Author Archives: Kate Bounas

Winners – Brisbane: Landmarks, Landscapes and Personalities 2024

The Royal Queensland Art Society would like to congratulate all the winners in the Brisbane: Landmarks, Landscapes and Personalities Exhibition.

Thanks also to our Judge Seabastion Toast, and Fellows Selector Beverley Tainton. Please scroll down to view the winning artworks and judges comments.

First Prize

 

The Queen’s Arms

by Peter Hubbard

JUDGES COMMENTS

Art can do many things, it can impress us, intimidate and terrify us, inspire and make us laugh, cry and gasp in wonder. One of my favourite things that art does is transform everyday ordinary moments into something transcendent. Art that makes you walk through the world and see things through new eyes. An artist who can stand before a grand vista and then turn his/her easel around and find beauty in the cracks of the pavement or the catching of light against a dumpster. For me the winning work does this. It takes an ordinary corner of the world, ordinary but recognisable as Brisbane because of its unique architecture. The composition is bold and brave but expertly handled. The light is nothing but Australian, Queensland’s light… the cars almost melt into the shade. It’s an intelligent painting full of heart.

Second Prize

Coming Home

by Alexandra Matthews

JUDGES COMMENTS

This artwork suggests such a strong sense of place that I could not turn away from it. I’ve walked some streets in Brisbane in the twilight and at night, and this image really speaks to that experience. One of the most beloved aspects of this city are its heritage houses but this painting could almost be read with a certain foreboding twist. Against the darkened skies and expertly handled light, the residences offer a contrasting sense of warmth and safety as the night closes in. A lone figure making his way home sets up a narrative of endless questions and wondering.

 

Third Prize

Spring Hill Baths EST. 1886

by Sharon Heeley

JUDGES COMMENTS

This next artist has drawn the most elegant abstract ideas out of a very iconic landmark. It’s hard to view a pool painting without thinking of those by David Hockney, and this artist’s careful treatment of the water and the placement of the figure certainly honours and continues those ideas. Swimming has such a grand place in our national psyche and the baths have a long and important role in our history of community and public wellbeing. As someone who coached swimming and worked as a lifeguard to support my art practice as a student, I can intimately relate to both the physicality and psychology of this scene. It’s a piece that plays with scale and composition in a very thoughtful and compelling way.

Highly Commended

Walking on Alice Street

by Glenda Markwell

JUDGES COMMENTS

This artwork pits nature in the form of the ever familiar fig trees that adorn our city cozied up to and almost entwined with an old wrought iron fence. I love that the artist chose this subject… two very old elements of our city whose strength and beauty are fighting against the modernisation and development of the metropolis. The juxtaposition of the pattern in the fence against the great roots and pattern of the bark are simply breathtaking and the use of negative space serves to heighten the experience.

Ocean’s Edge

by Sophie Malkin

JUDGES COMMENTS

The highly commended goes to a painting I know many of you may have already picked as the winner and it certainly deserves to. It is absolutely stunning. The composition is perfect. Its combination of nature and culture is both subtle and intriguing, the handling of paint is masterful, as is the colour and capturing of light through the water. I know these moments intimately both through my time spent in the ocean but also through trying to tackle such an elusive subject myself. I take my hat off to this artist and if no one buys this before the night is out then the world has gone mad.

Young Artist Excellence Award

For X

by Jenny Hjertquist

JUDGES COMMENTS

I was struck by this artwork as soon as I saw it and it is as deserving of the main category accolades as it is of the youth award. It is an intimate artwork, capturing an iconic and enormous landmark, offsetting the harsh industrial nature of the subject with a careful, almost loving rendering. This work plays with scale in a very compelling way, the smallness and lack of colour emphasises the intimacy of the artists hand. You can easily imagine the artist sitting at the base of this structure gently and diligently recording her experience.

