Australian Gourmet Traveller - (06)June 2020 (1)

Onthecards...

Sydneyforwork

(whenit’ssafe

to travel again).

Mylasttrip...

MargaretRiver

fora friend’s

wedding.

• it’sanexquisiteplacetovisit;the
  propertyis lushandhaspanoramicviews
  acrossthesoundtoSweden.Inaddition
  towhatwasa perspective-shifting,art-filled
  holiday,mybrotherwontheOmnium
  event. It really was a trip to remember.

Thatholidaywasthefirstveryart-centric

holidayI’dbeenon.I was 21 andit was

aroundthetimethatI startedpainting,

soit wasanextremelyconfirmingtrip.

Abstractexpressionism,whichis thestyle

thatbestdescribesmywork,is abundant

in Denmark, and Europe in general.

I wasinSpainrecentlyformysister’s

wedding– she’slivedina townan

houroutofBarcelonaforseveralyears

now.Naturally,mygiftwasgoingto

bea painting.I decidedI wouldwait

andpaintit justbeforemyflighthome.

Nothingliketheadrenalineofan

all-nighter!Thefinishedworkwas

quitedifferenttowhatI normally

do.Fourweeksofvisitingmuseums,

cathedrals,galleriesandhiddenbeaches,

plusenjoyingbeautifulfood,wedding

festivitiesandlove...allofit is inthe

painting.A truereflectionoftravel,

experience,feelingandplace.Thatis

themagicofart;it says it all, you don’t

need to say a word.

I’myettoreallyexploreItalyandvisitthe

littletownofAgnanainCalabriawhere

mymother’sparentsarefrom.MyNonna

instilledaninescapableaffinityfor

Southern-Italiancookinginme.I love

the honesty of simple ingredients and

Thestunningexpanseofthe

Kimberleyregion inspires

me.Thered earth;thewhite

sand; the turquoise sea.

thepridewithwhichproduceis prepared.

I’vealwayssaidthatI’dhappilyhavemy

Nonna’spastina(verysimilartorisonibut

smaller)asmylastmeal.Therecipeis just

pastinaandbroccoliaddedtowell-salted

boilingwater.Oncethepastais cooked

just add parmesan and olive oil.

Myfirstpropergastronomicdégustation

experiencewasat AOCinCopenhagen.

MymumandI stumbleduponthe

Michelin-starredrestaurantfordinner

andwehadnoideawhatwewerein

for.I wouldsaythefoodwasa formof

culinarywizardry– I willneverforget

the words “meringue gravel”.

A planeis a greatplacetocreateart

becauseyou’reforcedtositstillforhours.

Someofmyfavouritedrawingsweredone

intransitorina hotelroom.I callit the

“hotelstudio”– it’stheonlytimeI’lllet

myself paint in bed, sitting on white sheets.

Broomeis paradiseandmyfamilylove

holidayingthere.If I hadtotalkabout

a landscapethatinspiresme,it would

bethevariedandstunningexpanseof

theKimberleyregion.Theredearth;

thewhitesand;theturquoisesea – it’s

such an incredible palette.

Whenthetravelrestrictionsarelifted

I can’twaittoreturntoSpaintoseemy

family,tomeetmybrother’snewpuppy,

Lasagne,andheadtotheCostaBrava

tolayonthebeachwithmysister.●

RinarecentlycollaboratedwithCamillaandMarc

tohelpraiseawarenessandfundsforUNSW’s

OvarianCancerResearch.Thecampaignartwork

is nowbeingsoldasprintsand 10 percentof

proceedswillcontinuetosupportthe cause.

rinafreiberg.com; @rinafreiberg

GOURMET TRAVELLER 31

INTERVIEW KARLIE VERKERK. PHOTOGRAPHY BLAIR GAULD.

How I travel