Waverley Art Prize 2019

With an annual prize pool worth $12,000, the 2019 Waverley Art Prize was open to painting, drawing print & mixed media. Entries were open from Monday 18 February 2019 to Friday 17 May 2019. The prize judges were Mitch Cairns (artist), Phil James (artist) and Fiona Lowry (artist).

Waverley Art Prize – 2019 Winners

• Waverley Art Prize Winner – Burnouts off Sir Joseph Banks Drive, Kurnell by Adam Oste
• The Mayors Prize – Long Hot Summer by Elise Judd
• Oil Painting Prize  – Mountain Pass by Justin Maurice Scivetti
• Acrylic Painting Prize – The vast edge of shuffle by Matthew Tumbers
• Drawing Prize – Sunday by Andrea Wilson
• Printmaking Prize – Venice Alley Way by Yvonne Haber
• Mixed Media Prize – The Raid by Luke Kennedy
• People’s Choice Prize – Heat on the Murray by Nat Ward

Highly Commended

• Asters by Bridgette Mcnab
• Skeletons R Scary by David Fenoglio
• Woman reading a letter by Matilda Michell

See Artist Statements here

Finalists 2019

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  After

  Artist:Jenny Ryan

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  After — Jenny Ryan | Acrylic | 72 x 86 cm

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  A Two Word Written Order

  Artist:Tanya Linney

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  A Two Word Written Order — Tanya Linney | acrylic and flash on polyester | 37x47cm

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  Albergo Breakfast

  Artist:Allie Webb

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  Albergo Breakfast — Allie Webb | Linocut | 72 x 92 cm

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  Alocasia macrorrhizos

  Artist:Clara Lacy

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  Alocasia macrorrhizos — Clara Lacy | Graphite | 97 x 61 cm

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  An Angle

  Artist:Kin Kwok Tsang

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  An Angle — Kin Kwok Tsang | Oil on canvas | 76 x 76 cm

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  Asters

  Artist:Bridgette Mcnab

  Merit:Highly Commended

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  Asters — Bridgette Mcnab | oil on poly cotton | 50 x 60 cms
  “Employing a mise-en-scene approach to painting, Asters is part of a serialised body of work that examines fantasy, fiction and artifice. Created using a lexicon of appropriation techniques, I forge fictional realities in which my subjects live, combining art historical tradition with contemporary popular culture.”

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  Banana Tree Road 1 & 2

  Artist:Victoria Owens

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  Banana Tree Road 1 & 2 — Victoria Owens | Acrylic | 76 x 122 (2 panels total)

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  Beach

  Artist:Andrea Wilson

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  Beach — Andrea Wilson | watercolour on paper | 64cm w x 94cm

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  Before the Guests Arrive

  Artist:Allie Webb

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  Before the Guests Arrive — Allie Webb | Linocut | 72 x 99cm

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  Big Pond II

  Artist:Margaret Dix

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  Big Pond II — Margaret Dix | oil on linen | 30 x 40 cm
  “big pond II forms part of Margaret Dix’s ongoing exploration of the role of imagery in creating a narrative. Exploring a family album depicting life in pre- World War II Java, Dix is struck by the significant role the small black and white photographs played in the stories of her late mother’s childhood. Dix wonders whether these curated images provided the armature for her refugee mother’s narrative or actually replaced her memories after displacement? big pond II depicts a view from the family house. Dix has never seen this place but imagines its’ many custodians including the first peoples, her colonial family and the Japanese occupiers, and wonders about their memories of this site. By disrupting the natural palette, using loose brushstrokes and a deliberate omission of the figure, Dix aims to speak to these shared experiences and capture the ambiguous relationship between truth and memory in her painting.”

