No-one could have been more surprised than Armidale artist Andrea Gledhill when she took out first prize in figurative painting at this years Royal Easter Show in Sydney.
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The recently retired head of Austin College at the University of New England and former curator at the New England Art Museum (NERAM) resumed painting last year after a 22-year lapse.
She had majored in painting at the Queensland College of Art in the 1980s but work commitments and children had kept her away from the easel since that time.
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Appropriately the winning painting Showgirl, 1961 reaches back into a nostalgic Australian past.
A young girl sits in her backyard at the end of what was then the third most exciting day of the year - show day! She simply had to be recorded with her show bags and cowgirl hat before dinner and bedtime.
Last year Ms Gledhill joined Anne Clarke's still life class at NERAM and rediscovered her passion for painting.
She also found that the subject matter that really attracted her was a collection of old photos of children from the 1950s and 60s.
"I want to capture the stories behind the more posed and formal family photographs of those days," Ms Gledhill said.
"It's become a passion for me and after my win at the Royal Easter Show I have found it strikes a chord with so many people who have contacted me and want me to take it further which is really encouraging."
Some of Ms Gledhill's paintings are currently on display at the Armidale Art Gallery in the mall.
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