Mid West Art Prize 2023 - Catalogue by City of Greater Geraldton

MID WEST ART PRIZE 2023

Acknowledgement The City of Greater Geraldton is proud to present the 2023 Mid West Art Prize. The 2023 Mid West Art Prize has been sponsored by Yamaji Art, Bowman Bright and Latitude Jewellers, with support from the Department of Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries and Lotterywest.

Trudi Cornish Manager Libraries, Heritage and Gallery

Gallery Staff Briony Bray Coordinator Gallery and Public Art William Upchurch Gallery Officer Marnie Facchini Erin Cleghorn Community and Public Art Officers

Gallery Assistants Anne-Maree Hopkinson Ruth de Beer Elliot Brown Neve Flavel Hannah Auld

Graphic Design Keely Grieve Geraldton Regional Art Gallery | 24 Chapman Road, Geraldton WA 6530 | P (08) 9956 6750 | artgallery@cgg.wa.gov.au We would like to respectfully acknowledge the Yamatji Peoples who are the Traditional Owners and First People of the land on which we stand. The Nhanhagardi, Wilunyu, Naaguja. We would like to pay our respect to the Elders past, present and future for they hold the memories, the traditions, the culture and hopes of the Yamatji Peoples.

FOREWORD The Mid West Prize is back again for 2023, and is our City’s biennial exhibition showcasing a broad selection of works from artists located across Western Australia. This prestigious exhibition demonstrates the strong support from the City of Greater Geraldton to continue providing opportunities for Western Australian Artists, acknowledging the importance of a thriving arts-community. Pulling together this years’ Mid West Art Prize would not have been possible without the commitment of the staff, artists, sponsors, contractors, judges and many others involved. Congratulations to you all for presenting another successful Prize.

His Worship the Mayor, City of Greater Geraldton

Jerry Clune

INTRODUCTIONS Now in its eighth year, the Mid West Art Prize is a notable exhibition highlighting the strong arts community in Western Australia. Held in the historic Geraldton Regional Art Gallery, this exhibition brings a vibrant and contemporary art experience to the Mid West. With selected artists located across Western Australia, including those local to Geraldton, this unique Art Prize draws in a wide audience. It is with the enormous support from the City of Greater Geraldton that this exhibition is possible. We would also like to thank our generous 2023 sponsors Yamaji Art, Bowman-Bright and Latitude Jewellers. Your continued support provides wonderful opportunities for the artists involved and truly demonstrates the importance of a strong arts community. This year we received over 200 applications for the Mid West Art Prize 2023! The initial stage of judging was a shortlisting of the artworks that you see in this exhibition. Thank you to the Short List Selection Panel consisting of Carola Akindele-Obe (Co-Curator and Festival Director for the Indian Ocean Craft Triennial), Eve York (Public Art Consultant) and Julia Remmert (Prize Coordinator for the John Stringer Prize). This process was conducted in Perth, generously hosted by the North Midlands Project. A big thank you to Gallery Officer William Upchurch and Community and Public Art Officer Marnie Facchini for coordinating this preselection process. In the lead up to the official opening of the exhibition, the final judging took place to determine our prize winners. A big thank you goes to our 2023 Judges, Dr Pilar Kasat (CEO of Regional Arts WA), Gregory Pryor (Professional Artist and Lecturer of Visual Arts at Edith Cowan University) and David Doyle (Executive Director of DADAA) for their commitment and enthusiasm. There is a high calibre of work this year, making their role as judges a difficult task. Finally, a heartfelt thank you to the passionate and dedicated team at GRAG. William Upchurch, Marnie Facchini, and Erin Cleghorn, our brilliant problem-solving installers and casual employees, and our departmental colleagues. You have all been incredible in the lead up to this exhibition, making this an unforgettable Mid West Prize for all those involved.

Coordinator Gallery and Public Art

Briony Bray

David Doyle

Pilar Kasat

Gregory Pryor

Executive Director of DADAA

CEO of Regional Arts WA

David Doyle Is the Executive Director of DADAA, an arts organization dedicated to Arts for Social Change, that has been at the forefront of the Australian Arts and Disability movement over the past 26 years. David has worked across Australia and in an international arts development role to extend cultural participation for people with disabilities and mental illness. David holds a Bachelor of Visual Arts (ANU), Graduate Diploma of Education (ECU) and is an accredited Partnership Broker through PBAS UK.

