Rowville artist Sandra Andrijasevic Baraci has produced Despair, a series of paintings that express her battle with depression.

The works, which go on show at The Hut Gallery from September 13, reveal how Baraci struggled to fit into Australian society since moving from Croatia in 1997.

The former IT manager said many of the works were from images that haunted her in her dreams.

"Art is something I've always loved. I never had any instruction."

She said friends and family have had difficulty understanding the dark nature of her work. "A lot of people don't understand why it's so dark and morbid."

But for Baraci, who was diagnosed with Arnold-Chiari brain malformation in 2004, art is a way of release. "After I finish a painting, and I realise what it's about, I resolve an issue within me."

Some of her paintings have taken six months to complete.

Baraci said they dealt with issues such as the loneliness she's had in Australia and a longing to go home.

"It is a way of my inner self telling my other self the things which are within me, how to fix them, and what is actually bothering me."

Despair by Sandra Andrijasevic Baraci runs from September 13 to October 4 at The Hut Gallery, 157 Underwood Road, Ferntree Gully. Details: 97588955.