ENERGISING and uplifting; creative and inspiring.

Within seconds of meeting Lucy Rose, and upon entering the Lucy Rose Gallery in Berridale, these feelings will embrace you like a warm hug.

Lucy Rose is a gifted artist and a unique, positive person - and her gallery reflects this. It’s small, and full of art works, but rather than feel cluttered, the space and ambience is quite magical, calming and welcoming.

“It’s funny because I have had less in here before and it’s looked more cluttered. But there’s so many things I’ve got - you need to have an assortment of stuff - but now I think I have maximised everything,” Lucy said.

“How the shop is now, I really feel good about it when I look around, as it just flows.”

Lucy’s creativity is evident not only in her beautiful paintings but extends to her ability to create a gallery space infused with a mix of quirkiness, style and her obvious passion for the Snowy Mountains.

New Zealand-born, mountain and horse loving Lucy began painting 18 years ago.

She never in her wildest dreams thought she would be an artist or have a gallery.

“We had horses and lived near a beach in New Zealand. We used to go hunting and eventing; it was a great life. I was always drawn to the mountains...I ended up learning to snowboard. I think it was the mountain air and good people - down-to-earth farming people - that I loved.”

Her deep affection for horses combined with the intrigue, romance and folklore of the Snowy Mountains bush, and a natural artistic ability, encouraged Lucy to move forward with a new and exciting life of painting.

“I never thought I would paint horses or be into all this kind of stuff that’s in the shop, but it all just happened. These mountains are amazing and riding them on horseback and the bush life is such a beautiful life.

“The heritage and tradition of life in the mountains is actually getting lost - I never thought that would happen - not so many people are doing this anymore.”

Lucy’s art has developed over the years to include other subjects.

“I started with the horses, but now I am also into the skiers, cows and deer.”

The gallery is Lucy’s pride and joy. It was a real labour of love, something she started from scratch when she returned to the Snowy Mountains from NZ eight years ago, renovating and working on it until it became the perfect place to hang her magnificent art works.

“It is not a normal gallery as in I am often not here. So, if anyone is planning to make a special trip to the gallery I suggest they either phone or message me to check I will be here.

“I go to the print company in Sydney regularly to use a special scanner for the giclee prints, I paint at home, or I can be out of mobile phone range...I do all sorts of different things.

“This gallery has taken a lot of effort to open and get to this stage but it’s cool, I am so lucky - people love it and it’s a beautiful thing,” Lucy said.

“I have met the most beautiful people and I love the reason behind the purchases - a lot of it is for romance - getting married, or a present for Christmas or a birthday. Happy occasions, which is why I haven’t met anyone not nice!

“I didn’t plan any of this. I’ve worked really hard, but it’s not work to me.”

Lucy paints with pallet knives and brushes.

“I’ve done more than 200 paintings with a knife, but the newer style I am doing with a brush. I am getting some good feedback about the brush paintings. I know people like my pallet knife paintings, so it’s a good feeling to hear that they like the new style I am doing.”

The giclee prints and canvases are very popular.

“I have limited edition paper prints which use the giclee method and are the best in the world - they need to be behind glass - and then I do giclee on canvas.”

A giclee is a fine art print created by using a specialised high resolution inkjet printer. Giclee prints stand apart with their extremely high level of quality, longevity and value compared to a standard print.

It is the closest duplication of an original artwork that is humanly, mechanically and technically possible.

It is very difficult to tell the difference between an original and a giclee without touching the canvas.

“I explain to people when they come in that I do embellishing with oil on top of the canvas as well; you can’t beat the original painting but it’s a bit more affordable than an original painting,” Lucy said.

“The paintings hung in the gallery are a mix of original oil paintings, ones with oil on the giclee and ones without. The new style of my painting is water-based, so it’s a lot easier and doesn’t take so long. Oils take about three-six months to properly cure.

“I don’t sketch; it all comes out of my head. When I first started I used to look at a picture, but now I get so involved in it once I start, and it comes to life while I am painting. It’s such a good feeling but I get really tired after a session.”

Lucy has discovered running a gallery and being an artist can be a “weird business”.

“I’ve done a lot of commissions...but you don’t know who is going to walk through the door. It can be quiet and then all of a sudden someone will walk in and say ‘I’ll buy that painting’, and the paintings sell from anything between $8,000 to $75-95,000.

“The smaller items are always popular, like the cards and prints. It’s taken me a long time to work out how to do things and what to sell and stock in the gallery.”

Lucy believes tangible things like art are very healthy for the mind and soul.

“We’re not meant to be on computers and phones all the time. These devices affect us more than we know.”

The gallery offers a space where people can heighten their senses, which is limited these days with screens and devices.

“The rooms in the shop are like another world,” Lucy said.

“It will evolve over time; I do need a bigger space and I am sure one day I will have more space, but people say how much they love the shop.”

Lucy Rose Gallery is located at 60 Jindabyne Road, Berridale.