{"id":326595,"date":"2026-03-12T21:34:22","date_gmt":"2026-03-12T21:34:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/326595\/"},"modified":"2026-03-12T21:34:22","modified_gmt":"2026-03-12T21:34:22","slug":"art-lovers-camp-outside-salamanca-gallery-to-purchase-local-artists-paintings","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/326595\/","title":{"rendered":"Art lovers camp outside Salamanca gallery to purchase local artist\u2019s paintings"},"content":{"rendered":"

In a world where overnight queues usually means Taylor Swift tickets or the latest technology about to be released, a quiet line of devoted art lovers have been camping outside Handmark Gallery in Salamanca for the past five nights.<\/p>\n

The group is queuing to make sure they secure a painting by beloved Tasmanian artist Michael McWilliams.<\/p>\n

Gallery owner Allanah Dopson said the enthusiasm speaks volumes about the power of visual art, even in uncertain times.<\/p>\n

\u201cIsn\u2019t it wonderful that here is an artist, a visual artist in Tasmania, and it\u2019s not Taylor Swift or Wimbledon or an iPhone?\u201d she told Pulse.<\/p>\n

\"\"Michael McWilliams\u2019 paintings will go on sale Friday morning at the gallery. Image \/ Mark Wells (File)<\/p>\n

\u201cThese paintings bring so much joy to everyone. And boy, our world needs joy at the moment.\u201d<\/p>\n

The passionate queue has formed along Salamanca Place, with some enthusiasts braving Tasmania\u2019s wind and rain for up to five days to be first through the gallery doors on Friday.<\/p>\n

\"\"Art lovers have camped outside Handmark Gallery for five days in Salamanca. Image \/ Pulse<\/p>\n

The first hopeful arrived on Sunday afternoon, since then the line has grown to around 15 people, including visitors who have flown in from interstate.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere were six people sleeping [on Wednesday night] and now the crowd has grown to about 15 people,\u201d Dopson said yesterday.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd they\u2019re all getting on like a house on fire. It\u2019s just the most wonderful atmosphere outside Handmark.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know whether it will be at two in the morning, but spirits are very high.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"Art collectors have slept overnight in the Hobart weather to buy one of McWilliams\u2019 paintings<\/p>\n

Queenslander Jessica Midson set up camp outside the gallery with her friend Sam on Thursday morning, offloading a couch from their car to keep themselves comfortable on the footpath.<\/p>\n

She said the commitment from the people camped out shows \u201cthe undying love that some particular beautiful people have towards art\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s just beautiful, like where else would you rather be,\u201d she told Pulse.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s such a great opportunity just to be sat here and enjoying the sunshine, the rain, the clouds \u2026 and for very beautiful art as well.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"Jessica Midson and her friend Sam set up a couch outside the gallery on Thursday morning. Image \/ Pulse<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s really lovely to be a part of.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dopson said people travelled \u201cfrom everywhere\u201d to see Michael McWilliams\u2019s exhibition at Launceston\u2019s Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery last year, and now this is a chance to purchase one of his new works.<\/p>\n

The Longford-based artist is known for works celebrating Tasmania\u2019s nature and wildlife.<\/p>\n

Handmark Gallery has represented McWilliams for 20 years.<\/p>\n

\"\"Art collectors have slept overnight in the Hobart weather to buy one of McWilliams\u2019 paintings<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is next level, you know, camping out from about five days before,\u201d Dopson said.<\/p>\n

\u201cObviously the first person is a complete devotee of Michael\u2019s work.\u201d<\/p>\n

19 of his paintings will be on sale at the gallery from 9am on Friday, with an exhibition of his work officially opening at 5pm.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe cheapest is $5,000 and the most expensive is $64,000,\u201d Dopson said.<\/p>\n

\"\"Michael McWilliams\u2019 paintings will go on sale Friday morning at the gallery<\/p>\n

McWilliams said the Tasmanian landscape and its native and introduced fauna and flora were major themes in his work.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s sometimes fun, but frequently with an environmental message, or an animal rights and welfare consideration,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe message can often be distressing, but the image is tempered with humour, which allows the idea to be pondered by a wider audience.\u201d<\/p>\n

The exhibition runs from Friday at Handmark Gallery, Salamanca Place.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"In a world where overnight queues usually means Taylor Swift tickets or the latest technology about to be…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":326596,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[442,498,499,500,501,156,111,139,69],"class_list":["post-326595","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-arts-and-design","tag-arts","tag-arts-and-design","tag-artsanddesign","tag-artsdesign","tag-design","tag-entertainment","tag-new-zealand","tag-newzealand","tag-nz"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/326595","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=326595"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/326595\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/326596"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=326595"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=326595"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=326595"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}