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  Bronte pool at sunrise

  Artist:Nada Suzdal

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  Bronte pool at sunrise — Nada Suzdal | Pastels | 54 x 44cm

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  Burnouts off Sir Joseph Banks Drive, Kurnell

  Artist:Adam Oste

  Merit:Waverley Art Prize Winner

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  Burnouts off Sir Joseph Banks Drive, Kurnell — Adam Oste | Oil on board | 92 x 82 cm
  “My work engages with the enduring representation of Botany Bay as a pristine landscape. Though the systematic intervention of sand mining, oil refineries and the infamous Sydney Desalination plant have transformed the Kurnell landscape; the National Park and Crown Land areas are still romanticised as pristine natural spaces. Indeed, the problematic myth of a landscape full of a virgin natural beauty that beguiled Captain Cook endures. My paintings are pushed to the precipice of abstraction where the illusion of pictorial space threatens to collapse; following the complex instability inherent in this mythology of purity. The works are painted directly from sites in these areas of Kurnell, representing the proliferation of illegal 4wd tracks and burnout sites in these areas that are frequently blocked, gated or systematically erased by environmentalists. Fundamentally, these paintings act to reveal and explore the ongoing contested nature of the Kurnell peninsula.”

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  Carl

  Artist:Linda Sweeny

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  Carl — Linda Sweeny | Oil | 30 x 30 cm

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  Characters from a Dream

  Artist:Sue Soliman

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  Characters from a Dream — Sue Soliman | Pastel crayons on board | 61 x 45 cm

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  Cooper Park with Red

  Artist:Naomi McCurdie

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  Cooper Park with Red — Naomi McCurdie | Painting | 48 x 48 in

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  Cream

  Artist:Michael Ciavarella

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  Cream — Michael Ciavarella | oil on linen | 61 92 cm
  “Drawing from found images is an important part of my painting practice. There are various approaches and liberties taken with respect to this. While the painting of this image is recreated faithfully, certain elements are exaggerated or left out, subtle alterations to colour and cropping made, as well as organic changes that occur in the painting process and the change of scale. This painting depicts what appears to be an affluent couple sitting side by side laughing, in front of a large boat, with the text ‘cream’ added to the top of the image. Added partly for comical effect, the word could have various meanings, including an allusion to class and wealth. The painting continues my interest in how we collectively or culturally read images, how they generate or negate meanings, and how they can distort and manipulate reality. ”

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  Edler

  Artist:Henry lewis-Thorp

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  Edler — Henry lewis-Thorp | Drawing | A3

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  Family Tablecloth

  Artist:Tonee Messiah

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  Family Tablecloth — Tonee Messiah | Oil on canvas | 56 x 61 cm

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  Finished!

  Artist:Viki Menlove

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  Finished! — Viki Menlove | Acrylic | 40 x 50 cm

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  Games With The Sun

  Artist:Evie Cahir

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  Games With The Sun — Evie Cahir | 26 x 37 cm | Watercolour on paper
  “Games With the Sun is painted from a somewhat imagined place, a composite of locations that exist in my past and present. Games With the Sun serves as a reminder to take more notice of my surroundings, as it hints at the romantic view I hold of humble subject matter, specifically the glowing rubbish bins and glistening parked cars. The original scene has become more abstracted, creating an emphasis on essence rather than place. There is a subtle degree of realism, couched in abstraction and impressionist use of colour draws the viewer’s eye to the spectrum of other-worldly afternoon light. Games With the Sun is an expression of the external landscape which also reflects my internal landscape, a cathartic and transporting experience. This piece aims to evoke the sense of warming sunshine and growing shade. The fluid marks made are an insight into my state of mind at the time, one of bliss.”

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  Heat on the Murray

  Artist:Nat Ward

  Merit:People's Choice

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  Heat on the Murray — Nat Ward | Oil on canvas | 93 x 93 cm
  “The Murray River and surrounds provides an endless source of interest for my work. This painting Heat on the Murray is based on the feeling of the river during the heat of summer. The elements that I find most interesting are the ambiguity of forms, perspective and patterns. I want the viewer to be challenged by a scene that is more than an obvious landscape. As I view this incredible ever-changing environment on my daily walks and swims, ack in the studio I then hope to translate the rich colours, harmonious forms and endless markings of nature, into a painting hat generates its own ecology, a system of both balance and reflection.”

