News

We are delighted to watch Jane du Rand feature on Episode 33 (Series 35) of ABC's Gardening Australia. Jane talks about her move from South Africa to Australia, her love for nature, and how she creates her beautiful ceramics and mosaics. Please enjoy the episode which can be viewed via the link below.

Congratulations to Natasha Junmanee on being a Finalist in the 2024 Hunters Hill Art Exhibition with her painting 'Life, Death and Possession' The exhibition will be on display 26 OCT - 3 NOV at the Hunters Hill Town Hall.

We are very excited to announce the achievement of Michael in winning the prestigious Sculptures in the Garden Prize. This acquisitive prize is now in its 14th year. Michael’s 2.5 metre bronze sculpture ‘Hope’ will now become part of the Mid-Western Regional Council Public Art Collection. The exhibition is currently on display at Rosby Wines, MUDGEE until 27 OCT.

Congratulations to Isabelle Devos on being a Finalist in this year's Fisher's Ghost Art Award with her painting ‘The Corner Store Held a Certain Significance’. The Fisher's Ghost Award Award is in its 62nd year, and will be on exhibit at the Campbelltown Arts Centre from 26 October – 6 December.

Congratulations to Peta West on being a Finalist in the National Contemporary Art Prize. The NCAP opens on 27 September and is on exhibit until 13 October at the Aarwun Gallery, Nicholls, ACT. 'Halcyon Song' relief linocut 120 x 100cm

Precious personal sketchbooks of artist Michael Kelly find new home at The State Library of NSW. The most precious possessions of Sydney artist Michael Kelly – 65 personal sketchbooks – have just been donated to the State Library of NSW and a selection will go on public display for the first time, from March 16. They give a rare and intimate insight into the life of a prolific living artist over a 30-year period. Michael first started keeping sketchbooks in 1985 when he was in his second year of art school, East Sydney Tech (now the National Art School), and they are still a vital part of his art practice. The sketchbooks document Michael’s everyday life, and include sketches of people and places, with written anecdotes of dreams, travels and life experiences, artists’ quotes and ideas for paintings. Specialist librarian Mathilde de Hauteclocque, who has worked closely with Michael, says: “What makes the sketchbooks extra special is the accompanying intimate writings where he records his life experiences, dreams and vulnerabilities alongside his art practice. Including people and places who are rarely depicted with tenderness in fine art, and offer a significant artistic record of marginalised communities throughout the 1990s and 2000s.” Read more about Michael Kelly and his sketchbooks – as told from the perspectives of specialist librarian Mathilde de Hauteclocque and the artist himself – in the autumn issue of the Library’s magazine, Openbook. The Library has also acquired two of Michael’s paintings, one of which will be on display in the Library’s Amaze Gallery along with a selection of his sketchbooks. March 16 – December 1. - Edited from the State Library of NSW media release. -

Michael was recently interviewed by Richard Fidler for ABC's 'Conversations'. 'Sketchbooks, ghosts and a lost sister', was broadcast on Monday 15 July 2024, and can be listened to here: www.abc.net.au/listen/programs/conversations/michael-kelly-artist-sister-disability-ghosts-squats/103985240

We are thrilled to announce that Anna Glynn has been Awarded the Geneto Art Foundation’s ‘Artist in Residence’ in Kyoto Japan! Anna will be working in an interdisciplinary collaboration on DWELLING KYOTO with biologist Peter Dalmazzo. The ‘DWELLING KYOTO’ project will be a mixture of artistic and scientific discovery. As artist and scientist in collaboration, Anna and Peter will be exploring the contemporary landscape of Kyoto. The architecture, history, nature and wildlife. ‘DWELLING KYOTO’ refers to a place of habitation and the idea of home as both the human home and the home for all the creatures and plants. This also refers to the process of dwelling upon something – to consider or think about, emphasize, or ponder. At the end of their 2 month residency, Anna and Peter will exhibit their artworks created during their residency at DOJHIDAI GALLERY OF ART, Kyoto. 8 - 13 October As well as this, Anna’s moving image work ‘DWELLING’ was selected for Double Vision, Public Art Project, Woollahra Council, Kiaora Place Double Bay. (Sydney screening dates TBC.)

