A COOLANGATTA art gallery has opened an exhibition by celebrated Gold Coast artist Rosa d'Argent.

Mrs d'Argent created 20 new pieces for her exhibition at the D'Bar Gallery that are collectively titled At Home and Abroad.

She has travelled domestically and internationally filling up sketchbooks along the way.

On the domestic leg of her travels she drove from Rockhampton and sketched Aboriginal people.

"I go there with my sketchbook and here I tend to stay in the background," she said.

"I will sketch from the car."

The cosmopolitan artist, born in Tanzania and raised in Mauritius, was trained by French masters who told her not to use cameras.

"I tend not to take photos; I take them with the camera in my eye," Mrs d'Argent said.

"I had one of those French teachers who said 'no!'. That was a no-no."

Her sketchbook was with her when she spent four weeks in Greece.

The boats in the Greek harbours caught her eye, resulting in several paintings.

"I don't stick to one subject and I like anything but I've liked boats since I was really young," Mrs d'Argent said.

"Where I was in Tanzania it was basically on the beach and my school was right opposite the harbour."

This is her second exhibition at the iconic gallery on the hill at Point Danger.

"It's a great little spot," Mrs d'Argent said.

"Speaking to my local friends, they all occasionally go up there."