THE UNFOLDING LANDSCAPE WITH DEBBIE MACKINNON & MIKE STANIFORD STANLEY,TASMANIA
Join artist Debbie Mackinnon and Mike Staniford for an 9-day/8-night painting adventure in Stanley and the Tarkine on the remote northwest coast of Tasmania
AN 9-DAY ART EXPEDITION IN REMOTE STANLEY & THE TARKINE (FEBRUARY 18 – 26, 2026)
Stanley is a romantic town sitting on a slender sliver of land jutting out into the Bass Strait on Tasmania's northwest coast. It is remarkable for its incredibly well-preserved colonial buildings and its massive volcanic plug. The plug rises 150 metres out of the water and dominates the small town. The Tarkine, Australia's largest expanse of cool-temperate rainforest blankets Tasmania's north-west. It’s a mossy, magical place; an enchanted forest framed by buttongrass moorlands and a rugged coastline.
ABOUT THE ARTIST | DEBBIE MACKINNON
Debbie Mackinnon is a contemporary artist based in Sydney and the Central Coast of NSW. Her drawings and painting explore landscape, looking at that fine line between abstraction and realism. Debbie trained as an illustrator and followed a profession as an art director for London publishers Dorling Kindersley and Frances Lincoln and then as an author/designer of a series of award winning children’s books. Moving to Australia 22 years ago, she was inspired by the light, texture and colour of our rugged coastlines to take up her easel and paints once more.
ARTIST MIKE STANIFORD
Mike Staniford is a contemporary Australian artist, inspired by the bold colours of nature and the celebration of its shapes and forms. Mike’s paintings are intuitive and gestural and seek to reinterpret the landscape, distil down its complexity and eliminate the unnecessary. “All of my paintings start with drawings made on location, sometimes quick intuitive sketches, others longer, more observed studies. Whilst I may start by making quite figurative drawings, I’m looking for that dialogue with the landscape, refiguring the geographical elements and shifting the compositional structure.”
THE UNFOLDING LANDSCAPE | ART WORKSHOP
Under the guidance of artist Debbie and Mike, you will be painting and drawing directly from nature. We will be exploring different locations every day from the quaint, colonial village of Stanley, and the wild buttongrass fields and forest on the roof of The Nut to the mysterious forests and hidden world of the Tarkine. During the workshop, Debbie and Mike will show you how to capture the beauty of nature, while exposing you to a variety of ideas and approaches, with a mix of teaching, demonstrations and one-on-one mentoring. They can help and inspire participants at all levels of experience and encourage returning guests to push their craft further. Partners are welcome to join us.
THE VILLAGE OF STANLEY, IT’S DELICIOUS CUISINE & THE NUT
An historically important town, Stanley is nestled below the Nut in a region that calls itself 'The Edge of the World'. It is a classified town full of beautifully preserved historic buildings. The Nut, a volcanic plug towers over the town. The plateau of the Nut is a mix of vast buttongrass fields and forests and can be accessed by a chairlift or a 15 minute walk. Although there are only a few restaurants and cafes, the cuisine is delicious, as are the local Tasmanian wines. For a pre-dinner drink, be sure to go to the Stanley Wine Bar, whose interior is cosy, charming, old-world and quirky.
