INTERNATIONALLY acclaimed painter, Ruth Randall-George a resident of Nambucca Heads and Monica Rundle, who lives in Valla, have collaborated with artist friends they met at Sawtell Art Gallery – Jane Hutchins from Coffs Harbour and Jill Hankinson, Mullaway resident – during their first exhibition together.

Serendipity exhibition at the Bellingen’s Nexus Gallery, at the Old Butter Factory, celebrates its opening on Sunday 14 August at 3pm.

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The exhibition will open each day from 10am-4pm until 9 September.

Monica, Jane and Jill met during oil painting classes and various workshops at Sawtell Art Gallery in 2009.

In 2017 the three artist friends decided to upgrade and improve their oil painting skills with international artist, Ruth Randall-George.

The four soon became very close friends with the three girls’ individual painting styles evolving under Ruth’s expert tuition.

A few years later, during what had become social painting sessions with four friends, they decided to take their individual painting styles one step further resulting in this exhibition “Serendipity” with something for everyone.

Ruth Randall-George has been drawing and painting most of her life.

She has travelled extensively, living in Malaysia for two years painting and studying the Malaysian culture.

After four years in Houston, Texas, continuing her art studies, she travelled to England and Canada.

Ruth enjoys painting in different mediums, her first and favourite being oils.

Her work hangs in many private collections throughout Australia, the United States, England and Malaysia.

Ruth now resides in Nambucca Heads close to beautiful rainforest where she gains her inspiration for her artwork.

Monica has always enjoyed drawing, and art was her favourite subject at school.

The students were given no formal tuition but given a selection of poster paints and left to their own devices.

However, she spent many happy hours in the art room.

Oil paints are her favourite medium and she enjoys using a limited palette and mixing her own colours.

Monica loves the challenge of painting a variety of subjects, becoming fascinated when a painting starts “talking” to her and a 3D image emerges from a flat surface.

Jane’s love for art began as a young girl when she saw landscape paintings by Albert Namatjira.

When she enrolled in oil painting classes in Central Queensland with a noted artist, Coral Morris, her love for painting in oils rapidly blossomed.

In 2009 Jane joined the Sawtell Art group and attended various workshops and classes where she met up with Monica and Jill.

Jane loves a challenge, to push the boundaries with colour and to capture the character of birds, animals and landscapes.

Jill’s passion for art took hold in the 1980s when she took classes in acrylics and enjoyed working with this medium for many years.

In 2006, having moved to Coffs, she joined Sawtell Art group where she took classes and workshops using oil paints.

Jill developed a love for the vibrancy and elasticity of this medium.

This is where she met up with fellow artists Jane and Monica.

Jill describes herself as a traditional artist trying to be more impressionistic.

Her favourite subjects involve nature – people, animals, birds and plant life.

By Andrea FERRARI