‘Gippsland is my landscape. It is the one that pulls the stings for me.'

It says a lot about Clive Murray-White that he exhibited his exquisite marble sculptures at the Australian National Gallery in Canberra and the Boisdale Memorial Hall in successive years. While his work is represented in Australia’s leading public galleries and he has had more than 30 exhibitions in leading commercial galleries, his artworks can also be found throughout Gippsland, east of Melbourne, a region to which he is devoted.

‘I live in this beautiful place, Cowwarr,’ he says. ‘I didn’t choose Cowwarr; it chose me. My partner is the world’s best arts administrator and she runs the Cowwarr Arts Space. If you’ve got a building as wonderful as ours, you have to share it with people. Plus we have great coffee and that gets people in.’

Clive’s studio is open to the public whenever he is working. He believes that interaction with the audience is a crucial part of the creative process, and other people often see that a work is finished before he does. When it comes time to down tools he revels in the trappings of a Gippsland lifestyle: fishing, four-wheel-driving, enjoying the clean air and devouring local produce. It’s hard to imagine a better balance.

Favourite Place to Stay
Abington Farm B&B near Heyfield (Coghlan’s Ln, Heyfield, 03 5148 2430, otp.com.au/abingtonfarm.htm).

Favourite Food Experience
Bis in Sale does excellent modern Italian and has a totally Victorian wine list (80–100 Foster St, Sale, 03 5144 3388).

Favourite Day Trip
Ocean fishing with Mako Fishing Charters, Lakes Entrance (03 5155 2219, makofishingcharters.com).

Favourite Object
Cowwarr Art Space. It has my studio, my partner, everything that’s important to me (Main Rd, Cowwarr, 03 5148 9321, cowwarr.com).