One Highlands artist has been told that Hollywood actors have admired her paintings in her newest exhibition that she created in lockdown.
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Zoe Young's exhibition Still. Life. explores the impacts of lockdown, the imagination that comes with it and pays tributes to Australia and Hollywood.
It will feature in the Gruin Gallery in Los Angeles from October 15 to November 15, where most of the artworks have already been purchased.
"It feels very surreal," she said.
"The exhibition is looking at the beautiful side of the chaos of postponement.
"It is not being able to make it out to the big party, or throwing a big party and nobody can turn up.
"It is the beauty of adapting to the disappointment experienced through an array of objects."
The two-time Archibald Prize finalist explained she had a turning point when she won the NSW Women's Leadership Rural Scholarship this year.
The scholarship gave her the opportunity to hold conferences on leadership and business, and then inspired her to think about exhibiting overseas.
She spent time in the Highlands creating a dozen paintings full of imaginary Hollywood dinner party scenes.
Ms Young embraced lockdown with some home-delivery which inspired her, and helped her bring the works to life.
"It is a series of my studio in lockdown, the joy and pleasure of home-delivered pasta and the positive side of lockdown which is returning to books, food and our internal lives," she explained.
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"It is a response to COVID whilst being a celebration of Hollywood which is a place of dreams and decadence."
Ms Young said Still. Life. would not have been possible without the support of the Bowral District Art Society (BDAS).
"I used their workshop space for the paintings, because they were so big that they did not fit into my studio," she said.
The artist held her first solo exhibition at the Bowral Art Gallery in 2015 through the BDAS Reg Rowe Art Scholarship.
"I had my first ever solo exhibition there, so it was nice to have my first international show painted there," she continued.
The multi-award winning artist also explained that she graduated from the National Art School with the Gruin Gallery's director Emerald Gruin.
"It is a really nice connection from knowing each other in our student days," she said.
Ms young has been awarded a number of accolades over the years, such as the Calleen Art Prize in 2020, The Sulman Prize in 2019 and featured in the Sydney Contemporary Art Fair in 2018.
She was shortlisted, and then then won the Portia Geach art prize in 2018, and two of her artworks were shortlisted for the competition in 2017.
Her love of art has also been shared with the Highlands community.
The Bowral Public School alumni also helped her school celebrate their 150th anniversary by painting a portrait of Donald Bradman.
She also designed the front cover of Bowral CWA's first cookbook.
Highlanders can have a look at the artist's exhibition online.
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