07/14/2026
A fun surprise today! ABC Gold Coast was helping an art collector track down the artist of a portrait I painted as a student in 1988. The collector remembered the painting but thought the artist was "Tanya Ryan." Close, but not quite. My name is Tina Ryan (Petrina) Ryan-Kleid, and I was delighted to discover that the painting has been loved and cared for all these years.
Update: You found her! 🎉
We put a call out to help Art director Terri Lew find the artist behind this piece.
Petrina "Tina" Ryan-Kleid* was just 16 years old when she sold her first piece for $150 at a student art exhibit at the Gold Coast Art Gallery, now HOTA.
She was a student at Southport State High and has since moved to New York to pursue a art career.
She hopes to meet Terri in person when she's next visiting the Gold Coast.
Thank you for your help to find Tina and reconnect this pair!
(*We initially were looking for a 'Tanya', not Tina, but thanks to our followers for pointing out the mistake.)
EARLIER: DO YOU KNOW TANYA RYAN? 🎨
Art director Terri Lew has spent nearly four decades searching for the artist behind this piece.
The portrait was painted by Palm Beach Currumbin State High School student Tanya Ryan, circa 1988.
Submitted as part of an exhibition at the Gold Coast City Art Gallery, now HOTA, a younger Ms Lew purchased the piece for $150.
👉"It was the first piece I ever collected. We were broke, but I couldn't walk away," she said.
"The painting spoke to me… if you've seen the Mona Lisa in real life, her eyes follow you, that is what this does to me."
Thirty-eight years on, the piece still hangs in the packing room of her gallery as a reminder of where her extensive collection began.
🙌 If you know the artist behind this piece, let us know!
