THE Stanthorpe Regional Art Gallery is located in the heart of the Granite Belt and like many of the artworks it houses, it is a hidden gem.

Home to a permanent collection of almost 900 pieces, the gallery and its collection have caught the eye of many during its time.

For Saturday Australian visual arts writer Bronwyn Watson it was the hidden treasures housed in the gallery that inspired her visit last week.

"I think the collection is very strong," she said.

"It has been augmented by really wonderful donations.

"There are some really great gems in there people are not aware of."

Ms Watson said there were three pieces she had chosen to feature in her column Public Works after her visit.

"There is a Picasso, a Charles Blackman and an Andrew Sibley," she said.

"I chose the Picasso because it is unusual to find in a regional collection and is quite a lovely and appealing work.

"Goats by William Robinson, an Australian artist, is a strong work and is quite playful with a self portrait of him in it.

"Andrew Sibley is another Australian artists and his work is quite compelling as well."

While the timeline on the release of the columns is still undetermined Ms Watson said she would let Stanthorpe residents know in advance.

"They will be three different columns spread out over some months," she said.

"The gallery is being very generous in displaying the works when their respective articles are published."

Long-serving gallery volunteer Joe Wilkinson said he was pleased with how the tour of the archives went.

"Bronwyn is quite knowledgeable in the art world," he said.

"She chose three pieces to look at in detail and was very impressed with what we had in the archives."

TAKE A TOUR

Tuesday-Friday: 10am-4pm.

Saturday-Sunday: 10am-1pm.

Admission: free.