Long before her satirical oil on canvas portrait of former US President Bill Clinton garnered international attention, artist Petrina Ryan-Kleid was a burgeoning talent cutting her teeth on the Gold Coast. This lesser-known chapter of her career highlights a pivotal moment: the sale of her very first piece at just 16 years old, an event that profoundly shaped her artistic journey and connected her with an enduring admirer.

The portrait, depicting a man in a suit seated on a grassy curb, was sold for $150 in late 1987. Ryan-Kleid, then a Year 12 student, vividly recalls the moment her art teacher informed her of a potential buyer. "It was a tough time at home, and the sale just gave me a huge boost," she recounted. This initial recognition, she explained, transformed the abstract dream of becoming an artist into a tangible possibility.

A Father's Pride and a Budding Collector's Vision

The impact of that first sale extended beyond personal confidence. Raised by a single father, the success ignited a shared passion for art. "After that, my dad took me to every art exhibition he could find. It became such a happy time for us," Ryan-Kleid shared, adding that her father, brimming with pride, framed the cheque but never cashed it. The support from her family became a bedrock for her aspirations.

Unbeknownst to the young artist, the buyer, Terri Lew, was also embarking on her own journey. Lew, a Gold Coast mother of two, developed a keen eye for art and would dedicate nearly four decades to collecting pieces for her Mermaid Beach gallery. "It was the first piece I ever collected. We were broke but I couldn't walk away," Lew explained, recalling the painting's powerful allure. "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." The artwork has remained a cherished part of her collection, hanging in the packing room of her gallery for 39 years as a reminder of her beginnings.

Decades Apart, Reunited by Curiosity

Despite the passage of time, a question lingered for Ms. Lew: who was the artist behind the captivating portrait? Her curiosity led her to seek answers, culminating in a social media post and a local outreach campaign designed to find the individual responsible for the distinctive artwork. Meanwhile, Ryan-Kleid, who had since moved to New York to pursue a Master of Fine Arts and create satirical portraits of various US presidents, including her widely discussed 'Parsing Bill' in 2012, was unaware of the search.

The pieces of the puzzle began to fall into place when friends and family of Ryan-Kleid shared the social media post. "I had friends who just knew it was me… I had a look and went, 'Wow, that's the painting,'" Ryan-Kleid recalled. Separated by thousands of kilometres and numerous time zones, Ms. Lew on the Gold Coast and Ryan-Kleid in New York finally reconnected through a phone conversation, bringing their long search to a heartwarming conclusion.

Reflecting on the reunion, Ryan-Kleid shared the profound personal significance. "My dad was so proud. He passed away last year, which is one of the reasons this meant so much to me, Terri's kindness," she said. "Looking back, I don't think Terri just bought a painting. She gave a young artist confidence at exactly the right moment." For Ms. Lew, the opportunity to connect with the artist she had supported so many years ago was equally moving. "I'm just speechless, it's beautiful… any hardship to establish the gallery, I feel quite proud, it wasn't wasted on me," she expressed, affirming the enduring power of early encouragement in an artist's journey.