Nessa Lovell of Yass always wanted to be an artist but wasn't sure what other people would make of her work.
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She was a face and body painter for many years, yet didn't consider herself an artist.
That was until she was invited to appear as one of 30 artists at an event hosted by RAW, an organisation that supports independent artists. It was just the confidence boost she needed.
"They invited all different artists: make-up, performance, painters etc. That was when I thought if others are going to call themselves artists then I will as well," Mrs Lovell said.
Around three years ago, she began painting on canvas and now has a large collection.
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Some of her pieces are on display at Yarralumla Gallery until October 1 and will be moving to Escape ARTfest at Ulladulla on October 10.
This is Mrs Lovell's first solo exhibition, which came about after showing the gallery her work, plus a bit of wishful thinking.
"I had written an intention to have my own exhibition by September 2019 and that afternoon I got a call from Yarralumla," she said.
"I'm excited to have my own exhibition but nervous about the public's opinion."
The exhibition is named Fluid after the medium she uses.
Fluid involves pouring paint directly onto the canvas and using different techniques to move the paint, Mrs Lovell said.
"It's unlike traditional art. You can tilt the canvas or put multiple paints in a cup and pour it on, as examples," she said.
"There are so many different ways to play with it and you never know what it's going to look like.
"Every painting is an experiment and that's what is fun about it," she said.
Mrs Lovell uses acrylic and a pouring medium to get the paint to dry like resin, as well as alcohol ink to create rainbow and lava-like paintings.
She also likes to add metallic pigments to the paint, which make it shine and shimmer in the light.
"A lot of people think art has to look like something, a portrait or landscape. This style can go in any home," she said.
Mrs Lovell taught the method to herself through trial and error and Youtube videos.
"I saw resin artworks in a store and thought, I could do that, so I gave it a go," she said.
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The exhibition also includes some of Mrs Lovell's older work.
'Patchwork Mountains' includes three individual red canvas with mountains made from scrap booking paper.
You can meet the artist at Yarralumla Gallery on Saturday, September 28, 2pm to 4pm.
