Scenic Rim Regional Council, Media Release, 26 February 2026
A breathtaking mural showcasing 100 artworks by Beaudesert State School Year 6 students has added another dimension to Scenic Rim Regional Council’s first exhibition for 2026.
Launching at The Centre Beaudesert on Saturday 14 March, Mr Chippa the Woodblock Carver of Bagru brings to life the delightful children’s book through hand-carved woodblocks and traditional hand-printing techniques.
Lee FullARTon’s cultural story about the woodblock carvers of Bagru and the exhibition are the culmination of many years of research, with her travel journal paintings and colourful Kathputli puppets illustrating her long-standing connection to India.
The Mr Chippa story began in 2011, when Lee undertook an Artist in Residency, visiting the woodblock colony of Bagru near the Pink City of Jaipur in India.
This area is steeped in history and tradition as the artisans carry on the work of their forefathers, creating blocks, prints and textiles with the same techniques and tools fashioned over 500 years.
Lee was inspired to share the story of the woodblock artisans through a children’s picture book and, in 2014, was awarded an Artist Grant by Arts Queensland to undertake an Artist in Residence at Sanskriti Kendra New Delhi, to further observe and research the woodblocks of India.
Her research and story book idea continued to take shape after her return to Australia and, committed to her dream of creating a handmade artist picture book, Lee finally completed the text in 2017 and spent the following year working on the illustrations.
In March 2019 Lee returned to Bagru in India to meet with textile designer Kamlesh Vyas and the Khan family, with whom she had a longstanding connection, to work on transforming the illustrations from Mr Chippa the Woodblock Carver of Bagru into carved woodblocks.
These arrived in Australia in the latter part of 2019 and a second set of blocks, which arrived in February 2021, was commissioned to complete the illustrations and text for the book.
For the next several months Lee and fellow printmaker Sara Butcher printed Mr Chippa in Lee’s Queensland-based studio.
The exhibition at The Centre Beaudesert will be opened by Scenic Rim’s Community, Arts and Culture Portfolio Councillor Kerri Cryer, who has been intrigued by the story of Mr Chippa.
“In the small village of Bagru, Mr Chippa is asked by Mr Vyas to create a block that is round like the moon and he draws on the imagery of his surrounding village to create an inspirational design,” she said.
“The reader is gently drawn into subtle cultural cues and nuances of Mr Chippa’s interactions and observations, the motifs within the round moon design telling the story of his village depicted as a traditional rangoli.
“This story guides the reader to be inspired to look and connect to their immediate surrounds in quiet contemplation and has a message for us all in this fast-paced world.
“Inspired by Mr Chippa’s remarkable journey, the artworks created by the Beaudesert State School reflect their perspectives of their town and community.”
The exhibition opening includes an ‘in conversation’ session with Lee FullARTon and guest speaker Dr Natasha Narain.
Bookings are essential for this free event, from 2.00pm to 4.30pm on Saturday 14 March, which includes light refreshments.
The free exhibition runs until 6 June 2026 during gallery hours, Tuesday to Friday 10am to 4pm and Saturday 10am to 2pm with the exception of public holidays and the Easter weekend.
For full details of cultural activities across the Scenic Rim, visit Council’s cultural website creativescenicrim.com.
