By ALANA MITCHELSON
Torquay painter Sue Woolnough’s Bali-inspired series of watercolour and acrylic works will raise money for a cause close to her heart.
The charity work of Woolnough’s sister, Jan Johannesen, in the Balinese village of Munti Gunung inspired the To Bali and Back exhibition.
“Many people see Bali as a wonderful holiday destination, which it is, but I’m fascinated by what lies beneath the surface,” Woolnough explained.
“Jan’s chance encounter 10 years ago with a little street kid selling bracelets to tourists has led to an incredible story of determination and inspiration in her drive to make a difference.”
Johannesen single-handedly runs the Bali Smiles charity, which offers education sponsorships for street kids, provides rice through a Feed A Family initiative, organises the building of toilets, water wells and homes, and equips and staffs the Bali Smiles Health Clinic.
Proceeds raised from the exhibition will go toward the clinic to buy medicines and pay the $250 monthly wage of its doctor.
The funding will ensure free health care remains available for poverty-stricken villagers in need.
Woolnough’s works reflect Bali’s tropical environment. She has grouped them thematically, beginning with a range of smaller watercolors with a delicate approach to tropical plant life and continuing on to larger, bolder acrylic artworks.
The artist had been lucky enough to follow her bucket list and view artworks by the old masters and contemporary artists across the world, she said.
“I enjoy discovering the effects of different paint colors merging and colliding. Each painting presents its own puzzles and I find tremendous satisfaction in working through these challenges.
“My brush is like a conductor’s baton and my aim is to make my colors sing. We all respond to art in a different way and have individual tastes and preferences.
“There are no rules. Something about a work will just strike a chord.”
To Bali and Back opens Tuesday at Geelong’s Little Creatures Brewery and continues until the end of the month.