Fellows Selection

Open to eligible RQAS Members. Selected by Beverley Tainton FRQAS

Breakfast on Park Road

by Helen Syron

SELECTORS COMMENTS

When selecting for this Fellows’ Award, I was drawn to a wonderful creative abstraction that enticed me to take a closer look and to return again.
Expressive line work and colour use, particularly purple blues complementing golden yellows, create an overall unity that holds my attention.
The contemporary treatment of an iconic statue leading the viewer in and upwards, together with surrounding structures, bring back memories of many breakfasts I have enjoyed at Park Road Milton. Consequently, I was not surprised when I read the title of this painting – Breakfast on Park Road.

Peoples Choice

Storm Approaching the City

by Jules Farrell

Winners – Abstraction 2024

The Royal Queensland Art Society would like to congratulate all the winners in the Abstraction 2024 Exhibition.

Thanks also to our Judge Mark Gawne, and Fellows Selector Dr Kay Kane. Please scroll down to view the winning artworks and judges comments.

First Prize

 

Knowing Myself

by Julie Gilroy

JUDGES COMMENTS

Bursting with colour and shapes seemingly in mid-air drew me to this artwork. The artist has a great sense of space and colour, and a lot of patience.

Second Prize

Transition

by Beverley Tainton

JUDGES COMMENTS

Wonderful sense of space. This artist has a confident stroke – it is the freedom that no doubt the artist enjoys, as do I.

 

Third Prize

Memories Fade

by Mark Gawne

JUDGES COMMENTS

I like the composition and the use of just the right amount of abstraction. The artist focussing on the left side flower is brilliant.

Highly Commended

Botanic

by Gabe Parker

JUDGES COMMENTS

A well balanced, interesting piece of art and skilfully delivered. I like the roughness of the edges and the natural colour of the metal.

Abstraction

by James Randall

JUDGES COMMENTS

The artist made a brilliant piece of digital art. I was drawn toward it, and it is unique; which all artists desire.

The Three Queens Have Arrived

by Tim Klein

JUDGES COMMENTS

This painting fascinated me, the sculptural elements containing a landscape, or just colourful stripes perhaps. This artist has a very good technique that allows you to enter through the blueness and into something else.

Fellows Selection

Open to eligible RQAS Members. Selected by Dr Kay Kane FRQAS

Trunk

by Glenda Markwell

SELECTORS COMMENTS

I was immediately drawn to this work. The rich glowing colours, composition, mark making and contrasting paint application does not disappoint on close inspection. Beautiful, free accentuation of silhouette serves to help hold the composition together.

Peoples Choice

Train!

by Kym Lowry

What’s On – 2024 Exhibitions

The Royal Queensland Art Society has so many exciting exhibitions and opportunities for artists coming up in 2024.

Click the Exhibition Titles below to find out more about the entering the exhibitions and important dates.

Exhibition on show: Wednesday 24th February – Sunday 4th February
Entries forms due 17th January 3:30pm

Exhibition on show: Thursday 28th March – Sunday 21st April
Entries forms due 28th February 3:30pm

Exhibition on show: Friday 3rd May – Sunday 26th May
Entry forms due: 3rd April 3:30pm

Exhibition on show: Thursday 6th June – Sunday 23rd June
and: Wednesday 24th June – Sunday 14th July
Entry forms due: 8th May 3:30pm

Exhibition on show: Thursday 8th August – Sunday 2nd September
Entry forms due: Wednesday 22nd May

Run in conjunction with the Brisbane Portrait Prize.
For more information or to enter visit: https://brisbaneportraitprize.org/2024-prize/

Exhibition on show: Friday 27th September – Sunday 27th October
Entry forms due: Wednesday 28th August 3:30pm

Exhibition on show: Friday 27th September – Sunday 27th October
Entry forms due: Wednesday 28th August 3:30pm

Exhibition on show: Friday 22nd November – Friday 13th December
Entry forms due: Wednesday 23rd October 3:30pm

Salon des Refusés 2023 – Prize Winners

Congratulations to all the award recipients in the 2023 Salon des Refusés.

Thank you also to all the participants in this years exhibition, as well as our judges, sponsors and supporters.