Dr Pilar Kasat a Chilean-Australian residing in the ancestral land of the Whadjuk Noongar people, is a cultural executive, community cultural development practitioner, and academic. Pilar excels in fostering creative engagement and intercultural dialogue with First Nations and people of colour, all within a social justice framework. She is the CEO of Regional Arts WA, a Fellow of Leadership WA, a Master of Sustainability and Social Change, and a PhD. Pilar has played key roles as Chair in ART ON THE MOVE and Women of Colour Australia, served as Deputy Chair for Diversity Arts Australia, and was a member of the Chamber of Arts and Culture WA board for six years. Her influential work on harnessing the arts for social change is featured in international academic journals and national industry publications.

Professional Artist and Lecturer of Visual Arts at Edith Cowan University

David is the Editor of Proving the Practice – evidencing the effects of community arts on mental health. As an Artsworker throughout the 1990’s David focused on whole of regional Community Arts and Cultural Development projects and Disability Arts Festivals with a focus on cultural inclusion. David has driven Regional Arts Programs since 1991.

Gregory Pryor is an artist, writer and academic based in Boorloo, Perth, Western Australia, with a career in art practice and education spanning over 35 years. He has been the recipient of numerous state and national grants, residencies and prizes, most recently as a winner of the 2021 Splash contemporary watercolour award, at the McClelland Art Gallery, Victoria. His work is featured in the collections of the National Gallery of Australia, National Gallery of Victoria, Art Gallery of Western Australia (AGWA), Queensland Art Gallery and numerous important corporate and private collections. He is currently undertaking research into concepts and processes of art conservation in relation to landscape loss, damage and restoration in Western Australia. Pryor works as a lecturer and is the Academic Lead in Visual Art at Edith Cowan University.

SHORTLISTED ARTISTS ARTIST

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ARTIST

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Monika Lukowska .............................................................................................. 7

Lynda Howitt..................................................................................................... 14

Ralf Mulks ................................................................................................................ 7

Lia McKnight ..................................................................................................... 14

David Spencer...................................................................................................... 8

Lis Turner ............................................................................................................. 15

Jared Malton .......................................................................................................... 8

Lori Pensini .......................................................................................................... 15

Mark Ditcham ...................................................................................................... 8

Alla Salem............................................................................................................. 16

Judy Rogers ............................................................................................................ 9

Chris Bolton ....................................................................................................... 16

Tania Ferrier .......................................................................................................... 9

Susan Ecker ....................................................................................................... 17

Shelley Cowper................................................................................................ 10

Peta Riley .............................................................................................................. 17

Linda Fardoe ...................................................................................................... 10

Debbie Crothers ............................................................................................. 17

Stella Picciotto Winn .................................................................................... 11

Trevor Bly............................................................................................................. 18

Brad Rimmer ..................................................................................................... 11

Trevor Bly............................................................................................................. 18

Sharon Clifford ................................................................................................ 12

Seef le Roux ...................................................................................................... 19

Kaitlyn Elsegood ............................................................................................... 12

Valerie Schönjahn............................................................................................ 19

Sioux Tempestt ................................................................................................ 13

Matthew McVeigh .......................................................................................... 20

Carly Le Cerf ................................................................................................... 13

Leigh Cockerill ................................................................................................. 20

Genevieve Hartney ...................................................................................... 13

Barb O’Donovan ............................................................................................ 21

Katie Sharples .................................................................................................... 14

Lorraine Defleur ............................................................................................. 21

ARTIST

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ARTIST

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Jeremy Blank....................................................................................................... 22

Elisa Markes-Young ......................................................................................... 28

Helen Ansell ....................................................................................................... 22

Taileah Isaacs ...................................................................................................... 28

Viviana Maier ...................................................................................................... 22

Jennifer Cochrane........................................................................................... 28

Kyle Hughes-Odgers .................................................................................... 23

Jenna Pickering .................................................................................................. 29

Jordan Andreotta............................................................................................ 23

Willow Mcauliffe.............................................................................................. 29

