Who We Are

Who We Are

The current seven women artists of Creativity Cluster create artworks in many different mediums. We established the group in January 2019, and are committed to engaging with local communities by offering exhibitions, workshops and artist talks.

To each her own medium

Each of us maintains our individual arts practice in our favourite medium. These range from painting with water colour, acrylics, oils and alcohol ink, to working in digital photography, oil and cold wax, mixed media, mosaic, polymer clay, ceramics, textiles and found object assemblage.

Our group chooses a different theme for each exhibition. We particularly enjoy seeing the diversity of approaches to the theme that each of our mediums offers.

International links

Most of us maintain international links in our fields. We come from a range of countries – Scotland, New Zealand, the United States, Germany, England and Australia. We have lived and worked in even more countries. These include Italy, Ireland, Vietnam, Thailand, India, Canada, Mexico, Spain and Laos.

Local community focus

Working together through Creativity Cluster enables us to share our passion for the visual arts with local communities in and around Melbourne. We each offer classes and workshops in our chosen mediums.

In addition, we give educational talks, demonstrations and tours for the public, as well as professional workshops for artists. For more information, see our contact page.

Meet the artists

Click on the name of each current Creativity Cluster artist for more information about their background and arts practice, photographs of their works, additional online access points and CVs.

Nancy D Lane (NancyDee Sculptures) is a found object assemblage sculptor. She creates brooches, wall sculptures and 3-dimensional works from trash she finds on streets and beaches. She is committed to sustainability in her arts practice.

Mardie Whitla creates her art from clay. Her unique ceramics are often inspired by her Australian and international travels. They include both decorative and functional hand-built works. Her personal education in creative ceramics continues.

Pat Duncan is a visual artist based in Williamstown. She chooses various subjects from her travels and observations, which keeps her art practice relevant. Painting is a journey of exploration in capturing the beauty, colour and intensity she sees in her subjects.

Deidre Ogilvie is an oil painter who also works in watercolour, mixed media and alcohol ink. Painting has become a passion, enabling her to express herself in colour. She is inspired by her photographs, taken on her travels.

Luna Cameron-Parrish (Amethyst Moon) is a mixed media sculptor and mosaic artist. Her work incorporates found objects and bespoke polymer clay pieces amongst more traditional mosaic materials. She gains inspiration from her very active imagination.

Lindsay Hussey is a textile artist using fabric and stitch to make complex, layered work. Vibrant colour is a key feature of her practice.

Penny Sharples is an abstract impressionist artist. Her practice reflects her personal experience exploring diverse lands, cultures and myths. She works in oil and cold wax, multimedia and acrylic, revealing her response to how the myths live in our lives today.

Former Creativity Cluster artists

Julia Zoellner was one of the founding members of the group. A German artist who is now based in Switzerland, she lived in Melbourne for a year. This was part of a personal and creative journey to reshape the way she lives as a creative soul. She continues to develop her artistic portfolio as a painter, illustrator, muralist, product designer and teacher.

Marina Chamberlain is a painter, but has also worked as a mixed media and analogue collage artist. She creates imaginative artworks through an intuitive process. Using contrasting shapes and colours, she creates multi-layered and sometimes playful compositions.

Carolyn Morwood has always loved the look of a photo, from the moody evocative images on film to today’s manipulated, digital imagery. Increasingly she has used Lightroom or Photoshop to manipulate the captured image. She has exhibited at galleries in Altona and Williamstown, and won awards at district art shows.

Present and past Creativity Cluster artists, front row from left: Luna Cameron-Parrish, Pat Duncan, Carolyn Morwood, Deidre Ogilvie; back row from left: Lindsay Hussey, Penny Sharples, Marina Chamberlain, Nancy Lane, Mardie Whitla
Bumping into the Treasure, Not Trash exhibition in Colac. From left: Ryan Mischkulnig, owner of FOUND:ling Reusery, Mardie Whitla, Pat Duncan, Nancy Lane and Deidre Ogilvie.
Participants admire the colourful artworks they created in the alcohol ink workshop run by Deidre Ogilvie (second from right)
What a hat – or rather a lampshade! Mardie Whitla (right) talks with Renew Geelong staff about her inspiration for the lamps she creates
Pat Duncan (right) discusses her works with a visitor to the Creativity Cluster exhibition at Renew Geelong
Penny Sharples describes her oil and cold wax techniques for visitors at Renew Geelong
Luna Cameron-Parrish giving an artist talk about her mosaics practice
The foundation group of Creativity Cluster artists in 2019, seated from left: Deidre Ogilvie, Nancy D Lane; standing from left: Mardie Whitla, Marina Chamberlain, Lindsay Hussey, Pat Duncan, Penny Sharples, Julia Zoellner, Luna Cameron-Parrish