Selected by Beverley Tainton (FRQAS)

Joe Furlonger

by David Paulson

SELECTORS COMMENTS

David Paulson’s portrait of Joe Furlonger is expressive, creative and innovative. A wonderful variety of technical application and colour use – particularly in the placement of whites – make this a commanding composition. For me, the character of Joe Furlonger and his approach to his own art radiates from this portrait.

Selected by Bruce Heiser

Josephine

by Emily Stainer

SELECTORS COMMENTS

Initially I was intrigued by the scale of the work, somehow it appeared to pop out at me from among the works. Once I made my way over to the painting to look at it, I was really quite impressed by the handling of the paint, particularly the modelling of the flesh tones. I thought that aspect of the work was rather good. I also enjoyed the reference to art history. A few years back I’d been fortunate to catch an exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery in London of Elizabethan miniatures which made a tremendous impact on me, so I think my enjoyment and fascination of that show was somehow rekindled when I viewed this work. I know Emily’s work is really quite different, but nonetheless it brought the London show back to mind. Of the works hung, for me it was one of the better paintings in terms of the quality of the draftsmanship and handling of paint. For me, I find the stillness of the work, that quiet, introspective quality really quite appealing too.

Selected by John McDonald

Siena

by Alissa Lamb

SELECTORS COMMENTS

Children are notoriously hard to paint, and not simply because they won’t sit still. Paint an older person and you are striving to capture a lifetime’s experience in a face and form. With a child, that life is yet to be lived. As a result, many children are depicted as small adults, or sentimentally, as impossibly cute dolls. In this picture, Siena -and, I might say, in the companion picture of the sitter’s sister – Alissa Lamb has captured a quirky, theatrical personality that transcends the clichés of childhood. I liked the way Siena’s face subtly echoes the rabbit headgear, and the self-confidence in her expression. Painted with painstaking care, but not redolent of photography, it’s a work that instantly arrests one’s attention.

Highly Commended

Julia Robinson

by Eliza Bertwistle

Selected by John McDonald

Peoples Choice

Unbroken

by James Stickland

The Salon des Refusés is proudly sponsored by

Brisbane City Council

2023 Salon des Refusés – Finalists

Congratulations to the finalists of the 2023 Salon des Refusés exhibition.

Run in conjunction with the Brisbane Portrait Prize, the exhibition will be on show at Petrie Terrace Gallery from 29th September to 29th October.

Marie Adams Neil Making Paper
Rod Bailey Prof. Dr. Sir Melvyn A Sydney-Smith. From Refugee with borrowed clothes and no shoes to life saver.
Elizabeth Barden Olivia
Robyn Bauer A Musing Tom
Sam Behr Bella, I see you
Elizza Bertwistle Julia Robinson
Kane Brunjes Karina Hogan
Daniel Butterworth Coco
Casey Charles Jo and her Loves
Sally Chippendale Modern Day Hustle
Christa Coetzee Eternal Echoes
James Congdon If I Had a Girlfriend She’d Kill Me
Clare Cowley Velvet Pesu Being Sky Mountain
Simon Cutler Portrait of Hannah in Dappled Light
Rebecca Davis Into the light
Mackenzie Dick My Dad Moby
Francie Evans Art is Our Only Hope!
Peter Fung My Cousin
Lyn Green Looking Forwards
Terry Hadnutt Photographer John Elliott  no 3
Christine Hall Harmonies Unleashed : A Portrait of Lucas D Lynch, Conductor, Composer and Visionary
Christine Hall A Portrait Within Art
Peta Harvey The Sky
Claudia Haus Turning 30
Paula Heelan Jessica
Ellie Hobl Grounded
Peter Hubbard Joanne
Kate Humphreys The Prayer Book
Catherine Jorissen Curtis
Catherine Jorissen Catherine
Tracy Kennedy-Shanks Geoff
Melanie Kilby A Thousand Yards
Melanie Kilby Grace
Tim Klein My Sister
Alissa Lamb It’s Different in Girls
Alissa Lamb Siena
Hui Ju Tsi Liu Tea Time
Bronwyn Lloyd Beholder
Basilia Luculano Basilia  and Papa
David MacNamara Holding on to humanity
Ali Marshall Portrait of Wayne
Joel Matheson No More Nightmares
Troy Matheson Man of Letters
Sarah-Jane Mayo Greenwashing
Jason McNamara Contemplative Harmony: A Portrait of Danny Widdicombe
Ashleigh Menzler The Sky’s the Limit
Fumina Mizaki Bea
Yu-An Murray Warm
Shinji Ogata A Beautiful Mum and her lovely Baby Girl
David Paulson Joe Furlonger
Samantha Paxton Indies Venus
Jacob Royle Brushed Affection
Sabrina Simoni Paula
Emily Stainer Josephine
James Stickland Unbroken
Helen Syron A Place For Everything
Stephen Tiernan In The Realm
Stephen Tiernan Find Me
Petronella M van Leusden Dare to Claim the Sky
Amanda Waschevski Danielle
Kathryn Way Luke
Anna Weston Hosey

