<div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>A Sydney artist has faith that the "priceless" painting that took her more than 100 hours to complete will be returned after it was taken by someone in just minutes in a suspected case of mistaken street bounty. </span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Rachael Egan was in the process of moving home in Erskineville on Tuesday afternoon when the centrepiece of her upcoming solo exhibition disappeared from the footpath.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>In the chaos, the 26-year-old did not realise it was missing until she woke up the next morning and thought: "Where on earth is that painting?"</span></div></div><div><div id="adspot-mobile-medium"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE: </span></strong><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/world/louvre-heist--security-flaws-show-in-audit/cc9e1e1a-f9ea-4a09-8436-a79d4081cca4" rel="" target="_blank" title=""><strong><span>Louvre CCTV system 'had laughable password' leading up to heist</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"I moved everything in and out that whole day. We did a lot of rounds from the car, and we would have definitely seen it outside the front," she told 9news.com.au.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"So I think there was like a five- to 10-minute window when it was outside and someone took it. It wouldn't have been outside for very long."</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Egan spent 100 hours over several months this year painting the piece and had planned to sell it at her very first solo exhibition in January.</span></div></div><div><div class="OUTBRAIN" data-reactroot="" data-src="//www.9news.com.au/national/sydney-artist-rachael-egan-painting-taken-in-suspected-case-of-mistaken-street-bounty/021e9a36-e9ad-4344-be6c-ae5ad917025b" data-widget-id="AR_5"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>To her, it is priceless. </span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"I put a lot of love and labour into that work, and it's the crux of all the other pieces," she said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"It was the first piece that jump-started the exhibit.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"So it's very important to me, and a very special artwork for me."</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The artwork, titled </span><em><span>Bliss - field of infinite potential</span></em><span>, was born out of a phrase her yoga teacher had said during a class five years ago.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Egan's mind immediately went to the famed Windows wallpaper.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>She spent the years honing her techniques and waiting until she was ready to paint it.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/world/elon-musk-first-trillionaire-tesla-pay-packet-approved/a674adac-8ea7-454a-aea8-245907dddb7b" rel="" target="_blank" title=""><strong><span>Tesla approves pay packet that could make Elon Musk the first trillionaire</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Egan felt up to it this year, but an injury to her dominant hand meant she had to wait another six months to get started.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>When she was finally able to pick up the paintbrush, it took her months to create her take on the Windows wallpaper.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>It inspired the rest of the art in her collection.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"My exhibit is an exploration of fields with infinite potentials, but some literal like that, and then others very abstracted," she said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Egan has posted up flyers around the street, spoken to neighbours and shared her art on social media to help reunite her with her painting. </span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>She is convinced it will be returned, believing someone had mistaken it for an item destined for council pickup.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"I know it was an innocent mistake, I'm sure someone fully just took it with street bounty, it wasn't actually intentionally stolen," she said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"I just really have faith that whoever took it will see this and will return it to me, and they can come to my exhibit because they obviously liked my artwork."</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE: </span></strong><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/ben-elton-comedian-backs-social-media-laws/bbbb9e6c-cf62-4549-a0c3-b62aa3af4f06" rel="" target="_blank" title=""><strong><span>Comedy legend Ben Elton says social media ban makes him 'proud Australian'</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/how-to-follow-9news-digital/29855bb1-ad3d-4c38-bc25-3cb52af1216f" target="_blank"><strong><em><span>DOWNLOAD THE 9NEWS APP</span></em></strong></a><strong><em><span>: Stay across all the latest in breaking news, sport, politics and the weather via our news app and get notifications sent straight to your smartphone. 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