ARTmatters at Creative Gladstone Region Inc.

10/10/2026

07/10/2026

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🎨 FROM SCHOOL ASSIGNMENTS TO NATIONAL FAME: AUSTRALIAN TEENAGER, 17, WINS PORTRAIT ARTIST OF THE YEAR

SYDNEY — While most Year 12 students are busy preparing for exams and thinking about their futures, one extraordinary Australian teenager has already achieved something many professional artists dream of.

Jasmine “Jazz” Lancaster Merton, just 17 years old, has been crowned Australia’s 2026 Portrait Artist of the Year.

The North Sydney schoolgirl was the youngest competitor among 54 talented artists — and initially doubted she would make it far.

Instead, she stunned judges with her remarkable artistic skills.

Jazz first impressed with a colourful portrait of singer Casey Donovan, followed by a striking painting of music legend Marcia Hines.

Her final portrait of INXS star Kirk Pengilly secured the prestigious title.

The victory earned her a life-changing commission to paint beloved Australian entertainer Justine Clarke.

That portrait now hangs proudly in Canberra’s National Portrait Gallery, where visitors can admire her work until March 2027.

Remarkably, Jazz achieved all this while juggling school assignments, looming exams and the pressures of her final school year.

Her journey began with a lifelong love of drawing and encouragement from her mother.

In 2025, she had already won the Young Archie Award in her age category.

Now, with a national title behind her, Jazz hopes to pursue further artistic studies after completing school.

At just 17, she has shown that extraordinary talent does not have to wait for adulthood.

Congratulations, Jazz. Australia has every reason to celebrate your achievement! ❤️🇦🇺

05/10/2026

04/10/2026

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30/09/2026

Join us for this amazing community event. 🩷 🌿 FREE COMMUNITY EVENT – THIS SATURDAY! 🌿

Looking for something creative, relaxing and meaningful to do this weekend?

Join The Quiet Chapter & ARTmatters for Create, Connect, Restore: A Community Wellbeing Garden — a FREE morning designed to bring our community together through creativity, connection and wellbeing. 💛

🌸 Paint your own terracotta pot
🌱 Plant a flower or cutting to take home
🌳 Add your message of hope, kindness or connection to our Community Connection Tree
🎨 Enjoy creative wellbeing activities
📖 Children can create and reflect with their own journals and colouring activities

This is a space to slow down, create something meaningful and enjoy time together. Children are very welcome but must be supervised by an adult.

📅 Saturday 3 October 2026
⏰ 10:00 am – 12:00 pm
📍 ARTmatters, 3 Pitt Street, Gladstone Central
🎟️ FREE EVENT

Bookings are essential so we can make sure there are plenty of resources ready for everyone attending.

This event has been made possible with support from the Queensland Mental Health Week Community Events Grant.

Come along, get creative, connect with others and help us grow a little garden filled with kindness, hope and community. 🌿💛

We would love to see you there!

25/09/2026

We are excited to welcome and introduce Artist Aimee Denton to our gorgeous community workshops / art space .🎨

Ever wanted to learn how to create pet portraits? 🐾

I’m Aimee Denton and I love colour pencils, some may say a little too much! I am a professional pet portrait artist with 10+ years of experience and 600+ portraits completed, with artwork sent to the UK, USA and Canada!

In this workshop, we’ll cover pencils, paper then followed by a step-by-step walkthrough of creating a A5 portrait.

It’s perfect for beginners or anyone who has experience and is just wanting to build their coloured pencil skills! Materials will be provided for use on the day, only offering 4 spots and must be 18yrs and over.

(Some nibbles will also be provided)

📍 Artmatters
📅 24th of October
⏰ 10:30am - 12:30pm
Text me on 0460770616 to book or learn more! art space .