Camden Haven resident Janet Cohen wins Climate Change Art Exhibition award

The exhibition was at the Wauchope Art Gallery, where Janet's painting won the most votes from over 150 gallery visitors over three days.

Janet said climate change calls on people to adopt a new 'ecology of mind', informed by the knowledge that we are indivisible from all life.

"Humans, increasingly alienated from nature and each other, commit environmental and humanitarian vandalism," she said.

Janet's painting Oceania, which took about three months to create, aims to highlight the ecology of mind message.

The process was "intuitive" and Janet let the artwork tell its own story.

"Painting immerses me in connection with nature and the inner self, opening the door to deep silence and tranquility where few divisions exist" she said.

Janet was diagnosed with terminal cancer in 2015 and has been rallying ever since to gain the freedom to choose how her life ends.

She said half of the world's oxygen is produced by phytoplankton.

"Every second breath we take comes from microscopic organisms in the ocean," she said.

She encourages people to connect with nature in any way they can.

Janet has an art therapy and Buddhist meditation background.

She is a passionate advocate for protecting the natural environment and is known for her work redeveloping and managing Sea Acres Rainforest Centre in Port Macquarie.

Climate Change Australia thanked Wauchope Community Arts, for sponsoring the award.

Wauchope Arts President, Krissa Wilkinson acknowledged the success of the new gallery based in Wauchope.

"We were very happy to be involved in this thought-provoking exhibition as sponsors for the People's Choice award," she said.

The Climate Change Australia sponsored runner-up prize was awarded jointly to Cheyne Flanagan for her work "Extinction is Forever" and to Sherri Smith for her entry "Phoenix," in a tied vote.

Climate Change Australia events coordinator Lucy Osborn said the exhibition was a great success.

"We were amazed by the standard of artworks that were submitted and the feedback from the visitors who came through the gallery was beyond our expectations," she said.

"People said they were impressed by the beauty of the paintings but also challenged by the message conveyed about what is happening to our environment.

"Our aim of helping people to think about the impact of climate change through art was achieved."

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