Pascale Giorgi .................................................................................................... 23

Roger Dickinson .............................................................................................. 30

Tatiana Amaral .................................................................................................. 24

Sherry Quiambao with Apurva Gupta............................................ 30

Dane Yates .......................................................................................................... 24

Geoff Overheu ................................................................................................. 30

Sakura Furukawa ............................................................................................. 24

Sherry Quiambao ........................................................................................... 31

Martine Perret .................................................................................................. 25

Rodney Adams ................................................................................................. 31

Camilla Loveridge ........................................................................................... 25

Lesley Munro ..................................................................................................... 32

Sara Walker ........................................................................................................ 26

Tineke Van der Eecken .............................................................................. 32

Regina Noakes .................................................................................................. 26 Behzad Allipour ............................................................................................... 26 Selena Comeagain .......................................................................................... 27 Brianna Adam ................................................................................................... 27

A RT WO R K S

Monika Lukowska Vestiges of deep time II

Ralf Mulks AUGENSTEIN (eyestone)

Digital Print 56cm x 76cm. $1,850

Video installation 20cm x 40cm x 25cm. $5,750

In the past few years, my art practice has been centered around Western Australia’s environment. Within the vast landscape, I am especially drawn to million year old rocks such as stromatolites. I consider those formations not only as invaluable parts of the environment but as elements that “tell” stories. Almost like palimpsests, they retain layers of local history, geological data and hold spiritual significance for the Noongar people. Through creative practice, I engage with their materiality and gradually unravel their entangled complexities and hidden meanings. The experiential knowledge of place gained through an active engagement with the sites is then translated into artworks that aim to emulate the close connectivity of the body and place and flesh out the place’s tactility and highlight its importance.

I was driving a tractor while seeding out in Yuna and this rock was lying on the side of the field. It made me stop and have a look and finally I picked it up and took it home where it lived for a long while as a guardian of the house checking out people coming to the backdoor. It also made the move into town with us and that’s where the idea came to awaken it.

David Spencer Flick

Jared Malton Luckies’ 22

Mark Ditcham Holding

Mixed media on canvas 122cm x 153cm x 5cm. $5,600

Silkscreen print, synthetic polymer on canvas 200cm x 150cm x 4cm. $3,800

Photographic print 115cm x 115cm x 4cm. $4,000

While walking our dog on a disused council strip, I discovered local kids had turned it into a BMX track with cool makeshift ramps made from scavenged materials. I found some broken timber, faded and scratched, and decided to take it home for a sculpture. Carrying it proved challenging, but I eventually placed everything in my sunny studio to dry. While handling the timber, I encountered a redback spider, which I quickly flicked away. Sadly, it didn’t survive, and I felt remorse. Days later, the spider disappeared, likely carried away by rain or wind. I apologise, little spider.

This painting might seem it has everything to do with motorcycles, though the main intention is to create a discussion of nostalgia into vintage advertising and marketing. By subtly appropriating oil and cigarette brands, the painting lends itself to influences from midcentury pop art movements. The piece ‘Luckies’ 22’ takes strong influence particularly from 1960s LA modern artists who were on the cusp of pop art, consumerism and brand loyalty. The painting makes polarising comparisons between retro-vintage marketing to current contemporary advertising, realising that branding with oil and cigarette advertising is no longer.

Holding on to what remains.

Judy Rogers Verdure 3

Tania Ferrier Cardboard Queen

Mixed media on board 120cm x 80cm x 3cm. $4,500

Photographic print 72cm x 54cm x 2cm. $770

‘Verdure’ is my account of physical and emotional relations to an individual plant I visit frequently. The painting is a short story I want to tell of its recent vigorous flowering time. My painted leaves and flowers are exploding up the picture plane, bursting in colour and overflowing the bounds of the frame. Everything is on the move and buzzing.

I have been creating set installations in my studio and working with nude models in photographic and video outcomes. My project stems from my practice as a Nationally recognised feminist artist and my work to date in representing women from a feminist point of view. In ‘Cardboard Queen’ I have used packaging materials to create the set installation which the model interacts within. My intention is to play with the notion of how women have been packaged and commodified and turn this into an artwork of a female nude showing beauty and agency in representation.