To find out more about the exhibition, or secure tickets to one of our events please click here.

Proudly Sponsored by

Brisbane City Council

Article – Simon Peter van Kaspelen

SIMON PETER van KASPELEN (1849 – 1893)

PORTRAIT ARTIST EXTRAORDINAIRE AND LADY KILLER

by Don Wotton

In the course of ancestral research I discovered my maternal great grandfather, who settled in Port Augusta, S.A. in the late 1870’s, had his portrait drawn by renowned colonial artist Semon Petrus van Kaspelen (aka Simon Peter van Kaspelen). Curiosity set me off on a tangent to learn more of van Kaspelen’s background. In the process I discovered van Kaspelen was not only an accomplished crayon artist but also quite a lady killer.

Simon Peter van Kaspelen was an industrious Dutch-born draughtsman from Amsterdam who specialised in making life-size French crayon portraits from photographs. He was a well educated man fluent in 4 languages. Simon was active in Australia from 1879 – 1893 having previously established a name for himself as a portrait artist in London and New York. He gained popularity in Australia while working as a portrait artist in Launceston, Tasmania in 1880. Simon later settled in Mount Gambier, South Australia before relocating to Adelaide via Millicent and Robe. By 1882 Simon had opened a studio on Commercial Road, Port Augusta and was regularly seeking commissions for portrait drawings in the South Australian Advertiser.

Simon married Edith Marion Woodham, an artiste, from London, England at St. Luke’s Church, Adelaide on 19 February 1883. Edith was 10 years his junior. Over the next 18 months Simon travelled widely throughout South Australia, completing commissioned portraits in Clare, Kadina and Moonta; and entering artworks in numerous regional shows e.g. the Yorketown Industrial Exhibition of January 1885, where he obtained further commissions.

Ahead of moving to Sydney in late 1885 Simon and Edith auctioned their household furnishings and personal effects including a Belle Epoque & Gilt Over-mantle, Artists’ Easel, Parian Figures, a Ring Parrot, Austrian Arm Chairs, Zither Harp and a Hammock. Unencumbered by chattels Simon and Edith moved through rural NSW spending time in Bathurst (1887-1888) and Grafton (1889), completing portraits of leading politicians and members of high society, before returning to Sydney where they rented a suite of rooms in a two-storey Georgian boarding house at 195 Bourke Street in the bohemian suburb of Woolloomooloo. Also resident at this address were a Joseph Wilson, a French-polisher, his wife Annie Godlington Wilson and her brother George Edwards, a collector for Citizens Life Assurance.

In Sydney, Simon was employed in the studio of prominent Dutch born art dealer Diedrich Wilhelm Edvard Aldenhoven of 74 Hunter Street. Despite his artistic credentials, Simon was a heavy drinker with a penchant for Queensland rum and a known violent psychopath when intoxicated.  In late 1892 Simon  quarrelled with Aldenhoven, seizing him by the throat with such fury that he would have killed him had Aldenhoven’s workmen not come to his rescue. Aldenhoven thereafter forbade Simon from his gallery-studio and sent his commissions to his Bourke Street address where he and Edith had been living for the past seven months.

