Lottie Rae of Trangie is over the moon this week after competing on heat 1 of the Portrait of the Year program on ABC TV on Sunday night.

She wowed the judges and took out the top spot, much to the excitement of her family and friends.

To enter the competition, Lottie had to submit a self-portrait, and the judges immediately loved her style so much they invited her onto the show.

From there Lottie was one of nine artists from all around Australia, split into groups of three (4 professional artists and 5 amateurs) who were given four hours to race against the clock and paint the portrait of a well-known Australian.

Lottie was beyond thrilled, when she discovered her celebrity was none other than iconic legendary Australian artist Ken Done.

Authentically vibrant Lottie Rae with some of her art pieces [Image Lottie Rae]

“What an absolute honour and dream come true to paint the one and only Ken Done,” said Lottie.

“Funny story, but the day before I went to paint at portrait artist, I was walking down Pitt Street in Sydney, and I was on the phone to mum.

“Mid-sentence I cut mum off and said ‘Oh my god mum Ken Done is standing next to me’.

“I freaked out but was too embarrassed to approach him.

"Mum said imagine if you painted him tomorrow, and the rest they say is history,” Lottie laughs.

Ken Done with winning portrait by Trangie's Lottie Rae [Image supplied]

Lottie, who has been kicking goals this year with her quirky relatable art pieces that conjure up good times at the local pub surrounded by mates, life on the farm, days at the beach and a peek back to times when we were way cooler, have taken her on adventures of collaboration and stepping out of her comfort zone.

“I’m just here to give it a crack,” Lottie told the judges. “The only training I’ve ever had is as a barista, so this is a bit wild for me."

To be awarded the winning painting, the celebrity's had to choose one of the three portraits that had been painted of them and then the three judges of the event had to choose the best overall in their eyes.

Lottie will now be in the semi-finals to compete for title of 2025 National Portrait winner.

Award winning multi disciplinarian artist Abdul Abdullah [Image Art Gallery NSW]

The judges were Bree Pickering Director National Portrait Gallery of Australia, Robert Wellington Associate Professor of Art History at Australian National University, and award winning multi disciplinarian artist Abdul Abdullah, who were all struck with Lottie’s ability to bring energy to her artistry.

“Lottie struck gold on Sunday night,” said judge Abdul Abdullah.

 “She was up against some real professionals, but her application of paint was really fantastic.

 “Lottie was a little bit more of an adventure, the spark and energy that she created to me was an obvious choice,” said Mr Abdullah.

Lottie with some of her artwork - [Image Lottie Rae]

Despite the fact they referred to Lottie as a Wagga Wagga girl, she was quick to correct this across her social media pages.

“No hate to Wagga Wagga,” she said. “But I am proudly and loudly from the best place on earth Trangie.

 “I’m very shocked,” said Lottie straight after her win, “But it’s a win for country kids.

“We don’t get anything like this where we are from and there are little kids out there who really want to have a crack too because I certainly wasn’t expecting to clean this up.

“I am forever grateful and blessed for the support."