Linda Fardoe Island Edge Acrylic on canvas (Triptych) 102cm x 230cm x 4cm. $4,000 Immersing oneself in nature heals the mind and soul. For this reason, parks have always been my bolt-holes when living in suburbia. Hyde Park offers the bonus of an island lake. The island is full of life and secrets, shifting moods with seasons, replenishing with new growth that which has gone. This is my place for quiet reflection, contemplation, inspiration and imagination. The island brings peace to the busy minds of all who care to sit and observe the island edge. I am alone in my thoughts but not alone absorbing the island’s magic with my fellow watchers.

Shelley Cowper Through the porthole, The Night Watch Etching, relief print, collagraph 16cm x 75cm x 15cm. $1,500 Drawing from personal experience this work delves into the haunting solitude of night watches at sea. Occasional companionship offered by the moon or stars contrasts with the black void that often surrounds the boat, where the vastness of the nocturnal ocean dominates the senses and the mind oscillates between fear and awe. Hazards like rocks, reefs, craypots, pearl-farms, markers, fishing nets and ships are never far away. The metaphorical use of the ‘porthole’ is employed as both frame and confine, symbolising the dual nature of the boat as a protective vessel of enclosure, and a portal to the boundless sea.

Stella Picciotto Winn Lacrime

Brad Rimmer Rhône Glacier # 7

Fibre sculpture 26cm x 60cm x 34cm. $1,100

Photographic print 100cm x 160cm x 7cm. $9,000

I use sustainably sourced raffia and locally foraged plant fibres and dyes to create natural fibre vessels and woven sculptures which are recognised for their detail and delicate beauty. The materials insist on emerging on their own terms, so my work is mostly a careful and exacting exploration with trade-offs that shapes a memory. Each vessel becomes a tribute to nature. ‘Lacrime’ is the story of my parents’ migration to Australia in the late 1950’s and their registration as ‘alien’ immigrants until they married and became permanent citizens. Their journey of arriving (and eventually thriving) in Australia entails sorrow, excitement, isolation, fear, and hope for the promise of prosperity.

In 120 years, the magnificent Rhône Glacier in the Swiss Alps has retreated over 1.3 kms leaving behind a scare of naked stone. Scientists recorded its accelerated melt in recent decades. In 2022, after record heatwaves in the Alps, nearly 6% of the total Alpine glacial ice volume was lost. The inversion of the ‘Rhône Glacier # 7’ image is designed to “unsettle” the viewer with a deeper narrative that underscores the magnitude of the event, highlighting the fragility of this threatened landscape.

Sharon Clifford Nature’s Contours

Kaitlyn Elsegood Untitled

Banana & agave fibres with silk threads 18.5cm x 29cm x 24cm. $552

Photographic print 80cm x 100cm. $750

Sharon works with nature, in all the stages of its life, celebrating its gifts in each unique and individual piece. The materials direct the pieces, which gradually emerge to reveal nature’s immense beauty in a new form. She studied Textiles at Edith Cowan University and has been a practicing artist for 30 years. Her mediums are colour and nature, which continue to inspire and excite her work every day.

Photography Australia’s fraught sense of national identity continues to be manifested and transferred into new canons. Questions of what stories and legends occupy and define our national consciousness continue to resonate. Our fear of the unknown gives justification for our actions to dominate, conquer and divide. Although undoubtedly progression is evident, we still seem to be clinging to the veil of an identity that refuses to embrace and accept all the complexities of our nation as a whole. Using a humorous approach that appeals to the self-deprecation and larrikinism that most Australians will recognise, I aim to gently prod at the subject of identity in this continent and the complexities that arise.

Sioux Tempestt Venerated

Carly Le Cerf Whispering Rocks

Genevieve Hartney Strength in the Early Morning Light

Acrylic, aerosol and graphite on canvas 14cm x 147cm x 3cm. $2,750

Encaustic and oil on board 120cm x 120cm x 10cm. $7,500

Acrylic 94cm x 94cm x 4cm. $1,200

On a recent trip to the Pilbara, I was fortunate to attend Clinton Walker’s tour of the ancient rock art in the Burrup Peninsula. Fascinating stories backed by scientific research provided an incredible insight into the Indigenous people and landscape of the Pilbara. I feel privileged to have gained a deeper cultural understanding and connection to country. It was an emotional and transformative experience. This work was created in direct response, contemporarily exploring the rich layers, textures and depth of the land and rocks.