In December 1892 Edith left Simon, due to his intemperance and increasingly violent behaviour, and moved to nearby 639 Bourke Street. Edith remained on friendly terms with Annie Wilson who managed the boarding house during the owners’ absence. Edith and Annie bore an uncanny resemblance to each other and could be easily mistaken from a distance.

After losing his wife, Simon drank even more heavily, oscillating between melancholy and rage when Edith visited, begging her forgiveness one moment and threatening to shoot her the next. Despite these threats Edith remained a regular visitor to 195 Bourke Street, lunching with Annie most days. While Edith’s visits to Annie didn’t go unnoticed by Simon, her new address was kept secret from him. On 12 January 1893, Simon, anticipating a visit from Edith at 195 Bourke Street, arrived home around 1:00pm to discover Annie preparing dinner in the kitchen.

Continued from newsletter below……

About 1:30pm that very afternoon George Edwards went to the house and found Edith at the street door, who told him she had been there about five minutes knocking but no one had come to open it. Edwards had a key and on opening the door he and Edith entered together. Edwards, seeing no one in the front room, opened the kitchen door and found his sister lying in a pool of blood with a bullet hole in her head above the right eye. She was still breathing. A doctor was immediately sent for, but by the time he arrived life was extinct. The police were quickly on the scene and took charge of the house. A hard felt hat, with a bullet hole through the crown, and a pipe, which Edwards identified as belonging to Simon was found on the floor of the kitchen. As it was evident that the murder had been committed by Simon the police hurried upstairs to his bedroom. Upon bursting open the locked door they found Simon sprawled dead on his blood soaked bed, with a bullet-hole through his forehead and a scalp wound on the right temple. His cold hands were clenching a pistol.

Following an inquest at the Burdekin Hotel, Woolloomooloo on 13 January 1893, which returned a verdict stating that Simon killed Annie in a drunken rage, mistaking her for his wife, and then committed suicide, the incident quickly became a national sensation. It seemed improbable that Simon should deliberately shoot another woman in broad daylight, mistaking her for his wife. A review of more information uncovered by the inquest ultimately shed further light on what occurred. Newspapers reported Simon complained his wife had “entertained a high and unusually affectionate regard” for the 26-year-old Annie and that Annie was “too intimate with Edith,” alluding to what was rumoured to be accurate yet forbidden to be discussed due to the social taboos of the Victorian era.

The probability is Simon sought revenge for his wife’s infidelity. To put it plainly, Edith and Annie were engaged in a scandalous lesbian affair which had been covered up by other household members. While the incident was quickly forgotten the case is accepted as one of the earliest public records depicting a same-sex relationship in colonial Australia.

The widowed Edith next married Frederick Hardy, a furniture broker whose business  operated from 17 Pelican Street, Woolloomooloo. Edith had met Hardy just three months before the wedding, at Pyrmont in July 1897, when she had asked him to buy some furniture for her. Edith believed Hardy was a religious man who would make her happy. The marriage however was short-lived with Hardy deserting Edith just twelve months later telling her that it was as much as he could do to support himself let alone two others.

As it so happened Hardy was recently divorced and had been served documents for the maintenance of his former wife, with whom he shared a child. A decree nisi was granted and by March 1902 Edith’s marriage to Hardy had been dissolved. Edith went on to marry John G. Lancaster at St Leonards in 1912 and produced three children.

In January 1915 the family of the late Hon.Thomas English MLA gifted Adelaide City Council with a crayon portrait of their forebear drawn some thirty five years earlier by Simon. The gift was graciously received by Council as a record of one of its colonial mayors.

After this date both Simon and his former wife, Edith Lancaster, disappear into obscurity.

195 Bourke Street still stands and looks almost the same as it did in 1893. It has been renovated and restructured internally and is a stunning home but one can only imagine what tragic ghosts must haunt the premise

Winners – Materially Designed 2023

The Royal Queensland Art Society would like to congratulate the winners of our new exhibition Materially Designed and extend a heartfelt thank you to all our judges, as well as to all the entrants and volunteers who helped to make this exhibition a success.