2024 Highly Commended Recipient Emerging Artist category Halcyon Song linocut 120 x 100cm Edition of 10

Eurotipodean Blue Apparition Archival photomontage on cotton rag paper, 2024 No. 1 in edition of 7 plus 2 artist’s proofs 64 x 100 cm ‘Eurotipodean Blue Apparition’ contains diaphanous multilayered imagery, a conversation between colonial and European landscape and artefacts. A semitransparent colonial plush velvet cockfighting armchair c.1870, acts as the stage for Lewin’s iconic kangaroo c.1819, which stares into the distance to the inverted equine usurper from Europe. This is a reimagination of historical material that forms a romanticised narrative with two archetypal creatures. The term, ‘Eurotipodes’, is one I created to express my feelings about the Eurocentric interpretation of the world, the notion that the Northern Hemisphere is the right way up and we hang upside down in our opposite ‘Antipodes’.

With awards totalling $26,000 the biennial Hazelhurst Art on Paper Award showcases outstanding art created with, on or about paper. Awards include the $15,000 major award, the $5,000 Young and Early Career Artist Award, the $5,000 Friends of Hazelhurst Local Artist Award, and the $1,000 People's Choice Award. Hazelhurst's installation crew also select an artist for the Residency Award: a 4-week studio residency. The exhibition will present a diverse range of works including drawing, printmaking, collage, photography, sculpture, paper cuts and video. This year Hazelhurst received entries from 890 artists from across Australia. Congratulations to the 82 finalists selected for the Hazelhurst Art on Paper Award 2023. Finalists will be exhibited in the Main Gallery at Hazelhurst Arts Centre from 16 September to 12 November 2023. This year's Art on Paper judge was leading artist Deborah Kelly, who announced the award recipients on opening night.

The Ravenswood Australian Women's Art Prize is an annual acquisitive prize that was launched in 2017 to advance art and opportunity for emerging and established women artists in Australia. It is the highest value professional artist prize for women in Australia. There are three prize categories – the Professional Artist Prize of $35,000, the Emerging Artist Prize of $5,000 and the Indigenous Emerging Artist Prize of $5,000. There is also a People’s Choice Award of $2,000 plus an art pack valued at $500. Artists are asked to enter an artwork that best reflects their art practice - there is no theme. Artwork judging is overseen by Ravenswood Australian Women's Art Prize Patron and acclaimed artist, Jennifer Turpin. Join us as we celebrate the finest women talent in Australia.

The Waverley Art Prize has been running since 1986 as a painting and drawing prize. In 2022, the sixty Finalist featured at the inaugural exhibition at the Bondi Pavilion Gallery. The Waverley Art Prize is a prize aimed at early to mid-career artists. The Open Prize and Mayor’s Prize-winning works are acquired in the Waverley Council Collection and this year marks the introduction of the new Local Prize section, sponsored by Waverley Woollahra Art School. Funds raised through the art prize help support Waverley Woollahra Art School to sustain their role as the longest running artist run initiative in Waverley. This year is the 38th anniversary of the Waverley Art Prize.

The Waverley Art Prize has been running since 1986 as a painting and drawing prize. In 2022, the sixty Finalist featured at the inaugural exhibition at the Bondi Pavilion Gallery. The Waverley Art Prize is a prize aimed at early to mid-career artists. The Open Prize and Mayor’s Prize-winning works are acquired in the Waverley Council Collection and this year marks the introduction of the new Local Prize section, sponsored by Waverley Woollahra Art School. Funds raised through the art prize help support Waverley Woollahra Art School to sustain their role as the longest running artist run initiative in Waverley. This year is the 38th anniversary of the Waverley Art Prize.

2023 Fisher’s Ghost Art Prize The Fisher’s Ghost Art Award is an annual art award and exhibition inviting artists to submit works in a variety of artistic categories and mediums. Now in its 61st year, across the categories there is over $60,000 in prize money to be won. In 2023, the celebrated Open Award, which is acquisitive to Campbelltown City Council collection, is valued at $50,000. Over the years, the Open Award has been awarded to some of Australia’s most respected contemporary artists including Elisabeth Cummings, Khaled Sabsabi, Justene Williams, David Bromley, Marion Borgelt, Raquel Ormella, Tina Havelock Stevens, Kuba Dorabialski, Robert Fielding and most recently, Michael Cook. The Fisher’s Ghost Art Award coincides with Campbelltown’s annual Festival of Fisher’s Ghost. Held over four days, the Festival dates back to 1956 and celebrates Australia’s most famous ghost – Frederick Fisher.

