Junee's Studio on Sunshine breaks through the darkness to share the power of creativity

Patrina Roberts says her little Studio on Sunshine in Junee is her “happy place”.

With its distinctive rainbow welcome mat and the quirky collection of cushions, paintings, plants and woven items spilling out onto Lorne St, it’s not hard to see why.

It is hard, however, to imagine it started with a dark time in Patrina’s life.

“I’ve been through a lot of mental illness with PTSD and anxiety and things like that,” she explains.

“I found that I needed to find that happy place to go to and my creativity was that happy place.”

On top of childhood trauma and a string of negative experiences in the workforce, Patrina was caught in a car accident that left her on her back for three years.

With the love and support of her husband Adam she got back on her feet and began sharing her creative projects through market stalls with her mother-in-law, Karen Roberts.

Selling hand-made items from cushions to wall art, their goods proved popular, but the markets only came around every few months.

“So we thought we’d pop it into a retail environment and just go for broke!” Patrina says.

Despite living in Wagga, Patrina and Adam cast a wide net in their search for the perfect spot.

“He’s a courier, so he used to go through Junee all the time,” she explains.

“He was driving through one day and he rang me up and said I think I found the spot – and two weeks later we were in – so it was kind of crazy.”

But just as they were finding their feet, COVID-19 struck and the business was considered too new to qualify for any government support.

“We were just eight months in and then bam, boom!” Patrina says with a sigh.

“It was insane but my hubby was an essential worker who carried us through and we had a beautiful landlord that helped us with minimum rent during the time – and sometimes no rent – just to help us to stay there in Junee.

“But we’re on the other side and three years later, it’s onward and upward.”

As well as showcasing her own brand of “left-of-centre” art using organic materials such as raffia and palm inflorescence, Patrina has established relationships with 35 other creatives in the Riverina and more broadly across Australia.

“I’m an Instagram stalker, so I found many of my creators through there,” she says.

“About 20 of them are from the Riverina but we wanted to make sure that we were doing something a bit different, so we’ve expanded to include other Australian creatives but still stick to that branding of the handmade boutique. ”

As well as the retail side of things, Patrina also runs workshops in the little studio out the back.

She says creativity can be a powerful healer.

“You can use creativity to bring the mind somewhere else and bring you to that happy place in your head,” she smiles.

“When you make things and teach people and help them to be inspired it’s a very powerful thing.”

You can be inspired by a visit to Studio on Sunshine at 89 Lorne St in Junee or visit Patrina’s Facebook here.