Untitled I (Deliberate Pictures Series) by Natalie Lavelle
$2800 Acrylic and Thread on Canvas 105cm
JUDGES COMMENTS:
Above all other works in the exhibition, this painting connects directly with the origins of Western abstraction from the 1910s and -20s. In so doing, it exhibits lessons learned from early adherents such as Kazimir Malevich and Theo van Doesburg. Echoing Japanese and Chinese calligraphy, Natalie’s single sweeping brush stroke is at once deliberate and controlled — yet has a looseness that provides both movement and tension to the picture. The vertical string-line bisecting the picture plane adds a note of formality and provides a reference against which the viewer might contemplate placement of the large shadowy brush stoke upon the painting’s brilliant white rectangular ground.
Second Prize
Thereabouts by Helen Creed
$650 91x91cm Acrylic
JUDGES COMMENTS:
This painting is a rare bird — that is, one which works as well hung on a diagonal as it does on the square. Reminiscent of knitting or Indigenous weaving patterns, the tricolour stripes, in progressively darker tones from front to back, give the painting an impression of depth and airiness. The warm tones of Helen’s painting are inviting while the imperfect straight lines provide an elasticity filled with tension.
Third Prize
Night Market by Kim Lowry
$250 51x61cm Acrylic on Canvas
JUDGES COMMENTS:
Straddling pure abstraction and physical reality, this tonal study of light in relation to objects could only exist in modern times. Devoid of gesture, the flatly painted areas of merged and fragmented shapes play with notions of focus and depth of field in a photographic sense. The modest size of Kim’s painting is appropriate for its humble subject matter and probably wouldn’t have worked as well on a larger scale.
PEOPLES CHOICE: Winner
LCS.1 by Petalia Humphreys
$950 90x90cm Acrylic on Plywood
Previous Abstraction Winners
Click on the links below to view previous winners of Abstract Exhibitions held at the Petrie Terrace Gallery
The world around us serves as one of the most important figurative interpretations in art. Nature has a positive effect on the emotional state and many artists take advantage of this. The French expression “plein air” means “fresh air” or “in the open air” in English. This year’s En Plein Air Exhibition at Petrie Terrace Gallery was a delightful collection of works created “in the open air’.
