Painting across the globe

TAKING a trip around the world is easy when it's done through the artistic gaze of Anne Dwyer. The 69-year-old Thirroul artist almost had to cancel her upcoming exhibition 'Travels with a Paintbrush' because of serious back problems, but decided to push ahead with the exhibition while she still had the energy to do so. “I've had the ambition to do it for ages and I booked it two years ago, we almost had to cancel because I had major spinal surgery in March,” she said. Before her operation Ms Dwyer could only paint for half an hour at a time due to back pain. “Prior to the surgery I could only paint for half an hour before resting, I couldn't sit down, I had to stand or lie flat,” she said. Today, thanks to modern medicine, Ms Dwyer is a 'new woman' and with the help of her husband John is bringing her travels across the globe to life through her artwork. Her latest exhibition features 66 paintings in both oil and watercolour, documenting her travels throughout Alaska, Canada, the USA, UK, Fiji, Vanuatu, Singapore, France, Germany and Hong Kong. Ms Dwyer said the inspiration behind many of her works pre-dates the first time she picked up a paintbrush. For many years she was a potter, only taking up painting after getting married more than 10 years ago and deciding not to lug her kiln and pottery wheels to a new home. In an exhibition that contains everything from French farmhouses to the sands of Jervis Bay on the NSW South Coast, Ms Dwyer said her favourite painting is of The Marais in Paris - the romantic city's oldest section. Ms Dwyer's exhibition, which will be held at Wollongong's Old Courthouse on December 8 and 9, will also include excerpts from her travel diaries and videos of her overseas exploits that were produced by Mr Dwyer. Paintings will be on sale on the day with 10 per cent of all proceeds going to the South Coast School for Autistic Children.