July 19th, 2025Artists of the Central Highlands
Emma McAdam-Marmont grew up in New Zealand and studied at Elam School of Fine Arts in Auckland, majoring in sculpture, photography, and mixed media. She moved to Australia in her early 20s to work in advertising and eventually became a television producer. That’s how she met her husband-to-be Struan Hopwood – they were both working creatively, just not yet as painters. Struan was born in South Africa and moved to Melbourne in 2003. He studied arts and fine art here, but was always painting in some form – from sketchbooks and murals to spray-painted boards and canvas. He says he always knew he’d find his way into a studio practice. The pair chatted with Donna Kelly.
Donna: How did you get together?
Both: We met in our advertising days, but it was during a trip to Prague – sitting on the banks of the Vltava River – that we decided to leave that world and build a life around painting. That was May 13, which is where the name Thirteen 05 (their Daylesford gallery) comes from.
Donna: What do you do, artwise?
Emma: I work mostly in acrylic, using spatulas, palette knives, and sponges to build texture and softness. My “Suits” series focuses on faceless, androgynous figures that carry a certain emotional weight – quiet confidence, vulnerability, sometimes nostalgia. I also paint nude works that treat the body more like landscape than object – soft, powerful, grounded in presence rather than performance.
Struan: I paint bold, character-driven work influenced by street art, manga and pop culture. There’s a lot of colour, linework, and symbolism in my pieces – sometimes humorous, sometimes darker. I work with acrylics, spray paint and acrylic markers, blending illustration with abstract textures.
Both: Our collaborative portraits combine both of those energies – Struan creates the character and linework, and Emma brings the skin, the flesh, and the realism. It’s an intuitive back-and-forth. Sometimes a piece will go between us five or six times before it lands.
Donna: What do you love about art?
Emma: That it says things we don’t have words for. It can stop someone in their tracks and invite them to feel something quietly and deeply.
Struan: That it can be cheeky, nostalgic and emotional all at once. I love that art holds contradiction – it can be fun and still mean something.
Donna: Are you competitive with each other?
Both: No, not at all. We paint in the same studio, share feedback constantly, and collaborate closely even when the work is technically solo. There’s trust in the process, and we’re usually better for each other’s eyes. If anything, the collaboration gives us permission to push further than we would alone.
Donna: Why are you part of the Winter Show at Little Gallery in Trentham?
Both: Little Gallery feels like a natural fit, we live in Trentham and truly appreciate and admire the team at Little Gallery – artist-led, thoughtfully curated, and committed to showing work with heart. The Winter Show has built a reputation for quality and integrity, and we’re really proud to have both our individual and collaborative work included.
Donna: Where else can people see your work?
Both: We run our own space – Thirteen 05 Gallery in Daylesford. It’s our own boutique gallery and is constantly evolving. New work arrives weekly, and we also showcase a selection of other contemporary Australian artists. We’ll also be exhibiting together at the Affordable Art Fair in Melbourne this August, alongside Sally Hastings and a few other brilliant creators.
Donna: Do you have a Central Highlands story?
Both: Like a lot of people, we came to Daylesford thinking we’d slow down – and we did, a little, but we also found this incredible, creative community and freedom to create a space that is ours. There’s room to think and make, and there’s genuine curiosity from the people who walk through our doors. It’s home now and has been for nearly nine years.
Donna: Anything else you’d like to add?
Both: Just a thank you to the Little Gallery team, to everyone supporting artists in real, meaningful ways, and to those who take the time to really look and have a conversation. That moment of connection between the artist and the viewer is the reason we do this. Lastly, if there’s something you think about, a passion of yours that pops into your mind every day in those quiet moments, we challenge you to take the step and do it. Create that thing, build that project, travel to that place. Life is short and you should do what you love.
The Little Gallery Winter Show opened on July 11 and will run until July 28, open 10am-4pm from Thursday to Monday.