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  Here he comes now

  Artist:Aaron Matheson

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  Here he comes now — Aaron Matheson | Acrylic gouache on canvas | 50 x 40 cm

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  Holiday (Hoarders)

  Artist:Myles Young

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  Holiday (Hoarders) — Myles Young | Oil on polycotton | 92 x 102 cm

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  In Hot Sun

  Artist:Marek Herburt

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  In Hot Sun — Marek Herburt | Acrylic | 72 x 96 cm

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  Jennifer

  Artist:Stacey Korfiatis

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  Jennifer — Stacey Korfiatis | Oil on canvas | 160 x 82 cm

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  Lane Cove National Park (NSW Landscape)

  Artist:Pooja Kaul

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  Lane Cove National Park (NSW Landscape) — Pooja Kaul | Acrylic | 12" x 12"

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  Long Hot Summer

  Artist:Elise Judd

  Merit:The Mayors Prize

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  Long Hot Summer — Elise Judd | Mixed Medium | 52 x 62 cm
  “In this piece of work I have merged contemporary and traditional techniques. I like the fact that they can work in harmony in a modern artwork. Using collage in my work allows me to blur the lines between what is real and unreal. I like people to view my work from a distance and then on closer inspection be surprised at its execution. I have the young girl (painted in oil) shading her face from the strong Australian sun, or maybe she just does not feel comfortable with us (the viewer) gazing too closely at her. The map in the background and on the bathers is also a reference to finding our place in the world and having moments in life when we feel lost and need to take a breath and look at the bigger picture before us”

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  Memory- Place - Meaning

  Artist:Indivi Bacon

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  Memory- Place - Meaning — Indivi Bacon | Oil | 36 x 48 cm
  “Born in New York in 2000, I moved to Sydney in 2016, where my family hold presence. When we moved, one of my first Australian experiences was to visit our family sheep and cattle property in the Northern Tablelands of NSW. A long tradition of connecting to my great grandfather began here, and somehow I was touched deeply by this place that is woven through our family culture. Barry who the portrait is of, has been working on the farm since the beginning. The portrait aims to capture the energy of the farm and his fundamental role in its evolution.”

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  Mountain Pass

  Artist:Justin Maurice Scivetti

  Merit:Oil Painting Prize

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  Mountain Pass — Justin Maurice Scivetti | Oil on polycotton | 60 x 75cm
  “Floating somewhere between the real and unreal this landscape imbues a type of fantasy; it appears mysterious and otherworldly conjuring a quiet narrative. Drawn from Jean Baudrillard’s idea of simulation and simulacrum, and the topography of new and unfamiliar landscapes brings the work into fruition. Caught in a moment of time the works navigates through a psychological landscape, the ‘Mountain Pass’; a traversable route that passes between or over a mountain range to reach an unknown destination. With the use of light and shadow, vibrant hues, and attention to the quality of atmosphere the painting seeks to create a cinematic dreaminess.”

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  Mountain Pass - With Hounds

  Artist:Cameron Emerson-Elliott

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  Mountain Pass - With Hounds — Cameron Emerson-Elliott | Enamel on toughened Starphire glass, hand welded mild steel frame | 121 x 145 cm
  “My recent work draws upon an ongoing investigation into, and desire to understand, what traditions of art making I can legitimately lay claim to. Mountain Pass - With Hounds incorporates mythical elements of my own families' history, in particular a story my father has told me of his mother's flight from Russia in the early 20th Century - and her travels through Georgia to Malaysia, and then Australia. Through recent exhibitions of paintings and sculptures, and numerous un-exhibited studies and drawings, I have been exploring ideas of heritage and personal history. I've become enthralled with a particular form of Russian popular folk art from the 17th-19th century (the Lubok), whose connections to woodcuts and engravings from China, via Europe, I think of as a metaphor for the blurring of geographical borders and traditions. My execution of this work in enamel on glass also pays visual reference to traditional Russian lacquer paintings. ”

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  My Father – 1949 Refugee

  Artist:Yvonne Haber

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  My Father – 1949 Refugee — Yvonne Haber | Dry point etching, mono print, watercolour | 19 x 25 cm

