Artist Lara Scolari found her groove after moving from Dubbo to Balmain

ARTIST Lara Scolari found her groove after moving from Dubbo to Balmain

Artist Lara Scolari opens up her Balmain home. Pictures: Danny Aarons

• WHO: Artist Lara Scolari

• WHERE: Balmain with her husband Peter and their sons, Matt, 21, Nick, 20, and Liam, 18

• FAVOURITE THING: My beloved pug Barry has been around since we moved to Balmain from Dubbo 3½ years ago. He is the most affectionate and loyal fur baby

• INSPIRATION: Eclectic with Asian and African influences

• HOME IS: Family and togetherness

WHEN artist Lara Scolari was looking to head back to Sydney after living in Dubbo for many years, she hadn’t expected to find an 1860s-era home in Balmain that would meet all her needs.

She says the Sydney real estate market can be quite “hot”, but she jumped at the chance
to secure a block of flats over three levels.

“We are in the process of converting them back to three separate flats. The art studio is on the ground floor with a garden apartment, the middle level is the gallery and we live on the top floor,” she says.

“The bottom level was an old haberdashery shop going way back, and it’s got a lovely, inviting street frontage.”

With her sons Matt, 21, Nick, 20, and Liam, 18, attending university in Sydney,
she says the move was inevitable.

Lara Scolari at home in Balmain with her loyal fur bag, Barry.

“We love Dubbo so much and we miss the space, but we love the energy of Balmain. When we first moved to Sydney we lived in a couple of different suburbs, but I work at home during the day, and everything was just drab. In Balmain, there is always something going on and it’s still very working class, which I love,” she says.

Lara mostly curated other people’s work in Dubbo, while holding her own showings on the side. She is now working full time on her own art and has even collaborated with Designer Rugs to create a collection.

Moving back to Balmain, which is where she was raised, has booted her career into top gear and brought the family closer to together.

“We are a family of five people with a dog Barry and a cat Bobby. The boys bring their friends over and we are happy to entertain here. We have big verandas with one overlooking the street. We’re in a good place.”

More:larascolari.com.au

Substrate painting: Each series I have a favourite piece of artwork. This piece just came together right from the start. I love the earthiness of this work which explores the Australian landscape.

Studio trolley: This was a gift from an amazing artist friend of mine. It brings a little glamour into my studio. Sometimes I just sit back and look at how cool it is. The colour and the shape, I really just love it.

Shell light: My parents purchased this piece back in the ‘70s during our family holiday to the Great Keppel Island. I have it on a timer and switch it on every night as a signal for relaxation time.

Cosmopolitan glasses: The glasses were a gift from a local Balmain restaurant on my birthday. I commented on how much I loved them and they kindly gifted me some.

Overalls: I love putting these on to get into the zone of painting. I’ve tried painting in different aprons but these overalls seem to work best for me. Once they’re on,
I feel I can really get into it.

Clock: This brings back so many childhood memories. I love it when it chimes, it takes me back to playing with my cousins in my nanny’s home. I am looking forward to having it fully restored.

Champagne bucket: I love a holiday purchase and picked up this gorgeous piece on a recent trip to beautiful Noosa. I love the unique elements of the brass and the horns.