A painting by North Queensland artist Claudine Marzik has won the prestigious $10,000 first prize in the Redland Art Awards announced last night.
Presented by Redland Yurara Art Society and Redland Art Gallery, the Redland Art Awards are a biennial contemporary painting competition open to all Australian artists, featuring four non-acquisitive prizes totalling $17,000. This is the 50th year the awards have been held.
Ms Marzik, from Smithfield, won first prize for Limestone Walls, a synthetic polymer paint on canvas.
Shorlisting judge David Burnett, Curator, International Art, Queensland Art Gallery and Gallery of Modern Art described Claudine's painting as a carefully resolved painting that directly echoes in a sense, the time and processes of accretion and layering that form the very subject of the work.
"Her process of layering paint, scraping back, sanding and reworking the surface of her paintings is a slow and cumulative method that can take many months.
"The grey-white surface of her winning work is punctuated by jewels of colour and flashes of light which animate and enliven the surface of this quiet and subtle painting," Mr Burnett said..
Second place was Gladdy Kemarre Anwekety of Utopia, Northern Territory for Bush Plum, synthetic polymer paint on linen and third place was Mark Stewart of the Sunshine Coast for Flight over Fitzroy River, oil on canvas
There were 390 entries in the competition from every State and Territory apart from the ACT. This is the 50th year the awards have been held.
David Burnett said the winning entrants had been selected from a national field of artists working in a diverse range of media, theme and subject. It is always difficult to narrow down and short list, in this case, from 45 works.
“Works by the selected entrants range from figurative subjects and landscapes to still life and bold abstract work,” Mr Burnett said.
“Works are of a generally high standard and there are always surprises when you see the works in reality after short listing from photographic images. It is encouraging to see that that there is still such a broad and creative interpretation of what painting can be in an age of digital overload.
“The joy of judging such shows is to be surprised and reminded of how the art of painting continues to provide a conduit of expression for so many artists across Australia.”
Joining Mr Burnett on the judging panel were Dr Laini Burton, Lecturer, Digital Media, Queensland College of Art, Griffith University and Emma Bain, Director, Redland Art Gallery.
First held in 1981, Redland Art Awards was established by a small group of local artists know as Redland Yurara Art Society Inc, one of Queensland’s oldest art groups. With a current membership base of 120 the society runs an active workshop and exhibition program from its studio at Pinklands Reserve, Thornlands.
The competition is showcased at Redland Art Gallery, Cleveland, a vibrant cultural destination with a mix of innovative and cultural diverse exhibitions which Redland Art Awards is a program highlight.
Visit the Redland Art Gallery, Cleveland until December 2 to view the Redland Art Awards 2012 exhibition, featuring works from the 45 competition finalists.
To hear more about the Redland Art Awards 2012, join Mr Burnett and Dr Burton for their floor talk at 12 noon, Monday 5 November 2012.
