Have you been searching for the place to find the "Heaps Good" t-shirts? Search no more, this is it! An amazing range of really beautiful original artwork is housed here ready for you to buy up big! Gloriously witty, downright sexy and incredibly well done from simple little cards through to rather complicated objects; dinner plates, cups, ear rings, prints, nick knack's... it is all here and the best thing about it all, this is South Australian through and through.
It's not that they don't like artworks from any of the other states, it's just that there are some people who want to do the 'buy local' thing when it comes to spending their money, and they want to support local artists, and believe me South Australia has lots of them. There are so many artists creating so much work here that you will find quite a few stores and galleries that only have South Australian work in them; this is certainly one of them.
I wouldn't say there was a particular style in this part of the country, but I would say the standard is very high, and the prices are pretty reasonable. It's not so cheap you imagine the artist has no self worth, but nor is it priced out of every-ones range.
The women looking after the counter tell me that the hottest seller is the original t-shirt with "Heaps Good" written over a map of South Australia, and it's popular because it reflects the sort of vernacular used here - South Australians don't really speak all that well, but maybe I'll get run out of town if I say that (!) so perhaps I should settle for saying "Heaps Good" is a way we express ourselves with a little touch of wry humour?
Urban Cow do have a website and it is worth checking out. I'm informed that you can rest assured the artists do get the best part of what you pay for their work, and no, it's not all prints and paintings; like I said, there are plenty of things including sculptures, textiles, ceramics, glassware and odd, silly things to delight anyone who likes a nice bit of art. They say "Every picture is worth a thousand words," so I went mad taking quite a few pictures, if you check them out you will come up with the thousands of words that my pictures will inspire in you rather than me attempt to describe everything I saw (and loved).
The friendly staff will gladly let you browse without charging you an entry fee, even though the shop feels as much like a gallery as it does a unique gift shop. Enjoy browsing and good luck deciding what to buy. From what I hear, the "Heaps Good" t-shirts are the strongest item, but you be the judge. read more