Gregory Carosi, 39, moved to Wagga in 2014, to take being an artist seriously. 

“I moved from Sydney and since then have become a champion of regionalism, both culturally and for the work-life balance,” he said. 

“I wanted somewhere like Wagga, where we get geographical space and the creative headspace that comes with that. 

“I liked its centrality to Melbourne, Sydney and Canberra and I was really taken by the cultural energy that continues to evolve and develop in Wagga.

Mr Carosi said he was pleasantly surprised by the art scene in Wagga.

“The Wagga Art Gallery gave me my first solo exhibition in 2016,” he said.

"Then 2017 was very much about exhibiting in other regional galleries in the Riverina and NSW.” 

Mr Carosi was selected from 22 applicants from around Australia for the Grindell’s Hut Artist-in-Residence program taking place in regional South Australia this October.

“The Grindell’s Hut residency offers incredible scope to extend my investigations into how people move through and interact with built and natural environments,” Mr Carosi said in his application. 

“The residency will enable me to directly engage with the Vulkathunha‐Gammon Ranges National Park’s distinctive land formations and diverse ecosystems, providing the opportunity to record, through direct sketches and abstracted pictorial notation, the ways in which topographical features influence walking patterns and visual reading paths.”

Mr Carosi said this is another step in developing his national profile.

“I have a preference for the medium of oil on board or aluminum, and my interest in the relationships between art and the viewer has led to increasingly large-format supports that offer audiences an experience on the human scale,” he said. 

Mr Carosi said for artists on the hunt for their big break should recognise the opportunities available in regional centres like Wagga. 

“My advice is to connect with the people in galleries and art organisation,” he said.

“It doesn't matter where you get your start.” 

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