ONE OF the joys of life is that you never quite know where the ride will take you.
The path taken by Mike Powlesland has had its share of twists and turns - from a trained draughstman in the United Kingdom where he grew up to a free flowing spirit who now lives in a mud brick home at rural Valla.
And the straight lines of his trade have long been abandoned for the free flowing brush strokes of a painter.
Mike is the 'artist of the month' at the Stringer Gallery at Nambucca Heads, and a morning tea was held at the gallery today to celebrate their new exhibitions.
Mike told the Guardian he had always wanted to paint - but life somehow got in the way.
"At school my teacher encouraged me and I was keen to go to Art College but circumstances were not favourable and I became a draughtsman instead," his artist bio explains.
"I am still struggling to break away from straight lines and loosen up, but I think I'm getting there."
After building a couple of houses in the UK, Mike and his young family moved to Sydney in 1970, and 12 years on settled in rural Valla.
Showing how much he has 'loosened up' from the confines of a draftsman, Mike's exhibition at the Stringer Gallery is entitled 'Here, There and Everywhere'.
"There are 12 pieces and it's an eclectic collection," he told the Guardian.
While he likes working in mixed media, most of the offerings at his exhibition - which are all for sale - are oils.
* The Stringer Gallery is in Ridge St, next to the Post Office at Nambucca Heads. Check out the image gallery from this morning's opening at http://bit.ly/LcHwEN