Portrait of a Queer Father as Icon

by Jeremy Plint

SELECTORS COMMENTS

Plint’s self-portrait immediately stood out to me. It’s deeply personal, its challenging, and it’s also familiar. What comes to mind is the ‘mother and child’ imbedded in art history, juxtaposed with that exaggerated masculine character from the movies – the ‘bad guy’ sitting in the loungeroom with a gun.

He looks at the viewer defiantly, showing that these symbols – the tiara, the floral chair, the gun, the tattoos, don’t have to inherently belong to separate identities.

Plint’s work is strong technically, and it is also thought-provoking – it makes us want to know more about the sitter, but also makes us reflect on our own preconceptions about others, and how we construct and constrain identity.

Purple

by Purple Chang

SELECTORS COMMENTS

Purple Chang 

This self-portrait evidences a relentless intensity of looking and seeing. The viewer cannot help but gain a very real sense of the perceptiveness of the artist and thus the character of the subject. 

I see here a soul laid bare, achieved through masterly use of the medium. Colour harmony, composition and exposition of edge are so well-ordered that to change anything would be, in my view, to spoil the whole thing. I will say no more except to quote one of Australia’s best contemporary writers on art, Christopher Allen: 

“Talk is cheap in art, and the only ideas that have true weight in painting are those that have been fully assimilated and realized in the very handling of the subject matter and the shaping of the imaginary world, such insights reaching deep into the mind of the viewer.”

Congratulations Purple. 

Self-portrait in the Morning

by Leo Liu

SELECTORS COMMENTS

Shadowing, dripping washes of colour alongside heavier brushstrokes of thicker paint and a relatable facial feature of discerning one’s own creative work strike the viewer with a real sense of witnessing a realistic and at once exaggerated version of a studio environment. The skill and dedication of Zheng Liu’s creative practice are evident in the paint application, witnessed with the mix of expressive marks, controlled shadowing and the use of colour to sway the timbre of the work.
The self-portraiture genre is a sometimes damning and at once celebrated revelation of how an artist views themself; in this instance, the subject appears to be nonplussed with their creative results, looking upon their work with a critical but experienced view. A resigned stance, along with the title suggesting an early-rising and committed practising artist, adds volumes to the relatability of the piece for many viewers and artists alike.

Jamie

by Simon Brown

Dad at Home

by Greg Jessup

JUDGES COMMENTS

Conveys the high regard the artist has for his father and how their psyche both pervades the space and stands in wonder of it. An incredible, mad work with overwhelming sense of life. Deft lively brush marks on the figure. Playful colours in the skin tones. This is not just photorealism. Beautifully composed. I feel like various elements of the surrounding foliage have been manipulated to keep your eye within the picture frame. The background elements push the figure forward. An image that shocked me with its intensity the moment I saw it.

Patron Saint of Adventure

by Samantha Groenestyn

JUDGES COMMENTS

This is a highly original composition. You can see that every shape and form, each placement of an object in this picture has gone through the filter of a human mind. Very idiosyncratic. Who would have thought a bike on a shoulder would work so well. Love the light from behind. A lovely feeling of warmth and regard for the sitter.

Oneness

by Anne-Marie Zanetti

JUDGES COMMENTS

I have a lot of respect for people who go beyond trying to paint what is before them. It is far more difficult than people imagine. The technical problems to be overcome are often huge and if done well the effort isn’t always apparent to the viewer. A beautiful thoughtful idea.

First Coffee

by Isabella Allis

Cactus Hour

by Olivia Dean-Jones

JUDGES COMMENTS

A beautiful portrait with an energetic bold feeling.

Is There Still Life Here

by Isabella Paxton

JUDGES COMMENTS

Looks to be lovingly render from life! A skill to be encouraged. And witty title.

Disparity

by Ava Merolla

JUDGES COMMENTS

Beautifully drawn with mood and character. Well constructed and subtlety distorted for feeling. Interesting use of the digital media.

Life

by Dorothy Huang

JUDGES COMMENTS

One of the most imaginative works in the room. A great talent for the future.

