First exhibition at local cafe
Ettalong artist Keryn Hyslop will hold her first exhibition in at a local cafe.
It will be held at the Hatters Tea House, Ettalong, on April 9.
Ms Hyslop who has lived on the Peninsula for almost all her life, said she drew inspiration from experiences she forged while living in the region.
Her untitled exhibition features 12 pieces designed to emulate key memories of her life in and around Ettalong.
Ms Hyslop said she wanted her first exhibition to capture and reflect entirely the joy of the creative process and the experience of 'art'.
"For a long time, art has always had this element of highbrow to it that I hate," she said.
"I've always relished the creative process of everything I do and I truly want this exhibition to show that art is for everyone because art is about feeling."
Ms Hyslop has worked extensively as a photographer and environmental science artist and said she always drew inspiration from the natural beauty around her.
"My very first memory of wanting to do art was when I was a little girl.
"I had all these beautiful crayons, all these colours, all these possibilities.
"That translated into my work as a photographer and an environmental scientist.
"I would be up in a helicopter doing landscape maps or in a studio photographing something and just be captivated by all the colour," she said.
All 12 pieces in her exhibition feature bright colour and shapes that reflect her abstract expressionist style.
Ms Hyslop described her exhibition as art that lived and said her overall aim was to make people feel.
"I didn't even put my name on any of the pieces because I just wanted it to be about the art.
"I just want everything to speak for itself.
"Ettalong is one of those hidden gems on the Central Coast where the mountains meet the sea.
"It's where I grew up, where I went to school and where I raised a family.
"The people here are grounded and honest and that's what I want my art to be," Ms Hyslop said.
Interview, 30 Mar 2016
Keryn Hyslop, Ettalong Beach
Reporter: Dilon Luke