Travels with Gainsborough’s Blue Boy

by Robyn Bauer F.R.Q.A.S

I love the clever use of foreground and background, the clever play between total abstraction to representation, and the play of layering; story over story, over story! Well done, amazing work!

Still Waters

by Karen Dyer

This incredible little beauty is quite remarkable! I love how it has been abstracted on so many levels, from process to creation. Highly skilled paint work and many hours in the making, a well thought out piece. I could stare at it and find new things for hours and hours. Great piece, well done!

Abstract Assemblage 2

by Leigh Schoenheimer

This took me by surprise, it’s totally different from image to flesh. Fun and playful, I love the texture, playful use of shapes and shadows, beautiful variation in paint application, and overall joyful to experience; well done!

Midnight Garden

by Adele Bevacqua

A beautifully painted, expressive piece with a clever palette of moodiness and subtlety. The more I look at it, the more I love it. Well done!

Storm

by Lien Jansen

Beautiful brushwork and atmosphere. It captures not only the subject but emotions, with very little detail. A beautiful work, very talented and well done!

Hot and Dry

by Elizabeth Duguid

The painting I have chosen for the 2025 Fellows Recognition Award for Abstraction spoke to me the moment I walked into the gallery. I felt compelled to take a closer look and I was instantly moved by the dynamic and expressive use of colour emanating from gestural brush strokes applied spontaneously and rhythmically. The dark green provides a contrast to the interplay of the warm coloured foliage, and the lavender tones bring a softness. The composition is well balanced and gives a feeling of a “Hot and Dry” Australian landscape.

End of Day

by Tony Walker

A wood filled composition with rich, vibrant shadows and misty depth. Lively brushstrokes and adjusted perspective lends the viewer to be drawn into this painting. Great balance and control of colour range. Less is more – well done.

Misty Morning Kangaroo Point

by Helen Caldwell

Clarity of thought with clear intention to develop a complexity of mid-tones to tell the story of an urban fabric with hinted edges and light points. The warmth of an early morning sunrise gives weight to the coldness of the fog filled morning river’s edge.

The Love Chamber 1

by Umihee Kim

Exquisitely crafted composition. Highly personal collection of objects reflecting a moment in time. Organisation of composition to the left opens a dialogue about another space and another moment.

Organic CPU

by Luella Price

Visually engaging and a strangely confronting subject.

Waiting 4EVA

by Robyn Carr

Great example of a work which has a strong sense of ongoing and unknown storyline.

Broken Mast

by Naomi Hatt

Deeper narrative illuminates a delicate balance between the koala and the leaves/galleon suggested to the left of composition. The interplay becomes more powerful than the detail. Control of tones, pencil strokes and composition is exquisite.

Beneath the Watch of Knitted Boughs

by Robyn Bauer

A calligraphic approach with repetitive dynamic contrasts gives this image a power and weight that elevates the composition beyond the static to a flood of complexity and detail.

Riomaggiore, A Patchwork of Colour, Cinque Terre, Italy

by Jan Hutchinson

Very considered work. Painstakingly executed while retaining a sense of life and colour.

Singing Bowl

by Richard Blundell

A highly intricate, multi-layered work that we both kept coming back to over and over again.

La Sylph

by Teresa Durie

Visually striking work that we found both eerie and intriguing.

Siblings

by Belinda Stokes

Very technical execution of a difficult subject with an endearing quality.

Self Portrait

by Lilah McMahon

Strongly rendered, considered work. An excellent use of colour, and an engaging subject matter.

Misty Morning Kangaroo Point

by Helen Caldwell

Queensland Castles

by Glen Gillard

From humble old weatherboard cottages to modern high rise structures, are in this work elevated to “iconic” status with the use of a gold background. The composition is creative and thoughtful with its use of a grid structure to convey multiple viewpoints and to contrast the old (including two elderly citizens as well as cottages) with the bold new city skylines. Skilful and fluent draftsmanship and brushwork, and a visually appealing command of colour, texture, light and shade also contribute to making this a compelling, “stand out” work.

Goat Man

by Charlie McGann

An inventive and quirky “double portrait” of a man and beast. This work has both visual and intellectual appeal, sparking the viewer’s curiosity about the artist’s choice of subjects. The handling of thick paint in quite a small work and the vigorous brushwork have verve and result in a sensuous artwork.

Sunshine Follows

by Beverley Tainton

A lyrical and atmospheric abstract, suggesting a sense of a rainy landscape. Soft colours, gauzy paint passages and dribbled paint are satisfyingly contrasted with strong and gestural sweeping brushstrokes to create a dynamic composition.

The Glass House Mountains

by Michael Augustine

A visually striking shoreline scene, economically using diagonal lines and shapes to draw the eye in a zig zag fashion across the canvas from the right hand bottom corner to the mountains on the horizon and across the sky. Thin paint layers are skilfully used to convey the distant mountains, build up of clouds and reflections on wet sand.

Enigma

by Zygmunt Libucha

This is an excellent work from a skilled, experienced sculptor. The contemporary figurative work invites closer inspection – from the subtle stylised facial features, to the hair and curving spine. The expression on the woman’s face is delicate and coy, accentuated by the upward thrust of the left shoulder. The gesture is fully rounded and delightful to view from every angle. The fine veined marble has been beautifully sculpted and finished. Thoughtfully, the sculptor has pin mounted the piece to allow it to be gently rotated on its base. This is a fine work in all aspects.

