Tetlow migrated as a Ten Pound Pom and painted his new wild country as a way to understand it, but it was through his many travels around India that he began to truly realise his art.

With his wife Erika Inhofer, he set up Studio 13 in Normanville. It showcased Tetlow’s sketches and paintings, and was a vibrant gathering place for artists and art buffs alike.

George Tetlow in his studio in Normanville. Photo: Gary Juleff

Mark and Jill Pearse were born in Australia but travelled and lived in Europe for years, finding great stimulation for their art over there. On returning to Australia they found Adelaide rather dull in comparison, so they made their way to the Fleurieu, where their home in Yankalilla not only became an impetus for their art-making, but also a sort of artwork in itself.

George Tetlow and Mark and Jill Pearse: Lives in Art is more than a biography of artists; it is its own work of art.

With more than 100 coloured prints and photographs of Tetlow’s and the Pearses’ drawings, paintings, pottery and sculpture stylishly laid out, it can take pride of place face-out on any discerning bookshelf.

Some of the 156 glossy pages include photographs of the artists in varying stages of their lives, or photographs of places where they lived or travelled. Other pages contain sectioned-off memories of the artists as told in direct quotes by other well-known artists.

Coloured indexes that help consolidate their accomplishments, and timelines that put these accomplishments into perspective, also add to the book’s elegant look. And as a bonus, at the back is a DVD with interviews of the artists in their own studios or homes.

Because the artists’ and their legacies are Fleurieu-based, as are McLoughlin’s, the book goes beyond celebrating local art; it celebrates the richness of this South Australian region.

You can buy a copy of “George Tetlow and Mark and Jill Pearse: Lives in Art” at www.fitzmcl.com.

I Spy: Click here for a gallery of social photos from the book launch at UniSA