Community key to success for South Australian artists

In the heart of Adelaide’s vibrant south-east corner, The Mill stands as a creative powerhouse — a dynamic hub where local artists craft stories, objects and experiences that reflect the soul of South Australia. Established in 2013, makers housed within The Mill create not mass-produced goods but things of meaning, belonging and beauty.

Like all South Australian businesses, local support is the cornerstone to success for these artists. For residents at The Mill, this support has a profound impact beyond retail shelves — in the studios, workshops and creative corners where dedication to craft is changing lives and communities.

For emerging artist Eleanor Green, who specialises in made-to-order watercolour animal portraits, The Mill provides a space for community and inspiration. “The community at The Mill has been fantastic,” she said. “The collaboration I’ve found with other artists is priceless — The Mill is filled with creative, inspiring people.”

Adelaide-born Eleanor grew up with a passion for animals and art. “I’ve always loved animals and was drawing them constantly from as soon as I could hold a pencil,” she said. “At school I studied art and design, and began using watercolours for my pieces more and more.

“After graduating, friends and family would ask me to paint their pets, and eventually through word of mouth I was able to build a business specialising in animal portraits.”

Eleanor crafts her pieces by blending a traditional style with brightly-coloured, modern elements. “I love details and really enjoy bringing to life the unique essence of whatever it is I’m painting,” she said.

Like most artists, Eleanor invests a considerable amount of time in creating her works of art. “One portrait will take between five and 15 hours of painting over several weeks,” she says. “That’s why local backing is vital – the support from the Adelaide community is the catalyst that allowed me to grow my business and do what I love.”

A firm believer in reciprocity, Eleanor places a strong focus on sourcing materials from local suppliers, another important part of the South Australian artistic community. “Being an artist in South Australia means you’re automatically part of quite a tight-knit, diverse community,” she said. “Meeting other artists, whether through The Mill, exhibitions or workshops, is one of the things that inspires me most to continue creating and pushing the limits of what I do.”

Screen printer Robert Viner-Jones – who goes by the business alias of Bob Window – returned to his home town three years ago after spending time on the eastern seaboard and now works from his studio at The Mill.

“I used to be in a studio in Sydney where there were only eight artists,” he said. “There were great artists but it was such a small complex compared to The Mill. This is next level but it’s much more than that. I’ve never been busier. It’s pretty amazing.”

Robert, who trained and worked as a clothing designer in his early career, left Adelaide to pursue all things fashion in his youth. He undertook four years of fashion studies followed by 25 years as a fashion designer. A side distraction of three years at The National Art School in Darlinghurst learning textile design and printing left him with a hunger to combine beautiful hand-printed fabrics with a mid-century aesthetic. Transitioning his career to screen printing, Bob Window was born.

“I believe colour and whimsy should be a part of everyone’s life,” he said. “I have an obsession with loud, strong geometrics. I think I’m just about the only person who does it.”

Robert believes in the purity of individual design and hand-printed, hand-made treasures. His art involves designing bold patterns to create unique lampshades, cushions and other accessories. Each piece is handmade by Robert and stitched in Adelaide, ensuring every item is subtly unique.

His presence at The Mill has helped generate sales but it’s the support of the Adelaide art-loving community as a whole that is also driving business. “I have a studio at the front of The Mill so people can see my product as they walk by which helps enormously,” he said. “But there’s a lot of word of mouth.

“I don’t get flooded with emails every day, but a lot of the emails I receive start with, ‘I was talking to or somebody told me I should speak to you’. It’s people who collect mid-century art or live in a mid-century house and are looking for something that’s unique and that can be custom made by an artist.

“I’m blessed in that I get to do something I absolutely enjoy in an environment like The Mill – it’s such a privilege to be a part of. There’s nothing like it and I know Adelaide loves it too.”

“The Mill is a multi-arts centre where we support artists and creatives from all disciplines, including visual artists, craftspeople, multimedia artists, independent performing artists and creative filmmakers,” CEO and artistic director Katrina Lazaroff said. “We have just expanded to 70 artist studios, so we’re the largest studio precinct in South Australia supported by a professional team and artistic program.

“We provide programs that help artists launch or start to develop new work, which we present in our full-scale professional galleries or performing arts space. The idea is to give artists a platform not only to develop new work but also profile them to South Australia and beyond.

“The Mill offers a place to belong where artists feel they’re not on their own. If they have a great year, we can help them step up further and build the networks; and, if they’re having a not-so-great year, we’re also there to support them and give them encouragement, services and professional development to help them get to the next stage.”

Find out more information about The Mill here.