I created this work as a direct response to the landscape of Kalbarri National Park. During a recent visit to the area, I physically explored the environment through walking, plein air painting, and drawing, and then viewing from above to take in the natural surroundings, seeking the unusual and interesting. Painting is a language for perspective-taking. The human experience resembles a landscape, in the ideology that we exist in the midst of it, but we can understand it only from a distance. Up high on the ridge, all was quiet apart from a whispering wind which echoed through the gorge, reminding me to listen to the lessons found layered within these ancient rock formations.

The solid eucalyptus tree with the coloured bark crosses the waterway and grows to meet the light. I use the symbol of a tree or branch in my artwork to represent myself and my path and direction in life. Growing strong, looking to the light and claiming a place in the landscape my painted image is a distant memory of a bushland place visited long ago in the Eastern Hills of Perth Western Australia.

Katie Sharples Black Dog

Lynda Howitt Returning Home

Lia McKnight This glass capsule

Drypoint, mono print and Chine Colle 170cm x 1200cm x 100cm. $1,900

Ink and rainwater on 640gsm paper 112cm x 76cm. $4,400

This body of work navigates farming language and culture. Exploring themes of connection to county, social isolation and generational family traditions. Associated symbols appear throughout the work, including the dreaded black dog, which shrouds many rural families. Authentic country vernacular has been sourced from farmers throughout WA’s Wheatbelt and Mid West regions, reflecting a dialect that is as lighthearted as it is salient.

‘Returning Home’ is an expression of the emotional journey of returning to my childhood home. Born from the delicate synergy of ink and rainwater, this circle embodies the essence of life, a journey that is not linear. Ebbing and flowing strokes hold the saturated emotions washing over me as I visit my ‘home’ where my parents still live today. Beautiful moments of shared family experiences drift endlessly offering a sense of belonging. My intention is to highlight the bond between return and reconnecting with oneself. This journey is not simply to a physical space but to one’s inner being.

Found linen and silk vintage cushion cover, silk and cotton thread, glass beads, vintage celluloid hand mirror 58cm x 102cm. $2,750

This glass capsule reclaims a homemade cushion cover c1950. On one side is a kind of salt pool, stitched with glass beads, while on the other, embroidery techniques have been used to create a wound or scar (viewable via a wall-mounted hand mirror). The lining has been unpicked and areas of damage and staining highlighted through hand-stitched silk lines. Referring to the passage of time and the domestic lives of women, this work speaks to paradoxical experiences of comfort/and terror within the home.

Lis Turner Maggies in the backyard

Lori Pensini I am Enough

Digital drawings, Giclee rag prints 180cm x 130cm x 3.5cm. $2,000

Oil on linen, kurrajong wood and thread 85cm x 160cm x 4cm. $8,500

I wanted to capture the images of the 1970s back yards with the everpresent magpie, ageless through the eras.

‘I am enough’ is a reflective response to the feminine psyche of mothering. It considers the compelling maternal instincts that drives a woman to respond to her child’s needs and welfare, and bids them against the internal conflict and self-doubting of her inner strengths, of ‘being enough’.

Alla Salem Burnt by the Sun

Chris Bolton The Keeper

Felt 140cm x 180cm. $2,500

Mixed media found objects papier-mâché clay 66cm x 65cm x 14cm. $2,000

I am captivated by endless expressive possibilities, and physical properties of felt, the most ancient non-woven textile. Water, soap, and hand agitation are the only tools used. Wool, the only renewable and biodegradable fibre that can be felted. Each strand of the local WA wool used in this artwork carries the essence of this unique region. ‘Burnt by the Sun’ inspired by visit to a place damaged by bushfire. It’s meant to transmute the emotional reverberations of nature devastation into a visual reminder. Different light-coloured wool and plant fibres felted together suggest symbiotic coexistence of living organisms in ecosystems. The dark brown alpaca fleece, used in this artwork, an invasive fibre, consumes other materials during wet felting process, creating contorted surface reminiscent of a charred land left behind by all-engulfing inferno.

