Next door to the Brunswick Town Hall building, this medium-sized art gallery showcases established…read moreand emerging artists with new exhibitions each month. I'm fond of the Counihan Gallery for giving me my first opportunity to see a Ron Mueck larger-than-life sculpture in all its looks-so-real-it-is-spooky glory. That's right - even before the NGV brought a whole gang of Mueck's eerily human sculptures to the masses, the Counihan brought it to Brunswick. The standard of the other works in the same exhibition was evidence of a talented and professional curator with his or her finger on the contemporary art pulse. Lucky are we in Brunswick to have such a high calibre of art dropped in our laps like this. I'm looking forward to their annual Womens Salon exhibition showcasing the creations of women artists, designers and craftworkers from the Moreland area, which opens on 17th November.

A public art gallery, Counihan Gallery is focussed on exhibiting and promoting contemporary…read moreAustralian artists whose work is centred on the discussion or promotion of "innovation and diversity in the visual arts". There's always a mix of established and emerging artists showcased, and there's a few call outs for exhibit proposals from local and interstate artists each year. Like everything else focussed on contemporary art, the art showcased varies considerably in theme, style, form, subject etc. and will inevitably attract a different audience from exhibit to exhibit. The space is designed to maximise flexibility and accommodate a wide range of installations, and cam be quite transformed from one exhibit to the next. Like most public galleries, it's free to view, so it's a good way for the financially challenged art lover to get his or her fix. Some of the art can be quite political, so it'll also appeal to people who like their art challenging or high minded and intellectual.

C and I went to see the Australian Tapestry Workshop. C. is more interested in textile arts than I…read moream but I still enjoyed my visit. There is a small entrance fee to see the workshop but it is well worth it. An observation deck allows visitors to watch the tapestries being made on the four large looms on the main floor. When C and I visited they were working on John Young's "The Navigator" (2.3 x3.02m.) for the National Library of Australia. The weavers work in teams across large tapestries. Watching the one of the weavers mixing strands from half a dozen colors to create exactly the right blend of color. The observation deck also allows the visitor to observe the yarn dyed in the small color laboratory safely from behind glass. The workshop produces a 366 standard color range of wools for sale at their shop and also dye their own wool specifically for certain projects. The Australian Tapestry Workshop was formerly the Victorian Tapestry Workshop. It is still located in the same 19th century building in South Melbourne that once held a knitting mill. The large work floor has become the tapestry workshop. Lace ironwork pillars support a saw tooth roof over the main floor. There is also a shop selling tapestry wool and two gallery spaces exhibiting work for sale. Over the 30 years of its operation, the Victorian Tapestry Workshop has made most of the large tapestries that currently hang in Australian public buildings.

Although I last visited the actual Workshop a couple of years ago, I frequenty order their yarn…read moreonline. Their customer service is excellent, and their in-house dyed yarn is beautiful quality (which is why it isn't cheap!). Formerly mail-order only, you can now buy their yarns via their online shop ... not as personal, but much more convenient ;) I use them for my cross stitch kits, as well as woven tapestry. They are currently transitioning from Corriedale wool to a higher-twist Merino - good to know if (like me) you purchase wool for particular projects.

I had heard about ArtVo - it being a 3D Immersive Art Galley - for a couple of years, and wanted to…read morego, but wasn't sure of it's name & location @ first. Location is a little tricky to get to if you're not sure where you are going. Heads-Up though ..... there is Off-Street Parking in a Multi-Story Garage. (The price being reasonable!) At the start of 2022, I took my 10 nieces and nephews to ArtVo - aged 7 to 24 - as their 2019 Christmas present. (I bought my nieces & nephews their tickets pre-covid and was able to roll them over and use them after covid rather than lose out and have to purchase the tickets again - normally you need to use the tickets within a time period of purchase.) ArtVo is awesome for a range of ages from children to adults! (My partner and I plan to go back again by ourselves!) If you've been to ArtVo once, you can return over and over again bc they change the Art pieces continually! I would recommend you purchase Family or Group Tickets if possible to bring the cost down - although as it is, I think you get value for money for the cost of the tickets! Once inside you aren't on a timeframe and rushed through! The staff @ ArtVo are awesome! They continually walk through the Gallery offering to take photos for you so that everyone could be in the photo. I totally recommend going to ArtVo in Docklands Melbourne!

3D art museums have been popular all over the world and I realized I had not been to one yet. We…read morehad two days to kill in Melbourne and figured I should check this one. The place was pretty much empty, which is good for photo ops. You need 3 people to get the most fun out of these arts but two is doable too. You can ask the staffs to take photos too. They were some cool ones but I had enough half way thru. It can kill about an hour of your day. Honestly the price is bit too much in my opinion.

I brought my comic book loving friend to Silver K Gallery in Armadale recently and we were there…read morefor at least an hour. No, the shop is not that big but it has an amazing collection of animation art and Rock and Roll photography. Comic book fans will love the limited edition hand painted classics inclusing Batman, Catwoman, the Joker, Spiderman and the Super friends. They also carry a good range of very rare pieces on canvas and paper. Rock and Roll fans will also love the photographic images taken by Dezo Hoffman who was hired by The Beatles to be their first professional photographer when they first made their mark in music history. There are over 50 different images including shots of their first ever recording session at Abbey Road, The Cavern, and The Sgt Pepper album release. Catch the boys as you relive music history at Silver K Gallery.

The Star Wars exhibition at the Silver K Gallery was a little under whelming. From the write ups…read moreyou'd think it would take you an hour or do to see everything - justifying an admittance charge. There are three main areas, two downstairs and one upstairs. No photography is allowed. The staff are friendly and the building has character. The pieces are impressive, but not worth the cover charge. Perhaps one charge per gathering would be more justifiable, instead of an individual charge. The only saving grace is you can go back multiple times - if you keep your gallery guide. However I don't know why you'd venture back a second time. I wouldn't suggest you make a special trip like we did, but if you're in the area maybe consider it. Enjoy.

A caveat, I had a solo show here in 2007, and pop in on occasion when I'm close. Contemporary art…read moreis what this place does and does it well. As an artist's run initiative the work is always fresh and intriguing. The space consists of two white cubes, and one large one and small and a large exterior billboard. The smaller one space often has projections and the larger space, larger more traditional work. Exhibitions run for about 4 weeks so there's always something new to see. Close to the city, this is to my knowledge one of the few artist run spaces in the Western Suburbs. Gallery hours, Wed - Sat, 11am - 5pm

Beautiful little gallery featuring local, national and international art…read more Quite quirky. Even has a hair salon. Go figure! Staff are lovely and so, so helpful. Make sure you include Strand Gallery Portarlington on your itinerary. Just around the corner from the main street and a short walk from the ferry.

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.

Town Hall Gallery in the Hawthorn Town Hall precinct is a modern, exciting art gallery with a great…read moreprogramme of exhibitions of emerging and established artists. While there have a coffee or lunch at the Second Empire cafe and check out the gift shop full of enticing textile, ceramic ,jewellery and other products.