OUR ACCOMMODATION IN STANLEY
We will be staying at the Stanley Village Waterfront suites and cottages, nestled on the picturesque waterfront. It has breathtaking views of Sawyer Bay, cozy and well-appointed rooms and the charm of a quaint seaside town. Imagine waking up to the soothing sound of waves or stepping outside in the evening to see little penguins waddling along the shore. https://www.stanleytasmania.com.au/
ITINERARY
DAY 1 – WEDNESDAY FEBRUARY 18 – STANLEY (4 NIGHTS)
Fly into Launceston this morning or the night before, so you can meet our bus, Wells Waggons at the airport at 11.30am. There you will be met by Debbie, Mike and myself. The very scenic drive to Stanley takes 3 hours. On arrival around 3pm, you will check into your room and at 6pm meet for drinks at the Stanley Wine Bar, followed by our Welcome Dinner at the Stanley Bistro. (D)
DAY 2 – THURSDAY FEBRUARY 19 - STANLEY
To start our journey, Debbie will give an introduction to the workshop, after which we head off to explore the Nut. As we will be drawing and painting on its plateau all day, be sure to take a stool, and your art materials, as well as plenty of water and your lunch. A lightweight backpack is a good idea. You have the choice of walking to the summit (15 mins, quite steep in parts) or taking the chairlift.we will explore the town and harbour, stopping to paint and draw along the way. Each day we have a takeaway lunch, so that we can continue painting wherever we are. If the weather is inclement, we can return to the verandah, which has a lovely view of the town. (B,L)
DAY 3 – FRIDAY FEBRUARY 20 - STANLEY
Today after breakfast, after another brief demonstration, we head off to explore the township, with its quaint wooden cottages and in contrast, for a more industrial aspect, we will also set up down at the harbour with its jetty and fishing boats. (B,L)
DAY 4 – SATURDAY FEBRUARY 21 - STANLEY
Today is at your leisure to be spent painting in and around Stanley, visiting the historic Highfield House (2k walk), revisiting some of the locations or developing the sketches you did yesterday in the Tarkine. You might like to meet, at the end of the day at the wine bar, which has tasty cheese platters and gourmet pizzas. (B,L)
DAY 5 – SUNDAY FEBRUARY 22 - CORINNA WILDERNESS VILLAGE (4 NIGHTS)
At 9.30am this morning, our driver will pick up the group and take us into the ancient Tarkine forest. We will stop at various locations to sketch and explore cool-temperate rainforests, a mysterious rocky arch deep within the forest, and sinkholes with their chorus of frogs. After lunch we will head to Corinna Wilderness Village on the Pieman River (B,L,D)
DAY 6 – MONDAY FEBRUARY 23 - CORINNA WILDERNESS VILLAGE
Set in a pristine rainforest, Corinna is a remote, historic mining town turned wilderness retreat on the Pieman River, sitting at the southern end of the Tarkine, the largest temperate rainforest in Australia. Today we will be painting in and around Corinna Village including the Whyte River loop walk. (B,L,D)
DAY 7 – TUESDAY FEBRUARY 24 - CORINNA WILDERNESS VILLAGE
Today is a studio painting day in the historic Produce Store. (B,L,D)
DAY 8 – WEDNESDAY FEBRUARY 25 - CORINNA WILDERNESS VILLAGE
Today we will be going on a private cruise on the MV Arcadia, a magnificent 17m boat built of Huon Pine in 1939, and listed on the Australian Register of Historic Vessels. The day will be spent slowly cruising along the Pieman River, drawing the scenery as we go. As we have the boat to ourselves we can stop whenever we like. The river ends at a remote community and wild ocean beach. (B,L,D)
DAY 9 – THURSDAY FEBRUARY 26 - AIRPORT
At 10.00am our bus will take us to Launceston airport. where we will arrive around 2pm. (B,L)
INCLUSIONS:
• 6 DAYS TUITION WITH OUR ARTISTS
• 8 NIGHTS ACCOMMODATION IN STANLEY & CORINNA WILDERNESS VILLAGE
• ALL BREAKFASTS, 8 LUNCHES & 5 DINNERS INCLUDED
• BUS TRANSPORT TO & FROM LAUNCESTON AIRPORT
• BUS TOUR OF THE TARKINE & TO CORINNA WILDERNESS VILLAGE
• CHAIRLIFT TO SUMMIT OF THE NUT & RETURN
• TOUR HOSTED BY ATA DIRECTOR KERRI AINSWORTH
EXCLUSIONS:
•AIRFARES • BEVERAGES INCLUDING ALCOHOL
• ART MATERIALS • SERVICES NOT MENTIONED IN THE ITINERARY
• MEALS NOT LISTED IN THE ITINERARY
• EXPENDITURE OF A PERSONAL NATURE
A NON-REFUNDABLE DEPOSIT OF $500 IS REQUIRED TO CONFIRM YOUR BOOKING
Art Travel Adventures Pty Ltd
Phone: +61 (0) 417 033233
info@arttraveladventures.com.au