During a time when Sefton abstract painter and art teacher Corina Hazlett felt like she was “shouting into the void" an early-morning email from London had her dancing with joy.

The email came from the No.35 Gallery telling Corina her painting ‪Moments of Clarity Rising from Memories‬ had been selected to be part of the Water | International Online Group Exhibition 2026 (Vol 2).

“What a lovely email to wake up to," she said.

The artists were invited to interpret water as a life source through their own physical, symbolic, environmental, emotional, cultural or conceptual perspectives.

The aim of the exhibition is to bring together diverse artistic responses to water and also create an international dialogue for exploring its beauty, power and symbolism.

There were more than 1300 submissions from more than 87 counties for the exhibition with 364 selected. Corina’s work was one of only 22 chosen by the judges to be spotlighted for the exhibition.

“I have been trying to get an international reach for my work for a while now, so hopefully this will start something. It is very exciting," she said.

Corina's painting is part of a cohesive body of work she is preparing for a solo exhibition at the Te Huanui Art Gallery in Darfield next month.

Her work explores themes of resilience, transformation, and emotional complexity through layered, gestural mark-making.

Alongside her studio practice and teaching work Corina has an extensive background in arts-based rehabilitation, particularly within the prison system which has been nationally recognised, including receiving the Arts Access Aotearoa Prison Arts Award in 2012.

The Water | International Online Group Exhibition 2026 (Vol 2), can be seen on the No.35 Gallery website at: https://www.no35gallery.co.uk/group-exhibitions/water-vol2-2026.