The Mount Eyre Art Prize is a stepping stone for emerging and mid-career artists, providing them with exposure, validation, and resources to navigate the competitive art world. By participating in this competition, artists gain visibility and recognition among art critics, curators, and potential collectors. The financial rewards offered by the Mount Eyre Art Prize, provide artists with much-needed support to invest in their creative endeavours. The Mount Eyre Art Prize celebrates artistic talent and offers artists a chance to develop their skills and expand their artistic horizons. It is an unmissable opportunity for artists looking to elevate their careers, establish credibility, and engage with the vibrant art community. Carbon Storers 2 Ink on watercolour paper, found objects and perspex 90 x 40 x 10 cm

Calleen Art Award 2023 8 October to 19 November 2023 The annual Calleen Art Award was established in 1977 as an acquisitive art prize by Mrs Patricia Fagan OAM to encourage originality, creativity and excellence in the visual arts, and is made possible by the generous support of the Calleen Trust. The Calleen Art Award 2023 is open to artists across Australia and the award prize for 2023 is $25,000. The winning artwork will join the Calleen Collection at the Cowra Regional Art Gallery. Selected finalists will be exhibited at the Cowra Regional Art Gallery from 8 October to 19 November 2023 and the winner of the Calleen Art Award 2023 will be announced at the exhibition opening on Saturday 7 October 2023 Carbon Storers Acrylic and heated soldering iron on disc 120 cm diameter

THE KENNEDY PRIZE IS AN ANNUAL AUSTRALIAN ART AWARD OF $25,000 FOR ‘BEAUTY’ The prize, offered by the Kennedy Arts Foundation, is based and exhibited in Adelaide but open to Australian artists nationwide, and is awarded to works that embody, comment on or celebrate beauty. The winning artist will receive $25,000, and their artwork will be acquired by the Kennedy Arts Foundation, and at its absolute discretion, auctioned at the next year’s Kennedy Prize exhibition. The work’s increased recognition, prestige and market value will thus contribute significantly to the prize’s funds, ensuring continued annual growth. Ode to Beauty Acrylic and heated soldering iron on disc 120 cm diameter

Alan has been selected as a finalist for the 2023 Woollahra Small Sculpture Prize. The work was selected out of 610 applications, received from artists practising within and beyond Australia His work is title Ryoan-ji - wood, 71 x 71 x 10 cm Exhibition opening Wednesday 27 September - Private opening event 6-8 pm + announcement of WSSP 2023 Winner, Mayor’s Award and Special Commendation Award Exhibition closes Sunday 5 November Woollahra Gallery at Redleaf 548 New South Head Rd, Double Bay NSW 2028

Michael has two works exhibited in a major drawing exhibition -'Vibrations In Australian Drawing' at Macquarie University Art Gallery The exhibition will be open until the 17th of September. Vibrations in Australian Drawing is an exhibition demonstrating the essence of the practice and the importance of drawing underlying a range of disciplines. Curators: Rhonda Davis, Kon Gouriotis, Leonard Janiszewksi, Tom Murray In partnership with the Creative Documentary Research Centre, Macquarie University and Cowra Regional Art Gallery. The drawings are: 'Study for the Bridge at Midnight' (charcol and crayon on paper) and ' Study for Houses in Pyrmont' (pencil on paper)

Congratulations to Alice Laura Palmer The work 'Staggercatch' is a finalist in the 2023 Waverley Art Prize

Finalist Environmental Art & Design Prize, Northern Beaches Exhibiting 4-27 August, 2023 "Entangled' ink, acrylic and heated soldering iron on two boards 144 x 78 cm This work takes its cues from the recent wave of flooding in the Hawkesbury in 2022. River gums were uprooted and tangled along the Hawkesbury River where they still remain as reminders of the unwanted but all too familiar extreme weather patterns we now experience. Trees are the kings of storing carbon and such an important factor in the health of our environment, but even in their demise there is still beauty to be seen in their tangled roots and twisted forms.

Congratulations to Simone Piccioni on being a Finalist in the 2023 Lethbridge 20000 Small Scale Art Award. https://www.lethbridgegallery.com/microsite/lethbridge-20000-2023#:~:text=With%20a%20first%20prize%20of,creativity%2C%20originality%2C%20and%20skill. 'Attraverso' oil on canvas 38 x 30cm Exhibition dates: 17 - 27 June 2023 at Lethbridge Gallery, Queensland The winner will be announced on the 24th June.

Congratulations to Natasha on being a Finalist in the 2023 Lethbridge 20000 Art Award with her painting 'Bowl of Eggs'. The Lethbridge 20000 is a small scale art award open to national and international artists. https://www.lethbridgegallery.com/microsite/lethbridge-20000-2023#:~:text=With%20a%20first%20prize%20of,creativity%2C%20originality%2C%20and%20skill. Exhibition dates: 17 - 27 June 2023 at Lethbridge Gallery, Queensland

Congratulations to Anna Glynn on being a Finalist in the 2023 Omnia Art Prize. 'Eurotipodes, Black Swan Perusal' photomontage, 64 x 100cm The Omnia Art Prize is one of Australia’s premier art awards and exhibitions for contemporary art. Exhibtion dates 19 - 22 May at St Kevin's Colleg, Toorak, VIC.

