Her piece, titled 'Re:coffee table', features a pallet reimagined as a table top and lined with Astroturf. Butterflies, which previously embellished a candle holder, are perched on top.

"[Winning the award] was great recognition. You work away and work away as an artist, I've never won an award like that," she said.

"You don't feel confident enough to apply for other grants or apply for things but it's really given me the confidence to do that. Also, to know my fellow artists appreciate what I'm doing."

Ms Kalenjuk, 45, will be just one of 26 emerging and established artists to exhibit. She said the Clearwater Sculpture Prize was a great initiative and opportunity to exhibit work locally. It will also help her gauge the public's reaction to the pieces.

A visual merchandiser by day and artist by night, Ms Kalenjuk has a real appreciation and love for upcycling which is obvious in her work.

Her studio is a treasure trove of recycled bits and bobs, just ripe for the picking.

She's managed to build up a catalogue of items from her previous workplace at The Green Shed, and can't resist eyeing off abandoned furniture on the side of the road.

"I'm an avid op shopper and garage saler and kind of pick up bits and pieces. Most of my stuff now actually comes from what's dropped off along the side of the road. There's so much stuff and it's just going to landfill," she said.

"The theme [of my piece] again is recycling and reusing and doing that in a more creative way.

"Recycling is about what we define as rubbish but what we define as rubbish is quite often just stuff in the wrong place. Everything can be reused and repurposed."

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