Ellis House Art Centre

Ellis House Art Centre: Contemporary Art in Bayswater, Western Australia

Ellis House Art Centre is located on Milne Street in Bayswater, a suburb of Perth, Western Australia. It operates as a community art gallery focused on contemporary visual art, artist development, and creative learning. The centre is open Thursday to Sunday. You'll see exhibitions covering figurative work, portraiture, contemporary still life, and mixed media. The place manages to run professional-standard shows while keeping a genuine community feel, which means everyone from regular art enthusiasts to complete newcomers feels welcome.

The gallery does more than just display work. It actively supports artists and encourages cultural participation throughout Bayswater and Perth. Via its exhibitions, classes, and artist membership programs, Ellis House treats contemporary art as a normal part of community life rather than something reserved for specialists.

Exhibition Program and Featured Artists

Ellis House Art Centre in Bayswater, WA 6053 shows work by both established and emerging artists, with a real strength in portraiture and observational painting. You'll find contemporary, figurative, and representational styles across the program. Karen Hannelly and Michelle Campbell have shown here recently, working in oil on canvas and mixed media. The Collage Group exhibition runs through June 2026 and points to the gallery's willingness to back experimental work. Earlier exhibitions featured Alba Cinquini's watercolour studies and Marilyn Davis Moore's mixed-media pieces, giving you a sense of the technical range.

Sunday afternoon openings turn exhibition launches into proper social events. People gather to look at the work and chat about it, which seems like the right way to do things. The gallery treats art viewing as something that works better when you're there with others, not as a rushed solo visit.

Learning and Artist Development

Ellis House runs a solid teaching program for artists at any stage. You'll find weekly classes in long pose portrait drawing and painting, life studies, and still life work in various mediums. There's also Saturday morning painting sessions if that suits your schedule. The whole approach focuses on building your observation skills and technical knowledge. If you want something more relaxed, Tuesday social painting sessions let you experiment without pressure. Then there's intensive workshop weeks running in February, May, August and November for anyone keen to dig deeper.

The teaching side keeps the place ticking over through fees and memberships, while churning out practising artists whose work makes it into the gallery shows. Education and exhibition work in tandem, which is how art centres actually function. Ellis House Art Centre, Bayswater, WA 6053.

Community-Focused Contemporary Art Space

Ellis House Art Centre in Bayswater, WA 6053 describes itself as a community art space rather than an exclusive gallery. They actively invite membership and maintain an Artists directory that helps professional development and visibility for artists working in the area. It's a practical balance: public access without sacrificing artistic quality, which is how local cultural institutions actually sustain themselves. The centre sits on Milne Street in suburban Bayswater, making it easier for locals to get to compared to inner-city galleries that keep a lot of people away.

The centre is open Thursday and Friday from 10am to 4pm, then Saturday and Sunday 10am to 5pm. Hours like these work for working artists and adult learners, who form the core of who uses the space.

Getting to Ellis House Art Centre

Ellis House Art Centre is located at 116 Milne Street, Bayswater, WA 6053. The gallery opens Thursday and Friday from 10am to 4pm, and Saturday and Sunday from 10am to 5pm. If you can make it to one of the Sunday afternoon opening events, you'll get a chance to chat with the artists and learn more about the pieces on display.

If you're keen to have a go yourself, Ellis House runs classes that cover portrait drawing, still life painting, and contemporary mixed media. The structured approach works well for people getting into art for the first time or developing their practice. Jump on their mailing list while you're there to stay in the loop about new shows and upcoming events.