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  Neat

  Artist:Carissa Karamarko

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  Neat — Carissa Karamarko | Oil on Italian cotton | 30 x 40

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  Nocturne with Cow, Lemons

  Artist:Bronte Hock

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  Nocturne with Cow, Lemons — Bronte Hock | Oil on Canvas | 25 x 30 cm

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  Nosey Bob and Shark

  Artist:Nick Pont

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  Nosey Bob and Shark — Nick Pont | Oil on polyester | 117 x 137 cm

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  Perceived contentment

  Artist:Grey Williams

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  Perceived contentment — Grey Williams | Mixed Media on Paper | 98 x 77 cm

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  Peripheral View 9

  Artist:Joshua Charadia

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  Peripheral View 9 — Joshua Charadia | Oil and acrylic on linen | 71 x 92 cm
  “Peripheral View 9 is part of an ongoing series of works in which I take industrial scenes, photographed in passing, and render them in the ‘slow’ medium of oil paint. Through painting I afford time to these usually fleeting images of shipping containers and terminals, and hope to make visible what can often go unseen. Ubiquitous yet overlooked, these objects are containers of capital: vital cogs in the unceasing machine of globalisation and chess pieces in an indifferent global market place. I ask the viewer to reconsider their passive perceptions of these anonymous objects and, with discerning eyes, become more aware of what is really happening in the world around us. ”

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  Pill makes me ill

  Artist:Lisa Ellen Hughes

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  Pill makes me ill — Lisa Ellen Hughes | Pastel | 94 x 74.5 cm

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  Self Portrait in Fragmented Frame

  Artist:Patrick Cremin

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  Self Portrait in Fragmented Frame — Patrick Cremin | Oil on board | 30 x 24 cm
  “Artist Statement Drawing on fragmented memories and observations of Panania, the South West Sydney suburb where Cremin was raised, the work 'Self-Portrait in Fragmented Frame' is from a series of work that explores dread and paranoia as a visual presence within suburbia. Utilising a monochromatic palette, this graphic portrait is in states of falling apart; where a fragmented frame causes visual imbalance and a colloquial side-glance evokes distrust. Cremin is a multi-disciplinary artist currently based in Sydney who utilises painting, photography and sculpture to explore notions of dread, conflict and control within the urban environment.”

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  Shrub

  Artist:Rosemary Lee

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  Shrub — Rosemary Lee | Pencil on Paper | 110 x 80 cm

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  Skeletons R Scary

  Artist:David Fenoglio

  Merit:Highly Commended

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  Skeletons R Scary — David Fenoglio | Oil on linen | 41 x 79 cm
  “Skeletons or skulls are commonly used symbols in the history of still life painting. They are an obvious but powerful symbol because they remind us of our temporality in this physical body. A child’s honesty can lighten these thoughts and perhaps make us feel more comfortable with a fact of life, death. The drawing of the purple skeleton in this composition was left at my studio door one day by my niece when she was trying to scare me. That interaction was the catalyst for this painting.”

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  Sleeping Man

  Artist:Kirsten Hocking

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  Sleeping Man — Kirsten Hocking | Charcoal on Cotton Rag Paper | 53 x 79 cm

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  St Mary's Lake - Wimmera

  Artist:Suzy Strout

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  St Mary's Lake - Wimmera — Suzy Strout | Acrylic | 30.5 x 30.5 cm

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  Still Life Natalie

  Artist:Susan Roberts

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  Still Life Natalie — Susan Roberts | Acrylic | 50 x 60 cm

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  Stillness

  Artist:Dagmar Cyrulla

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  Stillness — Dagmar Cyrulla | Oil on linen | 41 x 51 cm
  “I regularly paint self-portraits for two reasons. I am always available and I enjoy the process of introspection and discovery. I learn more about myself every time I do a self-portrait. There is a great quote by Goethe; “We are all romantics looking for unity and meaning in a unified world”. I truly believe that we are all connected, yet we forget this, describing things that happen from the perspective of how and what happen to us, the “Self”. We find meaning in this and it helps give our lives context in the greater world. The ‘self-portrait' is a way of reflecting on who we are as an individual and the “collective condition”. There are so many conversations that happen in our minds and often the same ones over and over again. When I paint the self-portrait I am completely present with myself, there is ‘stillness’ of mind and it is like meditating. I just am.”