This sculpture has been created in response to the amount of stuff we are, driven by instinct to accumulate. Possessions, objects, keepsakes, or carefully selected collectables. A collection of things that comes with historical significance or an emotional attachment. A virtual timeline of life, love, family and friends. Trappings some people may call them. Others spend a lifetime slowly building, maintaining and dragging their precious keepsakes wherever they go. Our attachment to the things we love can be intensely personal and as a result speak of all that we have become.

Susan Ecker BUNURU : Southwest 3 Mixed media on linen 91.5cm x 91.5cm x 1.5cm. $5,700 Subject matters, iconography is important to me. Drawing, visual language, discusses the seen. I concentrate on the extraction, to simplify the description, to edit to essentials. The technique must serve the subject, materials may be used in combination, mixed media. I work in series, invariably reviewing the subject in renewed versions. The distinction between drawing and painting is blurred in my work. Line and colour are means of defining the subject, reflecting it from the inside out, specific yet general, real yet imagined, suggesting. I am not aiming to jar or stun, but to intrigue over time.

Peta Riley The Alternative Pantry – Snacks for Salty Sea Dogs Coloured porcelain, gold lustre and cold pigments 35cm x 25cm x 25cm. $1,800 The foraging specimen jars immortalise native succulents and seaweeds: alternative food sources and in anticipation that they may unlock sustainable solutions to some big environmental concerns such as methane production and regenerative nutrient-dense food production. The pristine waters of the Abrolhos Islands provide the perfect conditions for this research by CSIRO to map possible solutions.

Debbie Crothers When the Mines Run Found objects from the land and the sea 40cm x 40cm x 5cm. $400 I have a love/hate relationship with using the Earth’s preciousness in body adornment. But I often wonder...what happens when the mines run dry? What happens when the social and environmental costs of extracting precious materials for gluttonous adornment are no longer acceptable? What then? Each component of this piece has a story which bestows emotional connections that layer over the inherent beauty of the materials. Who gave it to me? Where was it found? What process brought it to this state? This is precious. Local, woven through my life and of those I love.

Trevor Bly Cyan Blue (Spectre) Cyanotype print 101cm x 75cm. $2,500 The automobile as a symbol of modernity represents progress, innovation and industry. As an object it offers travel, independence and freedom while depicting class and power. This piece explores the failed attempt of urbanisation set against the grandness of a sometimes-hostile environment. Displaced in the Australian sublime the wreck juxtaposes gothic sensibility, sacred geography and ideas of ceremony. Sitting stationary in the uncanny, it appropriates the aesthetics of 19th century spiritualist photography staged in a classic Heidelberg School landscape of ghost gums and terror. A combined image of magic and machine that allow the “unseen” to exist.

Trevor Bly The History of Australian Muscle (Kingswood 72) FLURO Hand painted 4 colour silkscreen with fluro spray paint 84cm x 59cm. $480 Hand printed four colour silkscreen with fluro spray paint ‘Australian Muscle’ explores the fractured psyche of country, class and identity within the context of the national narrative. Subverting the divisive U.S muscle car the General Lee and replacing it with the Australian equivalent, a Holden Kingswood, the door acts as a universal metaphor for the history of home, and the changing landscape of resilience, politics, and social equality. Sitting in a state of flux, the wreckage has been made accountable from its former position of exclusivity and outdated ideologies. A new number sequence emblazoned on the door further locates this broken object within the uncanny, representing a site laden with its own signifiers and cultural vernacular.

Seef le Roux Schkaapkoppen

Valerie Schönjahn Mountain-longing

Graphite pencil on paper 40cm x 60cm. $2,000

Porcelain, tissue paper and wire 24cm x 45cm x 15cm. $1,800

My drawing is a study of a sheep skull in graphite pencil on paper. I chose this subject because I am fascinated by the contrast between the organic and the geometric shapes of the skull. Death always ends life, but it should not always end beauty. Death often exposes new shapes and new textures that deserve their moment in the light. I wanted to create a dramatic and luminous effect by using a completely black background using the point of my pencil and varying the texture and direction of the pencil strokes. The blackness sucks in the light, and the skull radiates it, creating a sense of depth and mystery. My drawing is an exploration of light and shadow, life and death, and the beauty of bones.

