Creating a special connection
Gayle Newcombe has loved animals since she was a toddler.
Mrs Newcombe, a Rainbow native who now lives near Jeparit, said one of her earliest memories as a child was watching her mother sketch horses.
“I can remember sitting next to her and watching her work. I loved watching her sketch this horse that just came alive on the paper,” she said.
Mrs Newcombe is one of 20 artists exhibiting their work at Horsham East Rotary Art Fair at Horsham Town Hall this week.
She has exhibited her work in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, New Zealand and Tasmania.
Mrs Newcombe said her focus was on connections between pets and their owners.
She said she used images supplied by pet owners to create her work.
“There is nothing like a dog – they don’t judge you and they are amazing. Every dog is completely different, some of the photos I use are of them playing and some of them sleeping,” she said.
“I also do portrait works, however, they are hard to do. You need to get everything right – if you draw a line that is one inch too long it ruins a work.
“For example, you don’t want to put too many wrinkles on a person, and don’t want to make a baby look old.”
Mrs Newcombe said she received positive feedback from Wimmera people who commissioned artwork from her.
“Most people are shocked I get the personality of their dog spot on,” she said.
“If I can get someone to take my work home and say that they can feel something from it, I know that I have done my job correctly.”