Ms Dowling spent close to a decade working in front-line services in various ACT refuges for women and children escaping violence.

But it was after she experienced violence in her own life that she felt compelled to speak out and challenge the stereotypes about the types of relationships in which violence occurs.

"Intimate partner violence is generally considered between male and female, but unfortunately domestic violence is within all communities," Ms Dowling said.

"A lot of the statistics gathered for reporting are based on gender only, and not on sexuality or relationship status. But if we don't ask the question therein lies the issue."

Her art project No Silence on Violence has been funded through a community grant from The Canberra Gay and Lesbian Pink Tennis Club.

The three canvas hybrid artwork will explore the experience before, during and after violence through combinations of traditional artistic techniques, electronic rendering and re-production to achieve layers of visual texture.

Ms Dowling said more needed to be done to address the lack of specialist services for members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, inter-sexed, queer or questioning community.

"We are in a massive accommodation crisis and have been since I last worked in the sector in 2008," she said.

"But I don't believe it's ever good enough to say there is no money."

She said the creation of gay and lesbian liaison police officers across the country was a great step forward in targeting the low level of reporting of violence, but on many other fronts there was less understanding and support.

"There are no specific domestic violence services, refuges, or counselling services that are just for our community," she said.

"If we can't afford specific services, we need to think about what we can do."

No date has been set as yet for the exhibition, but Ms Dowling said plans were under way to launch in late October.

"I am currently putting the word out about the project so other artists can join the exhibition," she said.

"After the exhibition my plan is to have an online art auction."

Money raised will be given to front-line services that help homosexual and gender-diverse people.

"The best thing I can do, and what I think is essential, is that we all keep talking about it and help redirect money to services that really need the funding."