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‘Celebrating our Parks and Gardens’ by U3A Hawthorn Art Groups brings together a series of works inspired by the natural spaces enriching our community. 

Outdoor spaces provide places to connect, have fun, exercise, relax or seek a quiet moment year-round. Whether sitting in a local park or private garden, appreciating a heritage tree, the details of a flower, or observing the colour changes of a season. U3A Hawthorn Art Groups meet regularly to exchange ideas, learn, nurture artistic growth and improve personal wellbeing.

Working across painting, drawing, printmaking and textiles, this exhibition highlights individual creativity and shared inspiration. ‘Celebrating our Parks and Gardens’ conveys the value of shared spaces and experiences, observing the way nature brings joy to community life.  

Image credit: Anna Cooke, detail from ‘The Avenue after Rain’, 2025, acrylic on paper, 55 x 48 cm, image courtesy of the artist.

Watercolour painting of a cyclist riding along a forest path beneath tall trees. A second, smaller cyclist appears further along the winding track, surrounded by dense green foliage.
Ellen te Riele-Weber, ‘Cadence in Fragments’, 2026, watercolour, 38 x 30.5 cm, image courtesy of the artist.
Collage of a flowering tree made from cut-out photographs of pink blossoms and branches. Blue dots, butterflies, green leaves, and printed text forms a boarder around the left, right and top sides, reading “A garden to walk in and immensity to dream in - What more could he ask? A few flowers his feet and above him the starts - Voltaire”.
Kath Leong, ‘Crab Apple Tree’, 2026, collage on paper, 50 x 33 cm, image courtesy of the artist.
Painting of bright yellow-green, star-shaped leaves overlapping across thin dark branches. The background is softly blurred with green tones and pale circular highlights, creating a sense of depth.
Glenda King, ‘Komorebi - Shimmering sunlight through the leaves’, 2026, watercolour, 62 x 78 cm, image courtesy of the artist.
Painting of a winding path bordered by rows of dark trees. Broad brushstrokes in black, green, pink and blue create strong contrasts between the trees, ground and sky.
Anna Cooke, ‘The Avenue after Rain’, 2025, acrylic on paper, 55 x 48 cm, image courtesy of the artist.
Textile artwork of stitched abstract forms made with dense embroidery. Pink, red, white and green threads create layered lines, textured shapes and woven patterns across a pale fabric background.
Rosalind Byass, ‘Nature’s Beauty’, 2024/25, textile, 48 x 63 cm, image courtesy of the artist.
Drawing of a brick clock tower rising above a cluster of heritage-style buildings. Grey roofs, chimneys and green trees surround the structure, with pale sky filling the background.
Richard Bortko, ‘Where Else But Kew!’, 2026, coloured pencil, 38 x 33 cm, image courtesy of the artist.
Painting of a garden with a round birdbath surrounded by flowering plants. Blue, yellow and white blossoms grow among green leaves, with rocks arranged around the water feature.
Julia Meere, ‘Joy – A garden with a water feature on a sunny day’, 2026, acrylic on canvas, 83 x 63 cm, image courtesy of the artist.
Print etching of a small bird perched on a slender branch. Fine black linework and soft grey and pale pink tones define the feathers, with white spots marking the wings and head.
Jean Aitken, ‘Pardalote’, 2025, drypoint etching, 23 x 32 cm, image courtesy of the artist.
Collage of a park scene framed by layered metallic and patterned papers. A central photograph shows tree branches, lawn and a tall palm-like tree, surrounded by textured gold, black and silver shapes.
Sue Bottomly, ‘Autumn Light – Bowen Gardens’, 2026, mixed-medium collage, 20 x 20 cm, image courtesy of the artist.
Painting of large pale boulders resting beside still water. The rocks are reflected on the water’s surface, with soft pink and grey tones contrasting against a dark, wooded background.
Sue Harvey, ‘Still Waters’, 2025, acrylic on canvas, 60.5 x 75 cm, image courtesy of the artist.
Painting of a park landscape with flowering shrubs in the foreground. Purple flower spikes fill the lower section, while scattered trees, open grassland and a tall palm-like tree extend into the distance.
Christine Dennis, ‘Fairview Park’, 2026, watercolour, 50 x 40 cm, image courtesy of the artist.
Painting of a park landscape with flowering shrubs in the foreground. Purple flower spikes fill the lower section, while scattered trees, open grassland and a tall palm-like tree extend into the distance.
Ian Symons, ‘Canterbury Gardens’, 2026, oil on board, 46 x 56 cm, image courtesy of the artist.
Watercolour painting of a tree leaning over a narrow stream or pond. Pale blue, grey and gold tones depict water, reeds and branches, with soft washes creating a misty background.
Ann Knowles, ‘Birrarung – A place of Mists and Shadows’, 2026, watercolour, 52 x 72 cm, image courtesy of the artist.
Drawing of a single pale pink rose against a plain white background. Layered petals form a rounded bloom at the centre of the composition, with delicate shading defining the flower’s shape.
Monika Remenyi, ‘Autumn Rose - Portrait of a Rose’, 2026, coloured pencil, 33 x 24 cm, image courtesy of the artist.
Watercolour painting of a calm waterway bordered by grasses and trees. Several small dark waterbirds float near the centre, while reflections of trees and sky stretch across the water’s surface.
Doug Dickson, ‘The Duckpond, Dorothy Laver Reserve’, 2026, watercolour, 43 x 52 cm, image courtesy of the artist.