Congratulations to Alice on being a Finalist in the 2023 Burwood Art Prize. The exhibition will be on display at the Burwood Library and Hub from 22 May - 16 June. Winners will be announced at the Burwood Art Prize Exhibition opening on Thursday 25 May 2023.

"Beauty on Beauty” - (moving image still) "Beauty on Beauty” Lush diaphanous imagery of the rugged Australian landscape of Mt Wilson is layered upon inverted manicured European styled gardens as ‘Beauty on Beauty’. Upside-down introduced flora hangs suspended questioning the Eurocentric notion that the Northern Hemisphere is the ‘correct’ way up and we hang upside down in our opposite ‘Antipodes’. Finalist Lethbridge Landscape Prize 2023 “The award invites all artistic interpretations of the Australian landscape, from conventional to the unusual, and from monumental to intricate..." Exhibition Dates 6 May - 23 May 2023. Lethbridge Landscape Prize will be announced on 6 May https://www.lethbridgegallery.com/microsite/lethbridge-landscape-prize-2023 Also in March Anna was awarded 2023 International Women's Day Arts Award - Women of the Shoalhaven Awards.

"Bushland Through Leaves" Finalist Milburn Art Prize for Landscape | 5 - 26 May, 2023 2023 Milburn Art Prize will be announced on 5 May From the Milburn Art Prize website: "I see pictorial space as an inner landscape for the mind’s eye to roam; so it is not surprising if my paintings evoke the feeling of landscape. (I) know it is a mental projection but it is inherently delightful. While painting, I am issuing an open invitation for these illusions - or allusions – to enter. My conscious mind can be occupied with the making, and the unconscious can come up with its own surprises. John Peart" The 2023 Milburn Art Prize for Landscape reflects the the spirit of Paul Milburn’s legacy and John Peart’s musings on landscape as quoted above. Accepted media includes painting, drawing, printmaking, mixed media and photography. The Milburn Art Prize creates an opportunity for both established and emerging artists to bring a sense of surprise and openness to their interpretation of Landscape, while fostering an enriched dialogue between artists, community and arts industry. https://www.brisart.org/milburn-prize

"Lingering Hills and Hidden Places" acrylic on canvas 76 x 102 cm Finalist Lethbridge Landscape Prize 2023 Exhibition Dates 6 May 2023 - 23 May 2023 2023 Lethbridge Landscape Prize will be announced on 6 May From the Lethbridge Landscape Prize website: This award invites all artistic interpretations of the Australian landscape, from conventional to the unusual, and from monumental to intricate. Lethbridge Landscape Prize will be announced on 6 May https://www.lethbridgegallery.com/microsite/lethbridge-landscape-prize-2023

Congratulations to Anna Glynn on being a Finalist in the 2023 Ravenswood Australian Women's Art Prize. Read the story behind her artwork: Eurotipodes - Colonial Capsize Archival photomontage on cotton rag paper No. 1 in edition of 5 50cm X 38cm framed 76 x 64 2022 In ‘Eurotipodes - Colonial Capsize’ a semitransparent horse hangs upside down, merged with a kangaroo in a red colonial landscape. The diaphanous layered landscape reimagines colonial paintings from the Mitchell Library, referencing time, ecological and cultural change. Two iconic creatures embedded in mythic Australian folklore are joined, the equine hoofs beating a rhythm onto the landscape. The introduced creatures interwoven in a romantic narrative of country. In this work I am reflecting on what is an ‘Australian’ landscape? The term, ‘Eurotipodes’, is one I created to express my feelings about the Eurocentric interpretation of the world, the notion that the Northern Hemisphere is the right way up and we hang upside down in our opposite ‘Antipodes’. ____ Only 60 artists are chosen from over 2000 entries. The exhibition will be open to the public from 13 - 28 May (Thursdays to Sundays) at Ravenswood School for Girls, 10 Henry Street, Gordon.

Congratulations to Nat Ward on being a Finalist in the 2023 Ravenswood Australian Women's Art Prize with her painting 'Field of Wild Flowers #2'. The RAWAP began in 2017 for emerging and established women artists, and offers three categories - Professional, Emerging and Indigenous Emerging, with prize money totalling over $47,000. Only 60 artists are chosen from over 2000 entries. The exhibition will be open to the public from 13 - 28 May (Thursdays to Sundays) at Ravenswood School for Girls, 10 Henry Street, Gordon.

