When the church appeared, a crowd applauded.

It was mid-February and, in front of a live audience, Pulcini was painting a startling piece in Launceston's Quadrant Mall watched by a gathering crowd of onlookers - many of them heavily invested because the church was their own.

The Italian emigre painter - who moved to Windermere four years ago from Rome - had immortalised her new home's St Matthias' Church in a painting which she'll sell for upwards of $5,000 to fund upkeep of the iconic town building.

The church was previously listed for sale in 2018, then saved through purchase by the local and religious community.

Pulcini had been asked to paint the image last year by Evelyn Tuba, the vice president of the Windermere Church Forever Inc., who had hoped that an arrangement of sunflowers from Windermere's local gardens could be captured as a subject.

"They had been brought to the church by some local ladies, and they were so beautiful," Ms Tuba said.

"I thought, why don't we see if our local artist - who I know loves painting sunflowers - will paint them. Then, hopefully, she could dedicate the piece to the church and then sell it, donating maybe $100 from the sale to the conservation."

Pulcini agreed, but instead of donating a small amount, she said 50 per cent of the proceeds would go straight to the charity to help with upkeep of the 180-year-old building.

"I was overwhelmed by her generosity," Ms Tuba said.

Pulcini's Eternity's Bloom was painted by finger across three days and depicts a green vase in the swirling waters of the Tamar, bursting with golden sunflowers in front of the St Matthias.

The Windermere church and cemetery isn't unfamiliar to art-based fundraisers: the Rosevears Hotel donated its regular commission as a contribution to saving the place of worship in 2018. But this significant influx of funds will be one of the largest in a number of years

Aside from the considerable monetary influx, though, the work has another significance: its status as a local scene, painted by a newly local artist who has fallen in love with her local community.

"This painting contains so many different elements of time - then and now - so much heart from this place," Pulcini said.

"That's the magic of art: that it can bring the past back to the present, bring people together, do good. And seeing it at the church on display before it's sold, that makes me emotional.

"You can generate so much happiness with something like this. That's the power of art."

Eternity's Bloom will go on sale next week and is likely to fetch more than $5,000 at a private auction. Punters can place bids at the Eleonora's Oil Paintings Auctions page on Facebook.