Avalon artist Nikki Quarry will hold her first official exhibition at the local studio and gallery she established on Avalon Parade, bringing Northern Beaches-inspired painting and photography into a familiar community setting.
Avalon Art Exhibition Adds To Local Weekend
Where the Sea Holds Light will bring Quarry’s paintings together with photography by Pepita Grace, with the exhibition centred on the meeting of light and water across the coast, sea and atmosphere of the Northern Beaches.
The opening will be held from 6pm to 8pm on Saturday, 3 October 2026 at Nikki’s Art Space, Shop 3, 11–13 Avalon Parade.
It will take place on the same weekend as the Avalon Groove Festival, adding another arts-focused event to the local calendar during the weekend.
For Quarry, the exhibition also places her work inside the Avalon space she created as both a working studio and walk-in gallery.
Local Coast Remains At Heart Of Quarry’s Work
The Northern Beaches have long been a recurring subject in Quarry’s paintings, including local beaches, cliffs, headlands and ocean pools.
Her work combines realism with minimalism and commonly uses Burnt Umber and white to explore light, shadow and form. Areas of open canvas sit alongside more detailed elements of the landscape.
Quarry studied Design and Visual Communication at the University of Technology Sydney and Fine Art at the National Art School.
Her approach has also been shaped by time spent away from Sydney. Years on the Greek island of Santorini influenced her interest in cliffs, strong light and open sea, while living in Bali as a child contributed to her interest in the natural world and decorative detail.
Avalon Studio Opens Art To The Community
Nikki’s Art Space operates as Quarry’s working studio as well as a walk-in gallery in Avalon. The space has hosted exhibitions and welcomed visitors into the setting where she works.
Quarry also runs Art From The Beach, established in March 2021, offering original paintings, prints and commissioned works. Coastal Australia remains a recurring subject across that work.
Her broader practice also includes animals, still life, figures and landscapes connected to travel and memory.
The October exhibition will bring Quarry’s coastal paintings together with Grace’s photography at the Avalon Parade gallery, with the shared focus on light, water and the Northern Beaches giving the local exhibition its central theme.
Published 7-September-2026