PORT Macquarie artists are gaining exposure thanks to a local café with their paintings showcased on the walls.
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Kara Walsh and Simon Luxton are both artists who express their visions through a number of different styles and techniques.
While Kara's stunning mandala art is framed inside the Four Espresso café's walls, one of Simon's pieces adds colour and life to the bricks outside of his workplace.
The 34-year-old barista was working one day and decided it wasn't enough to be making coffee. He wanted to add his own style to the building.
"Combining art with a café is a pretty easy thing these days. People's perception and desire to make things visually appealing is becoming a lot more popular."
The cool coffee cup, holding a body-board and flippers, was inspired by the 34-year-old’s favourite art style.
"I love the tattoo-style themes, cartoons and typography," he said.
"I've always been into drawing and painting and to be able to combine that with my regular job as a barista is great."
He strives to make each piece better than the last, just as he does each cup of coffee.
For 27-year-old Kara her inspiration is drawn from a different source - the loss of a loved one.
"The style of mandala came to me as a healing project after losing a close friend," she said.
"My passion has grown from there. The bigger pieces can take months to complete and others can take a few days."
She usually visits the café and it was there she began talking to owner Emma Maslen. Kara's work now adorns the walls inside the shop.
"I wanted to give the local artists a voice. They work hard for what they do," she said.
"To break into art you need to know someone or have a lot of money. There's a lot of hidden talent here in Port and I appreciate their talent."
Mrs Maslen wants the Port Macquarie community to embrace all artists and support their talents.
"I think that people's interpretation of what they see of the world is really cool," she said.
"I feel it brings a sense of warmth and community to the place."