Judge MATHEW LYNN

Prizewinners presentation

First Prize: Reflections, Kedumba RIver

Artist: James Hancock

Medium:  Oil

Judge’s comments: 

A beautiful and consummate oil painting, direct, full of a wide variety of brave dynamic passages and touches that come together in a beautiful harmony. Not prettified but focussing on direct experience and expression. A work as much about painting itself, and painting for its own sake.

Second Prize:  Oak Leaves and Acorns

Artist: Mary Muss

Medium: Oil

Judge’s comments: 

A very unassuming still-life painting tucked away in a corner, full of wonderful skill and the realising of painted passages as a unity. Not over done, with just enough looseness to give the objects a subtle vibration.

Highly Commended: Musical enigma

Artist: Joy Myers Creed

Medium: Mixed media

Judge’s comments:

A very speculative and successful contemporary mixed-media work with interesting dynamics of surface texture and colour with embedded print motif. Successfully achieves an unusual mood through this contemporary exploration.

Highly Commended:  The First Friarbirds of the Day, Eva Valley NT

Artist:  Susan Roxon

Medium:  Pastels

Judge’s comments: 

Struck by this beautiful pastel experience straight away, never loses sight of articulating a beautiful complex atmosphere, with wonderful touches of colour. The whole is much more than the sum of the parts, a very important thing to remember for us!

Commended:  The Hilda

Artist:  Rayamond Berry

Medium: Acrylic

Judge’s comments: 

The Hilda – a beautiful joyful example of just making a painting no matter what the subject matter. Striking, almost naive design sense and strength of colours and shapes in their own right telling their own story.

Commended:  Glenroy, Coxs River

Artist: Bruce Dingwall

Medium: Watercolour

Judge’s comments: 

Very skilful and powerful watercolour which never gets overtaken by rigidity or sentimentality. Beautiful dynamics and range of marks, passages and colours, and freeness.

Commended: Wilson St. Katoomba

Artist:  Paul Gorjan

Medium:  Oil on canvas

Judges’ comments: 

Beautiful small and restrained painting, quietly powerful, restricted colours, beautiful composition sense, and harmoniously painted as a complete picture.

Commended:  Nothing to say and that’s ok

Artist:  Lee Niass

Medium: Watercolour

Judge’s comments: 

Simple, direct, unassuming, like an afterthought that suddenly hits you cutting through everything. This beautiful little face and composition seems like only half an idea but sometimes this is just enough!

Commended: The Fez

Artist:  Liz Connnor

Medium:  Pastel

Judges’ comments: 

Undeniable pastel/Conte skills should always be celebrated!

People’s Choice:  Lou

Artist:  Ben Nelson

Medium:  Acrylic on board