Well known district artist Margie Fitzpatrick has emerged from Show 'retirement' to collaborate with daughter Emma Lipscomb and a team for the display.

All hands have been on deck for the last two weeks compiling the work, based on the theme - 'Sharing Riverspace.' Emma came up with the idea while her mother painted the underlying scene for the three-d triangular installation, measuring 12 metres long by 15m deep.

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The exhibit is filled in with local produce, including wheat, seeds, fruit, vegetables and wool and supplemented with grasslands and structural 'hardware.' Mulwaree High School science teacher Perina Giles and Ken Hewitt from Grabben Gullen are among those helping to pull it together.

The work represents Ms Fitzpatrick's return to the Sydney Royal arena. The event wasn't held last year but before this, the Currawang artist had taken a six-year break from designing the Southern Districts exhibit.

"I originally came back to mentor Emma but once I started I realised I loved creating a really big display," she said.

"It's such a challenge and very exciting to create artistically. Even though it's a transitional display it's rewarding to see a big painting you've done and to know it started from a seed of an idea."

The work depicts a river flowing through the centre of agricultural land. The riverbanks are covered in grasslands and thriving with birds and animals, reflecting a healthy landscape.

"It conveys that we have a responsibility to rivers to protect habitat and water downstream and to share it for human and riparian (conservation) purposes," Ms Fitzpatrick said.

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The issue is close to both mother and daughter. Ms Fitzpatrick owns historic Currawang district property, Australind, where she practises regenerative agriculture and runs cattle and sheep for meat. The Landcare member has effectively slowed down water on the property, restored creeks and substantially reduced erosion through re-vegetation.

In 2015 she was named a regional Landcare 'champion of the catchment.' She is also involved in the Rivers of Carbon project and hosts workshops at the property.

Daughter Emma has an agriculture degree under her belt and is now studying a Bachelor of Health Science in naturopathy. She and brother Andrew Lipscomb were raised on the property.

"It's very important to maintain the health of waterways," Emma said.

"We're at the head of the Lachlan River so we have a big responsibility to look after it because it flows to every other community. Through the exhibit we want to highlight the health of the river system, that the riparian zone is nature's filter and protecting it produces a good outcome for everyone."

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More recently, Emma and her partner, Chris, have taken on a management role at Australind.

She has been her mother's "right hand woman" in many previous Southern Districts exhibits and said having grown up with and enjoyed it, she was ready to take a greater leadership role in future.

Ms Fitzpatrick is an accomplished artist who studied in Florence and has held numerous Australian exhibitions, as well as designing murals on local landmarks.

Ms Giles connected with the family through teaching but also her love of agriculture.

A core team of seven are working on the exhibit, which will be judged on Thursday. It is vying against Western, Northern and Central Districts in the competition. Winners will be announced on Friday and the People's Choice on Saturday.

Southern has a good track record of either winning, placing or scoring the People's Choice award. Ms Fitzpatrick has been involved since the early 2000s

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"We are winners," she said of the team.

"We love the design and the theme and we're very proud of it...I've enjoyed creating it with Emma because she's very artistic. Working together as mum and daughter at that level with a team has been very unique and lovely."

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