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  Strelitzia nicolai

  Artist:Clara Lacy

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  Strelitzia nicolai — Clara Lacy | Graphite | 70 x 105 cm

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  Sunday

  Artist:Andrea Wilson

  Merit:Drawing Prize

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  Sunday — Andrea Wilson | permanent marker on paper | 74 x 94 cm
  “I am an architect and painter, and I like to draw upon the spatial and sensorial nature of things and place in my approach to painting. Sometimes I will notice the impression of a landscape or object which might have a particular colour or form, only to find on closer inspection that I can no longer see it. In those moments I believe my job is to draw out the impression rather than the actual. But to explain the sense of it by using observation of the actual. Sunday is a fast drawing of my sleeping daughter on a warm Sunday afternoon with 2 dogs at the end of the bed. How deeply teenagers and young adults can sleep is a thing of wonder!”

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  The age of magic (3)

  Artist:Tanya Chaitow

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  The age of magic (3) — Tanya Chaitow | Acrylic on board | 300 x 400 cm
  “The age of magic is a series of paintings that inquire into the relationship between human beings and the mysteries of the creative experience. It is about the curiosity to search for the jewels buried deep within each of us that calls us to brave the rocks and depths of the unknown and to heed the siren’s call. Referencing the Old Masters the hunger for magic has always underpinned the human experience and has explained religion, science, folk lore and fairy tales. The age of magic describes the courageous hunt for those priceless jewels that separates a mundane existence from an enchanted one.”

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  The Impasse of Reverie

  Artist:Alison Borodzicz

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  The Impasse of Reverie — Alison Borodzicz | Mixed media | 30 x 40 cm
  “Through quiet observation of initially abstract brushstrokes, figures and forms begin to emerge from finer markings of tinted charcoal, elucidating a wistful expression that softly emerges. As such the figure in my work is not a portrait, but an expression of an introverted disposition. I am deeply inclined towards the inner world of thoughts, ideas and memories - an elusive space that can feel disconnected from reality. This feeling is brought to the fore in my work, which draws upon my formative experiences in music and theatre. From an early age I collected theatre programmes filled with sketches of period costumes and set designs that have had a palpable influence on my compositions. In a theatrical setting the inner, imaginative world is championed.”

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  The Lap Swimmer

  Artist:Peter Berner

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  The Lap Swimmer — Peter Berner | Acrylic on plywood | 90 x 91 cm
  “Lap swimmers are solitary animals. I live in Sydney’s East near the oceans and pools which is the lap swimmer’s natural habitat. These are the people who spend long hours travelling up and down, lap after lap. It seems to me a strange mix of grace, physical exertion and meditation. And with no distraction and no view but the relentlessly hypnotic pool bottom I imagine it benefits mind, body and soul. I hope this work captures this sense of quiet, solidity and heft I associate with committed lap swimmers. It sounds very beneficial, so why don’t I do more of it?”

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  THE PAINTERS LUNCH

  Artist:David Dixon

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  THE PAINTERS LUNCH — David Dixon | Oil on Canvas | 36 x 28 cm
  “The subject of this piece is a small group of my painting colleagues at lunch on a pleasant, sunny spring day. They were sitting under a tree in dappled light, totally engrossed in their conversation, and I immediately thought it would be a nice image to paint. I didn’t want to disturb the moment, so I just took a few quick reference pics. This is the painting I made in the studio quite a while later, where I tried to recapture that lovely dappled light and the relaxed camaraderie of their lunch.”

