Hands down the best looking and fun crowd! Glitter, sun, sand, water, more glitter, horses, great tunes, more glitter, juicy food, fresh coconuts, glitter, pokemon, shot gun weddings, speed dating, floating flamingos and more glitter! This was Lost Paradise in a nut shell.  

I am part of the RAW Artist Family. Below are some head shots I captured during one of the RAW shows. Working with these amazing artists, I consider a true blessing. 

What is RAW? 
'To provide independent artists within the first 10 years of their creative career with the tools, resources and exposure needed to inspire and cultivate creativity. RAW ventures to provide the platform for these artists to be seen,heard, and loved. 

RAW showcases indie talent in visual art, film, fashion design, music, performance art, hair and makeup artistry, and photography. 

RAW is a fun and alternative way for artists to showcase both to their local community and the world-at-large. 
We are not your average art show. We are loud, colorful, creative, and all about our artists. We are RAW.
RAW currently operates in over 60 cities across the United States, Australia, Canada and the UK!"

The History of Raw
"In 2003, a small-town girl graduated high school and moved to Los Angeles. Heidi Luerra's only wish was to pursue her life-long dream of becoming a fashion designer. Not wasting any time, she started her own clothing line. She soon realized that she was just one small fish in a very big pond. She sold her pieces at swapmeets on the weekends while going to school full-time, working part-time and interning in the fashion district. 

After a while she thought ... "there's got to be a better way to get my work out there." 

Surrounded by new friends and talented people in art, music, performance and film that were facing the same plight -- she decided to take matters into her own hands. 

In 2005, Heidi Luerra threw her first multi-faceted showcase in Los Angeles. After much interest from the community, she found her calling -- to create a platform for the many talented budding artists out there. 

In 2009, equipped with a mission of bringing tools and resources to artists, RAW was born. After the first RAW event, a local web developer, Matthew Klahorst approached Heidi about combining these art events with an online community for artists. From this collaboration came the next evolution of RAW --  promoting artists both online and offline. 

In 2011, they decided to take the concept beyond Southern California, to the cities across the United States. In July 2012, RAW made its first international debut in Australia. In 2013, RAW opened additional locations in Canada and the UK. Years since its start, RAW is now hosting events and showcasing independent creatives in over 70 cities across the world."

Full show photos here: 
rawartists.smugmug.com/RAW-AUSTRALIA/NEWCASTLE/RAW-Newcastle-presents-SIGNATU/

"Art Party is a global and multidisciplinary platform for emerging artists, founded in Sydney, Australia in 2012. Art Party began as a monthly event in Sydney, welcoming performances of musicians, poets, painters, magicians, comedians, fire spinners, clowns, rappers, burlesque dancers, VJs, DJs, sculptors,  and dancers with a warm audience in artist-run spaces.
As time continued, Art Party has continued to connect with local businesses, innovators, artists, venues and the public to further facilitate the connection between inspiration and community. Art Party has travelled outside Sydney in a further attempt to create a dynamic, global community, including parties in Brisbane, Byron Bay, Gosford, Canberra, Melbourne, Airlie Beach, Bali, Goa Beach – India, St Petersburg – Russia, Nelson – Canada and London – UK.
All of this has been done on a dime. Crashing on couches and floorboards. Paying for rent with change because we took Art Party away on another road trip, surviving on 2-minute noodles and the grace of strangers. A passion project designed to be a meeting place for all the arts, for collaborative folk and those trying to also pay their rent in spare change.
Coming into our third year, we have built a Sydney-based show that sells out every month, with hands-down the best audience in town, and unique, impressive artists. Friends locally and internationally have been inspired by the events in Australia pledging to carry the warmth from our community onward and open up our humble stage to many more locations.
We are proud to have built a show that pays all contributors, hosts, artists, designers, and sound technicians. Any additional profits are re-invested into the growth of Art Party Australia and it’s international friends.
Let the arting begin!"

Here are some of the photos I captured during the Winter Warmer Art Party held on the Central Coast NSW. 

​http://artparty.com.au/fusion-slider-fixed-width/

Follow the link below to read about the Lost Paradise Festival Debrief.

​ “Back to nature”, the perfect mantra for the Lost Paradise festival. Three days filled with good vibes, sunshine, bright colours, delicious food, creativity and fantastic music in the magical surrounds of Glenworth Valley. Morning mist, fresh, cold water creeks, running horses and smiling faces. What more could you ask for? 

​http://www.breezemagazine.com.au/lost-paradise-festival-debrief-with-nadia-gradwell