Sometimes the worst experiences open the eyes of the sufferer to the joys of life.
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That’s what artist, Diane McDonald, says she discovered when she contracted what she calls “two nasty forms of cancer”.
She had painted for much of her life but it was as a hobby, something she did when she could find the scarce time.
But the illnesses over which she eventually triumphed convinced her that she needed to cherish every day and do what she really wanted to do – and that was to paint.
And, furthermore, to paint the landscape of Northern New England.
She said she was travelling through the area and the scenery “never ceased to inspire me.”
“I love our countryside and the people who inhabit it. As a naturally positive person – who like most of us has faced some challenges – I like to paint hope and happiness into my works. Not just in my landscapes but in all my subjects”.
The result is bright, dreamlike landscapes on canvases that strike the viewer as he or she looks.
They are currently on the walls of the Gawura Gallery in Glen Innes. They will be exhibited there for the next month or so.
She and the gallery owners, Lloyd and Wendy Hornsby, struck up a friendship when Diane and her husband happened to call in as they passed.
“I was on a camping holiday with my husband”, said the Brisbane based artist. and I only intended to drop in for ten minutes.
“In fact, I left my husband in the car because he is more into football than art”.
In she went, leaving the football fan outside, and found she liked the gallery and the couple. One thing led to another and a friendship formed.
And now an exhibition over April, May and part of June.