Jaya Murthy moved from Griffith to Albury six months ago with her husband, and as one of four artists in Image & Imagination, took the opportunity to support her country of birth.

"My husband has got his sisters and brothers in India," Mrs Murthy said.

"They're all OK. My cousins got COVID, but now they are out of danger.

"The money will go to the villages, for whoever needs it, especially the people who don't know about COVID.

"Some of them don't understand what's going on and they are still under lockdown."

The couple have lived in East Africa and Papua New-Guinea as well as India, but it was in Griffith that Mrs Murphy discovered her passion for art.

Mrs Murphy saw a notice for oil painting classes by Jeff Wright, who she now calls 'Guruji', an Indian term for venerated teacher.

"I went to my first class 15 years back - my husband is a very busy pathologist, so I wanted to find a hobby, but it's really my passion now," she said.

"We moved to Albury six months ago; my husband retired and our daughter is here, so we wanted to come and be with her."

Her landscape paintings and drawings are displayed alongside the work of Anna Sauerbier, Sarah Livingston and Rose Brigden.

Mrs Murphy and Mrs Brigden met this year through the Buds Art Group which meets weekly in Thurgoona.

Mrs Brigden, who was in the British Women's Royal Army Corps and met and married a third-generation Aussie grazier, creates works in clay and has taught prisoners the artform.

"I was doing adult education and they rang me up one day and asked if I would be interested in working in a prison," she said.

"I've been practising clay for a long time - I mainly do Australiania."

Her scenes of Eureka Stockade, an imaginary Albury baker with his cart and Ned Kelly are among the sculptures on display in the Gateway Village rooms.

IN OTHER NEWS:

Gallery co-ordinator Kim Nelson-Thompson said Image & Imagination was extended by a fortnight due to the snap Victorian lockdown.

"The previous two exhibitions we've had this year have been when everything was open," she said.

"This is our first time working around COVID and we were lucky that if you had a COVID officer, we could use the one-to-two (person per square metres rule).

"Some people still don't realise we're here, so I hope to get it out there this year with an opening almost every fortnight from hereon in."