Jewellery and Small Objects Prize, awarded by Elizabeth Shaw

Mycelium Crystals

by Adrian Hogan

Sterling Silver

Judges Comments:

Adrian Hogan’s artist statement refers to similarities between Mycelium Crystals and coral. For me the works are evocative of another natural phenomena, the trails left by termites. The sculptural nature of the works is engaging.

Jewellery and Small Objects Prize, awarded by Elizabeth Shaw

Jewellery Collection

by Kyrin Embrey

Sterling Silver and Enamel

Judges Comments:

These pieces are suggestive of works that are sculptures for the body. Kyrin Embrey’s two dripping enamelled pendants are evocative of natural forms, suggesting flow caught in a moment of time.

Intergenerational Threads Award, awarded by Jane Milburn

Hannah

by Donna Gibb

Oil

Judges Comments:

This striking portrait represents fashion as intergenerational treasure that remains special and stylish across the ages. The handmade taffeta dress is displayed beside this painting by a mother of her daughter Hannah wearing the dress originally made for the painter. The dressmaker was the painter’s late grandmother Ada who made it for the painter’s school formal in 1983. This artwork represents old-school hand-me-down culture which is the complete opposite of today’s buy and toss mentality. It shows we value and want to hold on to meaningful and storyful garments that stand the test of time. Congratulations to artist Donna Gibb.

Creative Vision Award, awarded by Jane Milburn

Erin

by Toni McIsaac

Wood and Metal

Judges Comments:

The flounce of the hemline and the purposeful swing of the arms are the first things that catch the eye. On closer inspection, one sees the dress is a weathered trunk and the arms a twisted tree branch. These two pieces of wood are attached to another that forms the body anchoring this sculptural beauty. Erin represents solid artistic vision wrought using timber upcycled from the natural world. Her creative and regenerative form are an urgently-needed counter to the disposable plastic fashion cluttering our ecosystem. Congratulations to artist Toni McIsaac.

Material Difference Best Fabric Design, awarded by Kristie Fankhauser

Flourish

by Lisa Pullen

Watercolour

Judges Comments:

This beautiful watercolour will look magnificent printed on fabric. With a white background it is stunning, but the beauty of this artwork is that once in repeat, changing the background colour will keep the integrity of the artwork but make it look new – it will also scale beautifully (large or small to see more or less of the repeating pattern – making it so very versatile for commercial fabric.

Art Prize – DESIGN, awarded by RQAS Fellows Frances McKennariey and David Henderson

Dandelion Wishes

by Alice Blue

Watercolour

Judges Comments:

This small image of densely interlocking forms and layered painterly surface moves easily between a painting and potential design for material. The surface tension is well controlled through variations in colour and shapes of the floral forms.

Art Prize – COLOUR AND TEXTURE, awarded by RQAS Fellows Frances McKennariey and David Henderson

Abstract Floral Scarf collection

by Di Cox

Painting Printed on Fabric

Judges Comments:

This triptych engages with both texture (visual and material) and colour. The use of harmonising and contrasting hues for each panel, loose painterly images and choice of delicate material enhance the sense of light so that it changes from a painting into fashion items as though by alchemy.

Art Prize – FORM, awarded by RQAS Fellows Frances McKennariey and David Henderson

Once and Floral, and Don’t Leaf Me Alone

by Jo Cochrane

Oil

Judges Comments:

The painting is a well realised botanical study that successfully transitions from a 2D image into a decorative motif that wraps across the form of the body in an elegant gesture. This gesture accentuates the design of the dress.

Art Prize – FORM, awarded by RQAS Fellows Frances McKennariey and David Henderson

Garden of Eden

by Louise Blood

Digitally Printed on Cotton from Acrylic Painting

Judges Comments:

This richly detailed image successfully transforms the artist’s original painting through fashion processes of fabric printing, sewing, layering, quilting, stitching and bordering. The graceful serpentine line unifies the intricate floral images and layering of materials into an integrated and harmonious whole.

