Visual Artists
5 Eliza has been home to visual artist studios for over 40 years. Providing affordable studio space is our way of supporting artists in their practice.
“Over time, it became a hub for painters and sculptors; people like Ian Gentle, Guan Wei, Mathew Johnson, Jayne Dyer, and Orest Keywan are part of our history.” - Bill Brown
Bill Brown
Bill has occupied a studio at Newtown School of Arts since 1980. His tenancy is the longest in the building's history and he serves as a Director of the Trustee.
Born in Cowra in 1945, Bill Brown attended the National Art School in Sydney, graduating in 1967 with a Diploma in Painting and Drawing. He taught drawing and painting throughout his career: primarily at the National Art School from 1969 to 2009 but also at the University of Sydney and Sydney College of Arts.
Bill has held more than 20 solo exhibitions and his work has featured in numerous prestigious group exhibitions. His work is held in major Australian public art collections, including The Art Gallery of NSW, The National Gallery of Australia, the Art Gallery of South Australia, the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia as well as many regional art galleries and corporate and private collections.
The artwork featured here is called Imago series no. 18.
Guy Brown
Guy has been a practicing artist at 5 Eliza since 2004. He attended the National Art School in Sydney from 1991-1994 where he undertook a Diploma in Fine Art (Painting).
Guy has had many solo exhibitions in Sydney including TAP Gallery, Arthouse Gallery, Crawford Gallery, Ray Hughes Gallery and Flinders Street Gallery.
His work has featured in group exhibitions including Lennox Street Studio Show, Mosman Art Prize, SCECGS Redland Art Prize and Berima Art Space.
During the COVID-19 pandemic when Newtown School of Arts’ daily activity was quieter than usual, Guy took the opportunity to create a series of artworks capturing the heritage charm and beauty of 5 Eliza.
The artwork featured here is called AJS Garden and is created with oil on canvas.
Jennifer Keeler-Milne
Born in Melbourne, Jennifer lives and works in Sydney as a practicing artist. Developing her art at 5 Eliza for the last 9 years, Jennifer’s artworks have been acquired by a number of public collections including various NSW regional galleries and the Art Gallery of NSW. In 2014, the trustees of the AGNSW chose 5 Eliza as the venue for their fund-raising event (for the acquisition of Jennifer’s suite of drawings now in their Australian collection).
She runs her own drawing school, Dare to Draw, teaching principles and techniques of drawing. A former museum educator with the Art Gallery of New South Wales and lecturer at Sydney University, UTS and the National Art School. Jennifer holds a Post-Graduate Diploma in Fine Arts from the Victorian College of the Arts and a Master of Art Administration.
For more information, visit jenniferkeelermilne.com.au.
Kasama Studios
Ria Desiree is a ceramicist focused on hand building techniques to create sculptural and functional works. Her practice explores the intuitive nature of hand building to arrive at forms that are tangible imprints of her process.
Ria’s creative tenancy at 5 Eliza holds space for both her ceramics practice and personal project, Kasama Studio, which Ria established in January 2024 to develop her range of small-batch ceramics and share her knowledge on hand building through workshops.
In further expanding her practice, Ria welcomes opportunities to take on commissions and collaborative engagements.
Follow @kasama_studio on Instagram to learn more about Ria’s ceramics journey.