Back in the mid-Nineties, a young couple sat in a chill-out bar, watching the sun set on a small island in the Mediterranean sea.

As the night grew dark, and the crowds drifted away, the moon sparkled across the almost black water. She turned her head, and said…

'Y'know, that'd be a beautiful name.'   

He looked at her curiously, 'What would?'

She looked back out over the ocean, 'Lunaqwa' she replied.

Artwork by Lunaqwa was created in 2016, initially as an outlet for my natural photography in both landscape and project form. I had had a bit of a bug for taking pictures of beautiful scenery since I was first handed a disc camera as a child (and that ages me!), and since moving to Western Australia with the astonishing light we have here I seem to take photos everywhere I go.

All photographs on the Site are our own, representing our love for Nature when showcased at its Natural Best; the images have not been edited or PhotoShopped (except for the UnNatural Selection) beyond zooming or straightening the shot.

HI we are Bev & James Whitehouse, as featured in the little story opposite :-)

I’ve always loved the idea that someone stood beside me at the exact same moment could have taken the exact same picture, so the aim is always to provide the 'true' picture. We always say that it's Art as Nature Intended.

 

LUNAQWA now has a shop at the e-sheds in Fremantle. Open Friday, Saturday and Sunday

As time progressed I sought ever more creative avenues for displaying my pictures, from greetings cards and magnets, to resin blocks and suncatchers, and eventually began creating my own jewellery with some of the more popular images. This led to making personalised items from YOUR own pictures as well as choosing from ours. We’ve since added christmas tree decorations into the mix which are a HUGE hit with families.

We are extremely proud to support Native Animal Rescue with a donation of $1 from EVERY quokka product we sell (see Quokkaphilia for the full range of our cuddly quokkas, greetings cards, and gifts, or donate directly) and Cat Haven WA with a donation of at least 10% from every cat-design product sold (range varies from Market to Market, but please feel free to donate directly). Both causes mean a great deal to us personally.

Another step we took towards protecting the world around us came with the introduction of the CarryAround Drinks Carriers Collection, simply the best invention we have seen for reducing the waste from cardboard and plastic drinks trays. We have several of these gadgets ourselves, including one which is over twenty years old - that is a LOT of plastic trays not picked up or thrown away..!

Early 2022 saw the purchase of Kanga Markets and Events, a popular Market organiser originally created by Mike and Rita Ahern with whom we had worked closely for several years - we held strongly to their work ethic and beliefs and were happy to continue where they had left off in growing this amazing business.

Which brings us to present day, where I’ve just dropped the ‘Artwork by’ and we are now purely Lunaqwa. We have a lot going on, all of it incredibly precious to us.

Please, feel free to browse and explore at your leisure. After all, that’s very much how the majority of the photos came about in the first place. Hope to see you at some of our Events very soon x

#KeepItReal


FAQs

As we try to keep things simple, we don't take frequent questions, but here are a couple of those that come up from time to time...

Q - Why Lunaqwa?

A - Simply, it was from the Spanish, Luna for the Moon and Agua for Water - as I looked out over the sea I said the words together, and they merged into one.

Q - You say your pictures are Natural, but you must use Specialist Equipment (Filters, lenses etc)?

A - Actually I don't. All of the images you see here have been taken with either a standard compact camera (I'm currently using a Nikon Coolpix A900, but previously used Sony Cybershot WX350 and Samsung WB650) or my iPhone (currently 12)

Q - What in the world is the UnNatural Selection?

A - Occasionally I take a photo that I love at the time, but when I check it onscreen it isn't quite 'right', however I hate deleting pictures, particularly if there's been a reason for taking the shot (eg the tree in 'Yallingup') so I attempt to make them a little more interesting. I like to think that the amendments are obvious enough that they won't be mistaken for reality, and the pics are clearly indicated as UnNatural, so hopefully Mother Nature will forgive me.

Q - Why do you spell the agua part of Lunaqwa with a W?

A - I've had the word 'Lunagua' saved on my computer for years, but it wasn't until we moved to Australia that I had the opportunity to finally start the business, and as the vast majority of the shots are from this incredible State we're privileged to call home, it seemed appropriate to adjust the name to include WA