Vista #11

by Laura Phillips

Oil on Board

Judges Comments:

This painting has an intentional two-dimensional feel in its composition and presentation which is quite beautiful in its effect. The palette used is subtle and evocative. Although the work is a rendition of a traditional subject, i.e., a still life, there is no hint here of antiquity. The artist in this case has made it their own, creating a work which seems timeless.

Tim Page. War Photographer

by Joanne Brooker

Acrylic on Panel

Judges Comments:

This work is bold and alive, painted in eye-catching colour. It is well-rounded as a painting: the elements of a war photographers’ life surrounding the subject give his character authenticity. The figure of Tim Page is commanding from the centre of the composition and painted with genuine expression. It is technically accomplished.

Encounter at Coochie

by Peter Hubbard

Oil on Board

Judges Comments:

This painting emanates light and warmth. It is very successful in telling its story around an encounter at Coochie. The composition is appealing and very natural. The artist has been skilled in depicting the figures and their interaction within the landscape. Overall, this is an enticing and atmospheric work.

My Country 465

by Max Butler

Oil

Judges Comments:

This work shows very skilled use of a bold colour palette, set out in a clever composition. The bands of foreground, middle and background reveal their details slowly on continued examination of the painting – it invites looking and re-looking to discover the elements in each part of its striking landscape.

Carnarvons Forever

by Tony Walker

Watercolour

Judges Comments:

This work shows excellent use of a limited palette and expressive line work. The use of watercolour as a medium has been harnessed to its full extent in skilfully depicting the landscape. Overall, this is an evocative work which is infused with light.

Duck and Lilly under the Milky Way

by Wilna TenCate

Watercolour

Judges Comments:

This painting shows good balance between the watercolour use on the figure and the duck and an illustrative approach to the background. The figure, face and animal are sensitively and expressively depicted, with good technical skill. The overall composition is very well balanced.

Bend It

by Di Cox

Digital

Judges Comments:

There is a very effective two-dimensional presence to this work. The composition is balanced, and the inclusion of chairs on the open space in the foreground gives the work a light-hearted summery feel.

Colour in the Fog

by Richard McLaren

Photography

Judges Comments:

The photographer here has captured a mystical and ethereal quality to the subject matter of a landscape in fog, which translates well as a larger presentation.

Maggie

by Kathy Sullivan

Wirework

Judges Comments:

This wirework sculpture is delicately constructed. When it is hung and diffused with light, it creates an evocative shadow of a magpie, bringing the bird to life in the room. This is skillfully devised and when hung, a fluidly mobile sculpture.

Ngoanga – Place of Figs Petrie

by Robyn Bauer

Charcoal

Judges Comments:

This charcoal drawing achieves excellent tonal difference and has an overall compositional balance. The fig trees are gracefully drawn, with depth and strength.

“Flavigny 3, Ed1/6”

by Katia Strounina

Wood Engraving

Judges Comments:

This wood engraving achieves a wonderful chiaroscuro in its depiction of the town gates of Flavigny. The work exhibits excellent technical artistry, and the lines which create the texture of buildings, foreground and sky are beautifully rendered. There is much movement and light in the sky to balance the darker foreground and buildings. The scene appears ancient but timeless, with great depth.

Blue and Yellow

by Alan Fletcher

Watercolour, Acrylic and Pen

Judges Comments:

This work exhibits excellent skill in composition, and very effective use of the different media used. The delicate nest of lines in the middle are texturally and sensitively rendered, and the blue bar at the top provides requisite balance. Each of the three elements contrasts with the others in shape, media and texture, but successfully integrates into a very balanced and intriguing whole.

Going About Living

by Wayne Singleton

Hand Coloured Linocut Print

Judges Comments:

This linocut print displays immense skill in the detail of the scene and in the delicate hand colouring of the birds. The eye of the viewer is drawn again and again to explore the intricacies of the scene. The work encourages full immersion into the forest that is depicted and the living elements within it.

Gap Creek

by Qi Liu

Oil