Sitting on the beach, looking at the horizon. I dream of mountains. Longing for majestic silhouettes of rocky outcrops and steep slopes to hold me. The last ray of sun catching the misty mountain tops, colouring them in sunset hues. But there are only shells here, and stretches and stretches of a straight thin blue line in the distance. To think, perhaps, the sand of this shore, has once graced a mountain top. And I remember, everything is here, is it just sleeping. And these corals washed up on the sand, may well strive to be mountains again soon.

Matthew McVeigh Same star different dreaming Oil paint on stretched canvas 102cm x 86cm x 35cm. $4,800 The work as a ready made challenges traditional notions of authorship and originality in an age of mass media. By transforming this real life incident into a painting I hope to comment on the contentious issues around Australia Day celebrations which often involve clashes between different perspectives on the significance of the day, cultural sensitivities, alcohol related incidents, public disorder, media portrayal and law enforcement challenges. The southern cross has become both divisive and also a symbol of pride to Australian nationalism. The stars float over the image asking the viewer to reflect on displays of nationalism such as tattooing one’s self with the symbol and its meaning to First Nation cultures as an Astronomical Constellation that Cook also used to navigate the southern hemisphere. The image struck me and reminded me of January 26 as a teenager, observing disorderly behaviour in loud oratory.

Leigh Cockerill Bun Dem (Patois) Oil on canvas 65cm x 55cm x 2.5cm. $2,200 Oil on canvas Bun Dem (Patois) is the upset of adulthood. A yearning for an impossible return of childhood joys. It’s an emotional payload that might leak out as a public humiliation. Or it might just blow up.

Barb O’Donovan Be Still

Lorraine Defleur Seven pockets of silence

Digital Photography 140cm x 160cm x 2.5cm. $1,500

Ink on paper 67cm x 88cm x 5cm. $2,400

‘Be Still’ invites the viewer into a world of quiet introspection and subtle beauty. In the shadows and muted tones, I explore the delicate balance between life and decay, capturing the intricate details of nature. Through my work images, I seek to evoke a sense of stillness and contemplation, encouraging viewers to pause and appreciate the hidden elegance within the petals, leaves and the space in between. My work strives to remind us that even in the world of plants, there is a profound and haunting allure to be found in the interplay of light and darkness, growth and decline.

In the midst of chaos, where a myriad of lines dance and intertwine, distinct pockets of air emerge to offer respite from the ceaseless flow of change. These open spaces are a testament to the power of pause and silence. Here, the mind finds its chance to introspect and contemplate, and finds serenity amongst turmoil; silence reigns and the mind clings on to it until it disappears once again in the turbulence of life’s daily demands.

Jeremy Blank 3 Yellows, Imperfect Hope

Helen Ansell Old Man Emu

Oils and pigment on canvas 150cm x 150cm x 3cm. $5,500

Acrylic on canvas 100cm x 100cm x 4cm. $7,200

The painting was created to bring positivity and healing through colour after a series of paintings that marked the passing of time between 2020 and 2022. Mixing three yellows, one with ultraviolet pigment, created uneven glazes that blend and form subtle illusory forms. A flawed surface with impurities. Colour changes in daylight, or black light conditions, are visibly different according to the light source. The instability of luminescent pigment emphasises fragility, the impermanent, and uncanny; an imperfect hope shared by many, to be seen as they are.

Growing up in the remote indigenous community of Uulla, WA, I’ve always felt a deep bond with Country. This connection enriches my modern, interpretive art style. In ‘Old Man Emu’, I play with patterns from Western Australia’s wild nature, using simple shapes to capture the intricate emu feathers and the tenacity of grass trees. My colour choices and forms breathe life into my work, making you feel the rich sensory palette of the Australian landscape. Through this piece, I offer a glimpse into the intertwining cultural influences that shape my distinct artistic expression.

