Mr Breen has spent the past year undertaking a residency at the Art Gallery of Ballarat writing poems that respond to art on display.

An illustrated book of poems has been published to celebrate the culmination of his project and will be launched on Saturday at the gallery with guest speaker Dr Frank Hurley and violinists Sarah Breen Williams and Carl Williams joining the celebrations.

Mr Breen said there are more than 30 poems in the book with the idea coming from simply looking at a painting for a long time.

"I'm happy when I think I have captured something of the essence of the painting and said something worth saying about it," he said.

"You enjoy writing a poem like you enjoy making any work of art and, as with many work of art, you like having people appreciate what you've done."

He said it was all aspects of the art on display that inspired his poems and hopes that when visitors come into the gallery with this book they can enjoy both the poetry and the art.

"It could be the subject matter, the images, the mood or feeling of the art, or it could relate to some interest of mine, political or environmental," he said.

"Some of the poems have gone up on the wall and it has been nice to see people reading them and hearing their comments, or have the guides talk about my take on the works.

"It's nice to imagine a visitor walking around the gallery with the book in hand, enjoying both poetry and the art to which each poem refers."

The book launch will be held in the McCain Annexe at the Art Gallery of Ballarat at 3.30pm.