Her solo art exhibition Imago is on this weekend, with opening night on Saturday.

Member for Barwon, Kevin Humphries, will conduct the official opening, which will be held in the newly created public artspace provided by Lost Sea Opals.

The Lightning Ridge

resident, while only having lived in town for a year, explained that the area was a great source of inspiration for her.

“Lightning Ridge is a vast, unlimited source of inspiration for an artist, from the vibrant colours of the precious opal, to the textures and colours of the rocks, to the clarity of the clear blue sky,” she said.

Ann describes her work as expressionistic and abstract, but more importantly, telling a story.

“People connect to stories and they can transcend

language and cultural barriers.”

Ann’s work also reflects her personal journey, having her passion for art rekindled by an art book based on a western desert art movement, papunya.

After spending 25 years teaching, Ann set about on a journey out west for retirement.

“I was ready for the freedom, space and expansiveness,” Ann said.

“I got caught up in the uniqueness and individuality of Lightning Ridge. It’s non-defining.”

The name of the exhibition, Imago is reflective of her change, as it is used to describe a butterfly’s third stage of life.

So what does this butterfly plan to do after the exhibition?

Ann hopes to work with curators of exhibitions in Dubbo and Albury, move into other mediums (such as textiles and print), and she hopes to continue to do work that has a message - whether it be environmental or humanitarian.

Her upcoming solo art exhibition Imago is to be held at the new venue ‘Ridge ArtSpace’ located on Onyx Street.

The exhibition is open daily from 10am until

4pm and will finish on October 25.