The beautiful works of local artist Karin Ryan are on display at Town and Country Gallery in Yarragon until October 19.
Titled "Retrospective and New works," Karin said the exhibition of etchings, paintings and prints was likely to be her last.
"As I get older, it gets harder to sit at an easel for hours," she said. "During the pandemic when there was so much time at home, I thought it was a good opportunity to have one last burst."
Karin's art is created in a naïve style, drawing inspiration from both the landscape of Gippsland and the European countryside she grew up in.
"I like painting in a naive style, not too realistic because then you can have a lot of fun," Karin said.
"I spent my first eight years in Germany. We lived in the countryside with beautiful forests and little streams. It was just idyllic and so that's always stayed with me."
Encouraged by her artistic mother and grandmother, Karin began creating artwork as a child, following her passion into adulthood.
"I've always drawn, when I was a little kid I was always drawing," Karin said. "I didn't start painting until around 1989. I studied the history of art at university and I thought "oh I could never be a modern artist," but then through a series of coincidences I attended a naive art show. It was so awful! And I thought, well I can probably do better than this!"
Karin said making art was not a "money spinner" for her, it was just something she enjoyed doing.
"It's just something I need to do," she said. "It's just a bit of fun!"
"Retrospective and New works" showcases a collection of paintings, etchings and prints. Karin said her favourite piece is a painting titled "The green dream".
The painting, featuring a girl in a row boat with a flock of pelicans, began without a firm plan and evolved naturally as Karin painted.
"I was just sort of painting, wondering how I was going to finish it," Karin said. "And then I did (the pelicans). It was just accidental. I had to learn how to do pelicans, it's hard to master something when you've never drawn it before."
Karin's work is on display at the Town and Country Gallery in Yarragon until October 19.