Best Execution of Concept and Design, Awarded by Rachel Burke

An Exploration of Flowers

by Nina Casagrande

Textiles

Best Expression of Personal Style through Design and Tailoring, awarded by Rachel Burke

Collection

by Nicholas Stevens-Hoare

Harric Tweed, Cotton Fabric and Leather

People’s Choice

Everything Pales in Comparison (Pale Headed Rosella)

by Kristy-Ann Duffy

Acrylic

Winners – 133rd Members Annual 2023

The Royal Queensland Art Society would like to congratulate the winners of the 133nd Members Annual.

Judged by Annette Raff, Robert Brownhall and Graeme Marshall.

To find out more about our judges scroll to the bottom of the page

Exhibition continues in Petrie Terrace Gallery until Sunday 23rd July.

Overall Winner – Best Artwork

Wetland Edge

by Beverley Tainton

Acrylic

Judges Comments:

….

SECTION 1: Painting – Oils & Acrylics

First Prize

The Clearing

by Qi liu

Oil

Judges Comments:

…

Second Prize

CAUTION! Treacherous Sea; Approaching Storm

by Warren Hampton

Oil

Judges Comments:

…

Highly Commended

The Gathering

by Jennifer Long

Oil on Linen

Judges Comments:

…

SECTION 2: Painting – Watercolour

First Prize

Near Chinatown

by Glen Gillard

Watercolour

Judges Comments:

…

Second Prize

Terra Firma

by Jennifer Long

Watercolour

Judges Comments:

….

SECTION 3: Photography and Digital

First Prize

Sunburst a Japanese Garden 1

by Richard Vallance

Photography

Judges Comments:

…

Second Prize

Breathe

by Di Cox

Digital

Judges Comments:

…

SECTION 4: Sculpture – 3D works all media

First Prize

Flirt II

by Zygmunt Libucha

Bronze

Judges Comments:

“The artist’s skill and deep understanding of the human form are evident in the craftsmanship and attention to detail exhibited in this lovely bronze sculpture.
The use of bronze imparting a sense of permanence and longevity as the medium for this sculpture, yet the solidity is not heavy; showing the beautifully rounded female figure in a light and light-hearted way. The artist has captured the cheekiness in the eyes, the face and the gesture of the body; in short the Flirt.
The curvaceous shapes merge in a harmonious way, giving the piece a pleasing presence that captivates viewer from every angle.”

Second Prize

Martina’s Slumber: A Serene Italian Model

by Tanya Carmichael

Terracotta and Plaster

Judges Comments:

“This beautifully executed terracotta portrait neatly captures emotions that flow from “”serenity””.
Martina’s sleep puts the trials of her waking life aside and artist evokes the tranquillity, calmness, inner peace and indeed liberation.
The artist has struck the balance between realism and abstraction, stylising Martina enough for us to see her equally as a martyr in ancient Rome or as a contemporary woman, sleeping easy with the power of her convictions.”

SECTION 5: Drawing – All Media

First Prize

Wiggerly Woo

by Jo Cochrane

Graphite, Coloured Pencil and Pastel

Judges Comments:

“This is a superb example of hyper-realism in pencil, with coloured pencil and pastel overlay.
The subject woman, despite her age and condition, is truly alive behind her hands and indeed beneath the skin, perhaps delighting a favourite grandchild.
The artist’s ability to recreate our subject with precision and accuracy is truly commendable. Each pencil mark has been carefully considered and executed, resulting in a highly convincing representation The artist has expertly rendered light and shadow and captured form and texture in a completely convincing way.”

Second Prize

Survival of the Fittest – Ascot Battleground

by Robyn Bauer

Charcoal

Judges Comments:

The artist has created a brooding mood through the skilful use of charcoal to create a bleak dark sky, a tree defoliated and maybe dying and the last object standing the trunk of a once living tree now pressed into service to carry electrical wires, a potent symbol of our industrialised modern world. Through the artist’s eyes can we see that the stakes could not be higher about what we truly value?

SECTION 6: 2D Artworks – Any Other Media

First Prize

A Family of the Land

by Wayne Singleton

Hand Coloured Linocut Print

Judges Comments:

‘A family of the Land’ has a very appealing sense of light shining through the forest.

