ArtLife exhibition arrives in Echuca

“We’ve been working together for six years, and most of us have been creating art for a lot longer than that,” she said.

“Not everyone in the group is showing work, but about nine people are, and it’s work we’ve done over the last year.”

The exhibition has no theme, but most works are paintings with a few pottery pieces to show some of the new methods people have been learning.

“(The artists) are mostly traditional painters. In the exhibition, we have a few abstract pieces, we also have some pottery,” Ms Bathgate said.

“We are not yet at the stage where we have (pottery) pieces for sale. But we have put a little display up so you can see some of what we have been doing.”

Ms Bathgate said the group had a great relationship with the gallery, with many exhibitions there in the past.

“Each year, for the last few years, they have invited us to display our work down there for a couple of months each year,” she said.

“That has always turned out to be a very good working relationship and an opportunity to showcase what we do in another part of the area.”

One of the group’s artists, Diane Sharp, said she loved being part of the group for the social aspect and having keen eyes to evaluate her work.

“It can be very lonely if you paint home all the time by yourself,” she said.

“I like that we all think alike, but we see things differently. It can really help to have people like that look at my work.

“It’s good to learn from each other. We never get sick of it. We’re always learning, and it keeps your brain matter working.”

Ms Sharp’s work consists mainly of watercolours, making it easier for her to continue her art at a later age.

“Because I’m older and have trouble standing for any length of time, I end up with back aches if I paint at an easel,” she said.

“So I decided with watercolour I could sit down. It takes a long time to make a painting.”