We are very excited to have commissioned a special festival artwork this year from local artist Lexie Antonio.

Lexie’s painting has been used to develop our 2022 merchandise including shirts, aprons, tea towels and stubby holders.

Lexie shares her artistic inspiration with us below:

While creating the ACOF painting, I tried to marry the idea of the old and the new coming together. ACOF began as a celebration of the old tradition of cooking food in a Dutch oven over an open fire and the ACOF brings this to a new generation of Australians. I feel it is an opportunity for all Australian to reminisce and enjoy traditions we grew up with, and share these memories and traditions with our family and friends of all ages.

When designing my painting, I wanted to represent the diversity of the ACOF, with the colours of Australia on the map. The caravans winding through the map represent that visitors that come from all corners of the country to enjoy an authentic Australian experience. The caravaners being bumper to bumper adds to the humour of them all congregating together in small country town for a weekend of celebration.

The featured caravan characters show the family centred fun that can be had at the festival, with the quintessential Australian camping weekend away including the family pet, esky and swag.

The road sign in front of the featured vehicle represents that “all roads lead to Millmerran” on that weekend, with the magpie being a common bird seen in the Millmerran landscape.

I hope that through my painting, I have represented the full-filled family and friends oriented authentic camping weekend that is the Australian Camp Oven Festival. A weekend filled with celebrating everything that is quirky and wonderful about our Australian lifestyle.