Second Prize

Window View with Merlot

by Elisabeth Ruiz

Watercolour, Acrylic and Pen

Judges Comments:

‘Window View with Merlot’ has a nicely balanced, strongly built composition. There is a good sense of depth in this painting also.

People’s Choice

Announced at the end of the exhibition

Judges Biographies

Annette Raff has been a successful art practitioner and teacher for the past 23 years; teaching three weekly art classes as well as conducting numerous workshops. She uses a combination of teaching processes directed at various learning styles, including practical demonstrations and lessons in process and media application, analysis of other artists’ works both contemporary and historical, and class discussions. “I have always been captivated by the creative process, intellectual challenge, and diversity of media application. I encourage my students to explore possibilities, make mistakes and extend their learning”. With more than 20 Awards and Prizes, 3 Artist-In-Residences and a number of exhibitions of her work, Annette is a highly qualified and sought-after teacher and artist in her own right.

Graham Marshall, an architect trained in the ‘old school’, has been fortunate to learn some of the secrets of traditional watercolour. He continues to have a passion for creating watercolour and ink artworks of both urban and natural landscapes, often incorporating them in his travel journals. In addition to his interest in painting, he is also an avid sculptor, with a focus on clay portraits and human figures. For over a decade, he has been conducting long-session sculpture workshops. Recently, as the President of Sculpture Queensland, he collaborated with a Queensland Correctional Centre to conduct a successful series of Hebel carving workshops for the inmates.

Robert Brownhall is a realist painter, inspired by his local environment of South-East Queensland. Over nearly thirty years of painting, Robert has developed a unique style characterised by a strong connection to place with his moody nocturnes, broad sweeping panoramas and gritty vignettes of urban life. He is represented in a number of institutional collections including Queensland Art Gallery/Gallery of Modern Art; Art Gallery of New South Wales; Museum of Brisbane; Home of the Arts, Gold Coast; and the Federal Court of Australia, Canberra.

Brisbane: Landmarks, Landscapes and Personalities 2023 – Winners

Congratulations to our prize winners and thank you to our Judge Bill Gannon, and Fellows Selector Beverley Tainton.

First Prize

Under Construction

by Alexandra Matthews

JUDGES COMMENTS

A highly engaging painting about inner Brisbane at twilight/night. There is a strong sense of the city’s hilly landscape. The workers look over the CBD and invite the viewer to do the same. Excellent use of acrylic. Fine composition, colour and light. Enough detail in the foreground leading to the dancing lights in the background.

Second Prize

Brisbane Morning and Dusk

by Chris Foley

JUDGES COMMENTS

An appealing study of the Brisbane skyline at the beginning and end of day. The oil work shows a good use of light, tone and colour. Having ‘two’ works offers the intrigue of finding what elements are highlighted and what are hidden at different times in the subtropical city.

Third Prize

Sunshine on James

by Peter Hubbard

JUDGES COMMENTS

The work playfully explores a typical Brisbane outdoor gathering space. The bold use of yellow amplifies the sense of sunshine.

Highly Commended

Suburban Symbolism in Brisbane

by Julie Litte

JUDGES COMMENTS

The viewer is drawn into a typical Brissy backyard. Well composed and painted. Strong and simple execution.

Highly Commended

Outside Brisbane

by Max Butler

JUDGES COMMENTS

The small work exhibits a strong understanding of landscape with a smart selection of colour.

Highly Commended

Walter Taylor Bridge

by Anne Maree O’Brien

JUDGES COMMENTS

The artist produced a fine watercolour work of a Brisbane landmark. Excellent shadows and tones.

Fellows Recognition Award

Poinciana Summer

by James Randall

SELECTORS COMMENTS:

I feel this art work embraces originality and creativity – but, most importantly it emits a personality and feeling of a Brisbane Poinciana summer. Composition is very well balanced and colour use moves me around the artwork, engaging me in a feeling of that Brisbane summer I know so well.

Peoples Choice

Above Queen Mary Falls

by De Gillett Cox