Rita Kershaw is an established artist who lives in Rockhampton, the gateway to the Whitsunday Islands and the Great Barrier Reef. Her work is lush and colourful, mirroring the unique environment around her. But her own optimism is also reflected in her landscapes which focus on a varied range of subjects including the ocean and the hinterland. Rita has been pivotal in supporting the annual Cooee Bay Artists' Retreat on the coast at Emu Park, and in introducing contemporary art to Rockhampton. In 1972 Mervyn Moriarty made these comments about her painting, ‘Walk on the Beach:' Jumping for joy on the beach - beaut painting. Lovely line - sure. Bars join up beautifully - to put line in would overstate. Very good painting, very successful. Most powerful sensations of the sea edge I've ever seen!