Canberra couple stage second This is Art market in Yarralumla - The Canberra Times

Canberra couple, Mel Christie and Matt McDonald at the Yarralumla Woolshed. Photo: Rohan Thomson

There are few things more stressful than organising a wedding. Throw in a big art market to stage three weeks later and the blood pressure may be reaching boiling point.

But young O'Connor couple Mel Christie and Matt McDonald seem to have taken it all in their stride.

Both 26 and working in the public service, the pair have a passion for art and promoting local artists.

Mel Christie and Matt McDonald. Photo: Rohan Thomson

They were married at Mel's parents' farm near Grafton in northern NSW on October 19 and this weekend stage their second This is Art Market in the rustic surrounds of the Yarralumla Woolshed.

Mel said juggling a wedding and the art market was "pretty intense" but also strangely smooth-sailing.

"I think it put things in perspective, organising them both. I think if we had to focus on just one thing, it would have been more stressful," Mel said, with a laugh.

Amid the corrugated iron and faded wood of the woolshed, some of Canberra's most exciting artists will have their works for sale this weekend.

The market is to encourage people to put original artwork on their walls rather than generic prints from department stores and other mass-market outlets.

Artists are encouraged to keep their works affordable, to keep it as accessible as possible.

"Our aim is to promote local artists and the local art scene," Matt, 26, said.

"We have nearly 50 artists for this market so we're pretty stoked with that."

The market began just as an idea as Mel, who is a musician and writer, and Matt, who paints, considered how emerging artists get their works to the buying public.

"We are hobby artists and we used to make art in the backyard together and one day we got to talking about how you call sell art and we came up with the idea of an art market," Matt said.

"It was a pipedream initially but it just grew."

The first market was held in Canberra in April. It was followed soon after by one in Grafton.

"It just feels good to promote local artists," Mel said.

Among the artists at this weekend's market are Sally Dunbar, Juliette Dudley, Steve Jones,Christina Thwaites, Gillian Jackson and local street artists local street artists Bugs, Voir, Rosco and Walrus.

It is on at the Yarralumla Woolshed, Cotter Road, on Saturday and Sunday from 10am to 3pm. There will also be music and food onsite.