"Travelling the world experiencing different cultures certainly brought out my creative side for I was only an average art student at school," Miss Mooney said.

Raised on her parent's Currawang farm where there were "few artistic surrounds", Miss Mooney said her return to Goulburn provided a renewed stimulation to challenge the subject.

"Initially, I enrolled in a 'Certificate of Fine Arts' course at TAFE and followed this up with 'Certificate of Studio Ceramics' studies.

For the full story, please see Wednesday's Goulburn Post, available from our front office in Auburn St, or at all leading newsagencies across the Goulburn area.