Painting the Medium

Susan Capan and her husband Paul run one of the most successful art galleries on the mountain. A conversation with her reveals just what it takes to break into the art scene in Tamborine.
by Kyle Hitchmough

How long have you been owning and managing the gallery?

Ten years ago. It was an old house—we converted it into shops on the front and renovated the back to live in. We rent two of the shops as a side income for us.

Do you cater to a particular kind of artist? Do you source your art locally?

We try to get our art as locally as we can. We have one world-famous artist — Robert Hagan and we’re getting more and more inquiries for his work. He’s originally from Murwillumbah. Robert’s had television shows over the years and he’s selling a lot in America at the moment. We’re his main gallery in Australia now. He likes what we do and how we do it, and we seem to be getting repeat business, which is exciting!

Usually we sell just about everything. I’ll do commissions too: If people are looking for something in particular, I’ll source it, from another artist if that’s what they want. People seem to like the variety of different artists.

You aren’t the only art gallery here. What do you think gives the Capanart Gallery it’s unique identity?

We like to keep it really friendly. We welcome everyone and we get a lot of visitors who are just having a look—but, you might get a sale if they see something they like. They’ll often thank us for carrying some traditional work, because a lot of the galleries show more contemporary stuff that they don’t understand, they don’t appreciate. There is a little bit of Australiana in Robert Hagan’s work. We’ve got Kerry Nobbs from the Gold Coast who does beautiful beach scenes, and he’s just won the Darcy Doyle Art Prize (first prize in landscapes). Very fine art, very realistic, and people often come in and ask if it’s a photo or a painting.

We offer 12 months layby which makes it easier for many. Everybody’s got a different budget, and we understand that.

What, in your opinion, makes the art scene on the mountain so prevalent?

I think artists are always drawn to the mountains. We came from the Dandenongs in Victoria and it’s the same there. Little galleries dotted all around the mountains, visitors would come up on the weekends and they’d love to visit them. Monteville, the Blue Mountains, Cairns… they just tend to be hot spots artists are drawn to. Plus it’s so inspiring here with the rainforest and the views.

Is it true that you’re an artist yourself, and you’ve painted some of the pieces?

Yes! As an artist, I just want to be painting. I’ll drag the easel into the gallery and paint which  fascinates our visitors. Quite often it’ll be an artist who says “keep going, keep going”, and they’re watching trying to get a little lesson thrown in. I did a painting and had a family come in, two little boys and their parents. I said, “would you like to do some painting?” Both of them said yes, so I gave them each a brush and they did a little bit of background. I was doing a big pot with orchids in it, and the mother was so fascinated. She went home and raved about it to her mother on the Sunshine Coast, who then rang me a few days later and said “Have you finished it yet? Because I’m buying it!” She hadn’t even seen it.

  What, beyond the art itself, do you think the Capanart Gallery provides to the area?

It gives a taste of what art is around. Every area differs with their art—we try to have a bit of the rainforest in our paintings, the nature, the birds. People coming in from other states particularly like to see the area incorporated into the paintings and how different it is to where they come from. We get such a diverse lot of people—we have some expensive art, but we try to have something for all budgets to make people feel comfortable.

What do you enjoy most about doing this?

Interacting with the public. I do some artwork and put it on the wall and get an immediate reaction from people coming through, and I can see if I’ve done something they’re attracted to. It’s a gamble—every day you wake up and think “will today be the day with the big sale?” It’s fun that way! I love living and working from the same place, not having to drive to an office.

Is there anything else you’d like to go on the record?

We get young ones come through, and if I see they’re interested in art I make sure I speak to them and say “I was just like that at your age”— I was practically born with a pencil in my hand— and encourage them and tell them they can do it if they really want to. I was told the opposite as a child, so I try to give them some hope that if they want to go on with art, don’t let anybody stop them. A lot of people think art’s not a real job, but it is, as long as you’re persistent.

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Or email the writer at kyle.hitchmough@hotmail.com, and follow me on Twitter @realcasualrvws.