PENELOPE OATES - Northern Watch A military landing craft has just departed having dropped a unit off to a designated area on the beach as night begins to fall. A couple of soldiers can just be seen, already camouflaged by their surrounds with rubber dinghies called Zodiacs, ready for patrol when they break camp the following morning. The North West Mobile Force, otherwise known as Norforce is based in Darwin and its operations cover an area of about 1.8 million square kilometres and includes the Northern Territory and Kimberley Region of Western Australia. Indigenous soldiers form up to 60 percent of the Norforce personnel and are an invaluable asset to the patrolling of such as vast area of country with their local knowledge of the land and its community. The remoteness of such reconnaissance’s means resupply is not an option, hence shared Aboriginal knowledge in the hunting of natural food resources is crucial to their survival to supplement their ration packs. The unit also faces the dangers of saltwater crocs, deadly snakes, jellyfish and sharks. Their watchlist include drug smugglers as well as any foreign incursions by land, sea or air with the primary role being the reconnaissance, observation and the collection of military intelligence. Due to soring daytime temperatures and the need to remain unobserved, the unit often moves at night on foot or in specially modified land vehicles or in military rubber dinghies when patrolling the sea or inland mangroves.

Congratulations to Isabelle Devos on being a Finalist in the 2023 Glover Prize. Her work 'Ratho Farm (where games are played)' sold on opening night. The Glover Prize is one of Australia's most significant awards for landscape painting. The exhibition is open to the public until Sunday 19th March at the Falls Park Pavillion, Evandale, Tasmania.

SOLD /Finalist in the inaugural Halloran Art Prize 2022. Sponsored by the Jervis Bay Maritime Museum. Photomontage on cotton rag paper In ‘SOLD’, diaphanous multilayered imagery from the Halloran collection, reference items that particularly caught my attention. In this Cabinet of Curiosities I was drawn to a story of human behaviour beyond the walls of the museum and into the essence of how humans perceive and interact with the world, the landscape, seascape and environment. In my photomontage I have selected images that describe a place and underline the essence of our local history in many ways. The figurehead of the woman from a ship is semitransparent, elusive and somehow mysterious, as woman are! We are there but not there, categorized as being bad luck or good luck, omens of doom or omens of gods looking favourably on a journey. The sea battle rages in the background, heroic as men clash for some new reason to be at war, profit, insult or just for the hell of it! Almost obscure in the lower section of the work a group of three indigenous people gaze from the shore of Jervis Bay as ships sail in and their world is irrevocably changed. A silhouette of The Rt. Honourable W Huskisson stands nearby as a darker shadow gazing into the future he has formed.

‘Landscape Theatre Wyangala’ / Finalist Adelaide Perry Prize for Drawing 2022 Pencil and watercolour on Arches paper. In ‘Landscape Theatre Wyangala’, the modest cook’s corrugated iron dwelling becomes a ‘tardis’ like structure descended upon the terrain for an imminent theatrical event. A raven and sheep are performers waiting for their cue in this tableau, the Australian landscape a stage, a scene for reflection and for the possible reimagination of historical narratives.

Eurotipodes - Colonial Capsize / Finalist Heysen Prize for Landscape 2022 Photomontage on archival paper. In ‘Eurotipodes - Colonial Capsize’ a semitransparent horse hangs upside down, merged with a kangaroo in a red colonial landscape. The diaphanous layered landscape reimagines colonial paintings from the Mitchell Library, referencing time, ecological and cultural change. Two iconic creatures embedded in mythic Australian folklore are joined, the equine hoofs beating a rhythm onto the landscape. The introduced creatures interwoven in a romantic narrative of country. In this work I am reflecting on what is an ‘Australian’ landscape? The term, ‘Eurotipodes’, is one I created to express my feelings about the Eurocentric interpretation of the world, the notion that the Northern Hemisphere is the right way up and we hang upside down in our opposite ‘Antipodes’.

Congratulations to Simone Piccioni on winning the 2022 Hunters Hill Regional Art Award. The Hunters Hill Art Exhibition will be on display at the Hunters Hill Town Hall until Sunday 20th November.

Congratulations to Michael Simms on being a Finalist in the 2022 Mosman Art Prize, with his painting 'Thanatos' (oil on linen 168 x 91cm). The Mosman Art Prize is on exhibit from 27 August - 2 October 2022.

Congratulations to Michael Simms on being a finalist in The Darling Portrait Prize with his painting 'Zaachariaha'. The exhibition is on display at the National Portrait Gallery, Canberra until 9th October.