The Studio: raising thousands for local charities
Main photo: Cheque hand over from L to R: Matthew Young, Amy Young, Maddie Walsh (MD, OneEighty), Gemma Rasdall and Owen Crick.
Laing+Simmons Young Property recently handed over a cheque for $3,335 to youth mental health charity One Eighty in conjunction with local artists Gemma Rasdall and Owen Crick, whose water-themed exhibition was held recently at The Studio at Careel Bay Marina in Avalon.
Northern Beaches locals are responding with generosity to the not-for-profit community initiative with funds to date raised by The Studio for charities and community organisations including One Eighty, Dreams2Live4, Sea Shepherd Australia and Living Ocean.
The Studio is a community-focused hybrid creative space at Careel Bay Marina in Avalon, an initiative of local real estate business Laing+Simmons Young Property. Husband and wife team Matt and Amy Young are passionate about supporting local creatives and each month feature a new exhibition at The Studio in support of a local charity.
The next charity to benefit from the initiative is The Seabin Project with local watercolour artist Leah Ramage confirmed for exhibition during May.
With a focus on using watercolour on paper, Leah Ramage explores the use of negative space to highlight her subject, inviting the audience to admire its simple beauty. Her work is inspired by nature and the ocean, painting on trend subjects to style the home, while using art as an advocate to educate people on animal and environmental sustainability.
From the outset, she knew that “painting pretty pictures was never enough”, and her collections blend design with education to become less about consumerism and more about awareness.
“I hope that my artworks and the message behind them have the power to make people act,” Leah says.
It’s a mantra that fits neatly with the Laing+Simmons Young Property approach. Atypical for a real estate business, Laing+Simmons Young Property is an entirely paperless operation.
Amy Young of Laing+Simmons Young Property is excited to welcome Leah as the next artist on display at The Studio.
“Leah’s passion for the environment is infectious and she captures this passion beautifully in her watercolour works. We think Northern Beaches locals will really respond to her inspiring collection,” Ms Young says.
“We feel privileged to work with local artists at The Studio and play a role in helping local organisations whose work makes a tangible difference in the lives of people and in the places we value,” she says.
The Seabin Project tackles the global issue of marine litter by implementing a whole solution approach using education, science, technology and community activation. Asking the deceptively simple question, “if there are rubbish bins on land, why not in the water?”, Seabin’s mission statement is simple: to live in a world without the need for Seabins.
Leah Ramage’s beautiful watercolour collection will be on display free to the community and available for purchase at The Studio from 7 May to 9 June from 8am to 4pm, seven days a week. All proceeds will be donated to Seabin.
Contact Amy Young from Laing+Simmons Young Property on 0422 225 227 for more information.
The Studio by Laing+Simmons Young Property is located in Careel Bay Marina at 94 George Street, Avalon.
