here. Edwina Corlette Gallery exhibits a wide range of varied artists, all of them impressive and unique. The exhibitions are always curated beautifully, one part of an exhibition leading into the next as you enter the next room. Do something nice for yourself one day and take a walk down Brunswick Street and make sure you stop off here. You'll leave and look at the world in a slightly different way.

One of many art galleries located in Fortitude Valley, Artisan is always one of the most…read moreinteresting. Made up of a couple of small exhibition spaces (Gallery Artisan and Crucible) and a boutique shop, there's something for everyone. A couple of my favourite recent exhibitions have been photographs from music photographer Tony Mott and a series of ceramic sculptures by Chinese artist Dai Li. Exhibitions are generally on display for one to two months. The shop contains lots of beautiful clothes, jewellery, collectables, and pieces of furniture, and I enjoy a regular browse.

artisan is a gallery space for everyone. I say that because where some galleries leave you feeling…read morelike you shouldn't dare walk in unless you're prepared to fess up to owning a Black AMEX, artisan is a gallery that, much like its Fortitude Valley location, offers up an eclectic mix of locally produced goods in its gift store and via it's exhibition program and welcomes all with open arms. I'm confident you'll never walk in feeling like you need membership to an exclusive club to enter. Most recently I visited the space for their Marketplace exhibition which showcased a range of local artisan producers from bakers, chocolate makers, miso, rooftop beehives and handmade wall planters. The concept was to show the connection we must have to where our food comes from and like many of this galleries exhibits, it actively encouraged visitors to interact with the exhibit. You were encouraged to taste the products from the makers, purchase and ask questions of them. But if a solo walk through an art gallery is not your style, there's also a well curated gift store at the front that stocks local producers works. Pro Tip: Always make a point to check out their window displays. Especially the one facing Ivory Street. There's always a new up & coming designer front and centre, like the current, Nooko & Co pieces. It'll make you reconsider an entire month's budget!

This little gallery is a real gem in New Farm, hard to spot…read morebut it is worth a definite visit. Suzanne O'Connell gallery deals with gorgeous indigenous artworks. The boss lady (and namesake) Suzanne is a respected art consultant and dealer who sources art works from all around aboriginal communities in Australia. The space is small but intimate. The cool white walls compliment and showcase the diverse, rich and vibrant pieces beautifully. With most of the pieces up for grabs this place is worth a definite visit to fill that blank wall in your house or as a unique gift.

From the owner: Discover the diversity and richness of this unique art form that is Australian Indigenous Art.read more

Does anyone have $9000 they want to give me to purchase Laurie Nilsen's Blondie art piece? It's a…read moretwo metre high print of an imposing emu staring cockeyed at the audience that I found at the Fireworks Gallery. This impressive arts hub nestled in Doggett Street hosts a variety of contemporary exhibitions as well as having a large stockroom full of indigenous and Islander art for serious collectors. Their large open shed is the perfect space to house their collection of sculptures, weavings, prints and paintings. It was refreshing to see contemporary Indigenous artists such as Kudditji Kngwarreye working in an acrylic medium and presenting the landscape in a style different than the traditional dots and patterns associated with indigenous art. So before their next exhibition in February, I strongly recommend art students, collectors or anyone interested in a bit of culture, take a detour to Fireworks to check out their current exhibition.

It's not often you find an art gallery on nestled in between a gym and a warehouse on an industrial…read morestreet, but Fireworks Gallery is an exception. And an exceptional exception at that! The space itself is huge and perfect for the purposes of the gallery. It's a little messy but it's also used for art storage so that's understandable. However if they were to find an alternative for the storage and clean up the space a little bit it could easily double as a function centre with the rustic warehouse feel it has to it. I saw the Kudditji Kngwarrey exhibition on my recent visit and loved the play with combining typography and traditional indigenous landscapes and colours. The two largest pieces were particularly moving and definitely worth a look. If this is the calibre of the works that Fireworks Gallery exhibits then I will definitely keep tabs on what they're showing.

This masterfully renovated warehouse on Church Street in Fortitude Valley has a striking street…read morepresence with an epic red door that looks as if it should take you to Narnia, or somewhere else equally fantastical. If you are imaginative or creative enough this gallery and exhibition space can be whatever you want it to be. Having been to several very well executed exhibitions here since its establishment I can say that although I personally do not have the need to showcase any work If i ever did there would be nowhere else I would consider. With full kitchen facilities and catering options available and professional hosting, White Canvas is a wonderful space that can be utilised for anything from private functions, to fashion shows and of course art showings. Being so popular this space is almost constantly booked with fantastic displays of art as diverse as they come, so if you are interested in utilising this venue as your white canvas for whatever it is you may wish to showcase I suggest you organise it in advance. Otherwise I suggest you pop on in, like I have to admire the work of some of Australia's most up and coming artists.

I walked past this shop a couple of times before I realised it wasn't your generic printed canvas…read moreshop. On closer inspection of one of their paintings, I saw that it was clearly oil on canvas. These were original paintings going at ridiculously cheap prices. In my excitement, I went into the shop and spoke to the sales assistant who explained their simple but brilliant business model. Crazyfish has several studios of professional artists working out of Asia. The painting designs are pre-set. You simply look at their catalogue, pick which painting you want and a professional artist will get to work on your canvas. The pros of this system are: 1. You get the gorgeous textures of oil paints on canvas which can't be replicated with prints 2. This method supports a lot of struggling artists by utilising their craftsmanship, though not their design skills 3. By eliminating the importance of the artist's name, you put the focus back on the quality of the painting. Without a famous artist name attached, the painting becomes affordable This is not a system that works for art collectors. Although each painting is uniquely painted and will have some individual variation, the designs are replicated. I was pretty impressed with the range of paintings available. There are some tacky pieces like the Klimt variations but I assume you've got to appeal to the masses. CrazyFish also has a great catalogue system at the front of their shop. Miniatures of their paintings appear on individual business cards along with their prices and order no. It's a great way to drum up business. With a few of their abstracts and Impressionists business cards tucked safely into my purse, they won't be far from my mind when I need to add a splash of colour to my walls.