Forever Friends fundraising

ARTWORKS of beloved pets will line the walls of the Geelong Illustrators Studio Gallery next weekend when the group opens the doors to its Forever Friends exhibition.

While showcasing the works of Geelong’s talented artists, the exhibition will also raise funds for animal rescue organisation The Yellow Door.

Geelong Illustrators manager Clare Holder said the group is expecting around 15 to 20 artworks to feature in the exhibition.

“The theme of the exhibition is pets, mostly cats and dogs,” she said.

“Being relative to the Yellow Door, it’s an animal and pet foster rescue, so it makes sense to have an exhibition that’s showcasing animals.

“We’ve got acrylic, we’ve got watercolour, digital, collage, embroidery. There’s a very wide variety of not only styles but different mediums too.”

The theme reflects the collaboration between Geelong Illustrators and the animal rescue group, who will receive a percentage of the exhibition’s submission fee and sales.

“It’s animal lovers being connected by art and across multiple ways,” Ms Holder said.

Men’s Shed Geelong have also contributed to the event’s fundraising efforts by building donation boxes that were then painted by the Geelong Illustrators.

Ms Holder hopes the exhibition will foster an understanding of Yellow Door, the work the organisation does and ways the community can support the rescue into the future.

“From an artist perspective, pet portraits is something that people often want so it’s an opportunity for the artist to advertise their services as offering pet commissions as well.”

Forever Friends also marks Geelong Illustrators’ first group exhibition for the year, with collaborations with other local groups already planned for 2025.

The exhibition will kick off on April 12 at Geelong Illustrators’ Studio Gallery at 105 Moorabool Street, with its opening event to be held between 5-7pm. The exhibition will run until May 31.

For more, head to the Geelong Illustrators Facebook page.