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  The Raid

  Artist:Luke Kennedy

  Merit:Mixed Media Prize

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  The Raid — Luke Kennedy | Mixed Media | 121 x 121 cm
  “This painting is about the traumatic event of a police raid. Within a discontinuous space, motifs are arranged in a way that speak to this anxious experience, but also make reference more directly to the reasons for the raid, which in the artist’s case is painting graffiti. A dangerous practice in a world where modern policing intersects with sophisticated surveillance technology. The viewer is presented with the artist’s known world in upheaval; his field of colour and gestural marks are interrupted by the three central motifs that refer to the act, the moment that follows and the consequences that come with getting ‘pinched’”

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  The ritual dismemberment of Captain Cook at the temple of Ku, Hawaii 1779

  Artist:Damian Broomhead

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  The ritual dismemberment of Captain Cook at the temple of Ku, Hawaii 1779 — Damian Broomhead | Oil pastel on board | 120 x 90 cm
  “Contemporaneous accounts indicate that the Hawaiians viewed Cook as some manifestation of a divinity, specifically their god ‘Lono’. Whatever that meant in the Hawaiian’s cosmology it wasn’t enough to prevent Cook being clubbed to death on the shores of Kealakekua Bay in 1779. Afterwards Cook’s body was carried up to the cliff top temple of Ku (god of war and sacrifice) where it was ritually dismembered, the flesh baked off, and the bones distributed amongst the warriors according to rank. To placate the British some were also returned and buried at sea. It is fascinating that relic making got underway so swiftly after Cook’s death, the ceremonial dividing up of his bones by the Hawaiians for their own oblique purposes foreshadowing in a strange way the seemingly endless commemorations, memorialisation and mythmaking characteristic of the enduring heroic cult of Captain Cook. The gruesome beginning to his posthumous existence perhaps highlights as well his awkward status as highly contested symbol, both possessor and dispossessor, hero and villain.”

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  The Sun is the same, but you're older.

  Artist:Rowan Robertson

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  The Sun is the same, but you're older. — Rowan Robertson | Oil on linen | 102 x 102 cm

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  The unexpected

  Artist:Yuri Shimmyo

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  The unexpected — Yuri Shimmyo | Oil on Canvas | 30 x 30 cm

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  The vast edge of shuffle

  Artist:Matthew Tumbers

  Merit:Acrylic Painting Prize

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  The vast edge of shuffle — Matthew Tumbers | Acrylic on boxboard | 31 x 33 cm
  “My entry to art is associated with memories of my mother’s en plein air paintings of the bush and coastline. As she painted I would explore the surrounds and being very young would not venture far and returning intermittently I would see a painting materialise like some kind of slow and baffling time-lapse illusion. I have painted mostly to create video installations and studio/salon exhibition environments. As standalone pieces they are either abstract or landscapes or a feel between the two. A good painting experience for me is when I can make something that is both evocative and ambiguous.”

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  The Wave

  Artist:Helen Townsend

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  The Wave — Helen Townsend | Oil on board | 60 x 45 cm

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  Venice Alley Way

  Artist:Yvonne Haber

  Merit:Printmaking Prize

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  Venice Alley Way — Yvonne Haber | Mixed Media - dry point and watercolour | 14 x 25 cm
  “My love for Venice stems from it being a walking city, absent of the smells and noises of cars. However, as a major tourist location, the challenge is to find those hidden alleyways where locals freely conduct their lives. As I sat at this corner, I could hear sounds of music from a nearby classroom window, parents and their children racing to get to school. Then silence. It was a hot spring day and the light had a sharp edge to it. The stillness and chiaroscuro of the midday sun gave this innocuous alleyway a sense of quiet splendour that captured so much of what I find beautiful about this city - washing hanging from a window, faded render, graffiti and worn buildings. This piece is a dry point etching taken from my original sketch added with water-colour.”

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  Wild Weeds

  Artist:Sally Mowbray

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  Wild Weeds — Sally Mowbray | Oil on Canvas | 55 x 70 cm

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  Woman reading a letter

  Artist:Matilda Michell

  Merit:Highly Commended

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  Woman reading a letter — Matilda Michell | oil on paper | 39 x 27 cm
  “I did this painting after seeing the beautiful Vermeer painting of the same title in the AGNSW for the Dutch Masters exhibition. I love the narrative ambiguity that the letter gives and the way it provides a fulcrum between her hands and gaze. ”