Marilyn O'Brien

My NAS Story

26th February 2025

My name is Marilyn O’Brien (Maz), I am currently a Studio Artist at Newcastle Artspace (NAS) and entering my fourth year there. My studio space is above the office as you enter the ground floor Gallery from the car park.

My story at NAS began ten years ago when I moved to Newcastle from Brisbane with the aspiration to align my Art Practice with My Spiritual Practice and belong to a supportive and creative community.

I joined The Society of Artists, Newcastle Printmakers Workshop (NPW) and participated in many art making workshops including some at Timeless Textiles Gallery to help find my creative voice and tribe.

I knew I was on the right track when the first Exhibition I visited in Newcastle was a celebration of three women who had been so influential in making Newcastle the vibrant creative community that it is today. Margaret Olley, Joy Cummings and Anne Von Bertouch.

Newcastle Artspace was then in Parry Street near where I had found a place to live. After visiting the ground floor Galley, I was inspired by the many Exhibitions held there and after speaking with exhibiting artists, I put my name down on a wait list for a studio space to become available at NAS.

It was not until 2020 that the Spiritual Community I was volunteering with lost its building due to the Covid Pandemic. I had the opportunity then to move out of my home studio and into a Studio Space at NAS. By then NAS had also moved and into its current location in Chenchin Street Islington.

There was one studio available at the time with my name on it and I saw the potential to purchase furniture from the closing community’s bookshop and create a beautiful studio space for myself to work from. I purchased four solid timber bookshelves, display cabinets and small tables for my studio space. NAS Studio 18D was born.

This perfect timing and unexpected events helped me to achieve my aspiration. I had the floors sanded and sealed revealing a beautiful black butt timer floor and moved the furniture I purchased which fitted seamlessly into place, creating a beautiful organised studio space to inspire my work and be the joy that it is to work from and be part of this creative community.

Maz O’Brien

Printmaker. Fibre and Mixed Media Artist