All Things Must Pass

by Anne-Louise Ciel

Of the sculptural works on show, this one demands the closest and most detailed examination, circumnavigation even. We sense a story, a personal mythology carved into the aerated concrete block – forearms and hands grasp at tendons of some material bound in chains links. Small leaves sprout suggesting life or renewal. There is a human struggle going on, somehow difficult yet affirming. Hebel is a great starting point for the sculptor exploring the subtractive processes of material. Congratulations on this piece. What’s next?

Small Golden Bunya Cone

by Nathaniel Alan Kemp

This slip cast porcelain ceramic piece is gold lustre glazed. Sculpture is usually the product of many processes as evident in this work. Plaster moulding, slip casting, bisque firing and a further lustre firing have created a delightfully interesting form. The partial application of lustre to the form combines complex internal luminosity with surface reflectivity that dances as the viewer moves around the piece. Good work!

Morning at Rathdowney

by Gary Myers

Shadowfax

by Terry Hadnutt

This is a powerful painting that captures the spirit and motion of a grey horse with remarkable energy and emotion. The swirling, ambiguous background—rendered in vivid, rich colours—creates a
dynamic contrast that perfectly balances the composition. There’s a refined restraint at play, reflecting the artist’s seasoned instinct to stop at just the right moment, allowing the piece to breathe without overworking it. The result is a striking blend of impressionistic technique, thematic depth, and expressive colour use—a beautiful portrayal of movement and mood. Truly, a compelling and masterful work. Well done!

Marvel

by Soroor Behbahani

This pencil rendering of Octopus vulgaris is a remarkably detailed and skilful study that reflects the artist’s deep understanding of cephalopod anatomy, surpassing mere reliance on photographic
reference. The composition, though ambitious, is thoughtfully executed, with striking contrasts in lighting and a well-balanced interplay between the rich, dark background and the vivid, intricately rendered foreground. It is a striking close-up composition, expertly perceived with exceptional detail and precision. Congratulations!

“Please Dad, I Dropped Mine” (Yellow-Tailed Black Cockatoos)

by Kristy-Ann Duffy

This endearing painting of a yellow-tailed black cockatoo family is both visually striking and emotionally resonant. Thoughtfully composed with a clear narrative, the work demonstrates technical finesse and artistic sensitivity. Though rendered in acrylic, it carries the richness and depth of an oil painting. The feather textures are particularly impressive—vividly coloured, intricately detailed, and expertly observed. The choice of canvas size is commendable, allowing the birds to be portrayed at nearly life-size, enhancing the viewer’s sense of presence and intimacy. A beautifully executed piece—congratulations to the artist on an exceptional work.

The Vegemite Frogs

by Casey Charles

A well-executed painting that cleverly blends a culturally significant product with the playful charm and larrikin humour of adding two mischievous green tree frogs. The result is a delightful fusion of tradition and whimsy, brought to life through thoughtful composition, rich colour work, and solid technical perspective. This artwork is both cheeky and clever—an engaging concept executed with skill and character. Well done!

Currents

by Pixell Rathmell

This painting presents a captivating and imaginative concept—melding the realistic depiction of a jellyfish with a beautifully blended, warm-toned background. The semi-abstract composition invites interpretation; one compelling reading suggests a glimpse into the jellyfish’s ancient, 650-million-year evolutionary past, evoking a sense of primordial mystery and near-immortality. The work is both visually striking and technically refined, with a strong atmospheric presence. A thoughtful and well-executed piece—well done!

Fylgja (Guardian Spirit)

by Ciel

When I received my first three awards for my watercolours in 1968, I wanted to know what made the winners better than mine. I was told some of the criteria were composition, values, edges, choice of subject and if it had impact … was it painterly?

Apart from watercolours, it is relatively easier for a competent artist to create a larger painting, but size doesn’t always mean it is superior to a small work. Judging can be simpler when it is divided into different media and sections in competitions.

This wildlife exhibition, with different media, made selecting a winner due to the variety of eclectic subjects based on the theme, much harder. Whenever I judge, I narrow it down to about 5-6 works, particularly the smaller works, so I looked at every painting at least twice and I don’t look at the artist’s names.

In the end it came down to a few works that I kept coming back to that was closest to the brief of “OUR RELATIONSHPS WITH ANIMALS”. I also considered whether I would be happy to see the work in my home. Finally, I asked myself these questions from the brief: What was the animal thinking? What was the relationship with humans? What was the human thinking?

So, the winner is the work No. 22 in oils by Ciel–“Fylgja (Guardian Spirit)”

Graham W. Smith F.R.Q.A.S. M.P.A.

A Watchful Eye

by Juanita Sanganithy

The Hurdle #2

by Melody Spangaro

A wonderful rendering and although the surface application does look a little distracting in raking light it is a powerful transportation of medium into matter.

Play

by Aliki Yiorkas

A tender but complex metaphoric atmosphere created here with the lining up of the race of creatures towards the void.

Bunya Leaves from Queens Park

by Naomi Hatt

Beautiful rendering of the subject with a metonymic link between medium and subject. Forensic observational drawing at its best.

Ana in Shangri-La

by Dr Kay Kane

An excellent and evocative drawing. Beautifully composed and rendered. The metaphoric potential of the transparency of Ana is a little muted by the indistinct gesture of her hands.

Self Portrait

by Lilah McMahon

A very impressive drawing by a junior artist showing great observation and control.

Rachel’s Garden

by Alan Innes

Working in ‘en plein air’ provides an unmediated relation to the ‘real world’ and this is an important practice to preserve and celebrate in the RQAS. The use of colour ‘pushes’ the idea of drawing when it is often not used traditionally in drawing.

Self Portrait with Idol

by Jared Fountain