Dorothy Roddy has been taking full advantage of her hard-won residency program at Griffith's Rooms of Requirement.
The six-week residency was recently offered to artists across Australia to apply for, as part of a collaboration between Western Riverina Arts and Rooms of Requirement.
Ms Roddy's passion and focus made her the clear choice for Camille Whitehead from WRA and Kristy-Lee Agresta, despite some strong competition.
"I'm really excited to have her here," said Miss Agresta.
"She had a distinct project to work on, so I thought it was going to be helpful. The portraiture as well, I was very excited about. The main thing was that she's always trying to improve, that's what really made her stand out,"
Ms Roddy said she was still recovering a bit from the surprise of receiving the residency.
"I was at Leeton Museum when Camille drew me aside and told me they wanted to offer me the residency, I had to remember to breathe," she joked.
Two weeks into the residency, Ms Roddy has been enjoying the experience and learning a lot. This week, she's been brushing up on instagram and the art of social media, as well as expanding her artistic skillset.
"I used to think I needed something in front of me to draw from, but I learnt that I could just draw from my head," she said.
But while she's learning, she's also been hard at work on an exciting project - illustrations for a children's book. She said having a specific work space had done wonders for her focus.
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"It's good to have somewhere to work from, you just leave all your worries at home. I've been enjoying having friends and family come in as well."
Not one to bide her time, there's one last project Ms Roddy is using the space to work on. Portraits of the community, done in just one hour.
"We're inviting the community down to sit for these portraits, the sitter is invited to play their favourite music," said Miss Agresta.
"At the end of the year, there'll be an exhibition."
For those interested in getting a portrait done, there are a few dates left before Ms Roddy's residency comes to a close on June 20. There are options every Wednesday, as well as Saturday May 28 and June 18.
The dates, tickets and bookings are available through Eventbrite.
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Cai Holroyd
Journalist for the Area News in Griffith. RMIT graduate. Full-time writer and part-time nuisance. Been described as 'present.'
Journalist for the Area News in Griffith. RMIT graduate. Full-time writer and part-time nuisance. Been described as 'present.'