Viviana Maier Chasing Petals Porcelain 80cm x 60cm x 8cm. $3,500 Ever since I migrated to Australia, I was fascinated with WA wildflowers, and Geraldton Wax was one of those that caught my eye with their colourful presence. When I see them, I feel Spring is here! My work is an exploration of fragility and movement composed of handmade porcelain pink petals that dance in harmonious serenity. Every petal is a self-portrait that I create from raw porcelain and the firing process adds gentle shifts to produce their final shapes and colours. Placing the petals in position requires meticulous craftmanship and dedication, like solving a jigsaw puzzle until the piece is complete.

Kyle Hughes-Odgers Isolation and Connection

Jordan Andreotta A Change is Brewing

Pascale Giorgi A little village of red brick pots

Acrylic on canvas 102cm x 90cm x 3cm. $5,000

Oil paint on board 42cm x 30cm x 2cm. $1,200

Cement, cement oxide, carnauba wax 50cm x 35cm x 35cm. $4,500

‘Isolation and Connection’ explores the intricate dance between two fundamental aspects of the human experience: solitude and the yearning for connection. Using colour to move the viewers eye across the painting evokes a sense of isolation that slowly builds towards a sense of belonging and connection. The painting serves as a reflection on the complexities of living in such a vast and open place (Western Australia) and how this environment can push and pull a person physically and psychologically between these states - isolation and connection.

The beer can, a symbol of human consumption and waste, has become intertwined with the natural world in my oil painting. Through my art, I aim to raise awareness of the urgent need for action to address the environmental crisis we face. By using unexpected combinations of objects and themes, I hope to challenge viewers to question their own relationship with the natural world and to consider how their actions impact the environment.

Reminiscent of medieval architecture, and wonky brick villages, these pots were made very slowly. All the bricks were cast and then the structures were formed by laying two or three courses of tiny bricks each day. After the courses were laid a new set of bricks were cast, to be de-molded the next day and then process to continue again.

Tatiana Amaral Coastal Love

Dane Yates Make Avant Garde Again

Sakura Furukawa The Ghost, the Shadows, the Imaginary

Acrylic painting on cotton paper collage 114cm x 120cm x 7cm. $4,200

Audio visual 18.7cm x 10.0cm x 2.5cm. $1,000

Acrylic on canvas 90cm x 90cm x 1.5cm. $500

My artwork, a collage on cotton paper, is a tribute to the stunning coastal beauty of Western Australia. Through the textures and colours, I aim to capture the essence of nature’s diversity. The textures in the piece symbolize the myriad paths of life, converging at the centre where pink represents the warmth of love. Life approaches us from all angles, just like the textures in the collage, but the core message is the significance of nurturing love within our hearts. Love acts as the glue that binds us amidst life’s twists and turns, reminding us of the essential role of compassion and connection in our journey.

Remember when going to the video store was fun? You never knew what you were going to get, but at least you knew it was going to be good, interesting, thought provoking perhaps? Unfortunately we don’t live in the 90’s any more and anyway, here’s 292,200 frames about that. Be Kind; Rewind.

I like to create my artworks in ways that they can be interpreted in any way by any viewer. Painted in a child-like manner, my artwork showcases my childhood as a shy, young artist with minimal friends who liked to express my emotions and gain comfort from my art. It is a painting that can resonate with the socially conscious, especially younger generations.

Martine Perret Balla Balla (2) Ltd Ed 1/3

Camilla Loveridge Enfolding Thomas

Fineart photographic print acrylic framing 130cm x 100cm x 1cm. $1,750

Tissue paper, polymer, wax and oil paint on arches paper 78cm x 58cm x 4cm. $3,000

My new aerial series ‘Evanescence’ - was photographed above the Pilbara salt flats. Western Australia’s ancient vistas unfold, unveiling a profound reminder of the fleeting nature of existence. From high above, the visual documentation captures a hidden world, concealed from most of us below. The salt flats, tapestry of delicate lines and intricate patterns, paint a picture of the ethereal. Through these aerials, I seek to explore the profound interplay between time, nature, and human perception.

‘Enfolding Thomas’ is one in a series of regenerative works which evolved as an unfolding of beautiful encounters. The underlay is a tissue paper frottage derived from discarded work; the folded layer above this frottage is the peeled “skin” of polymer and oil paint removed from a synthetic silk substrate and once represented the face of Thomas, my late father. The delicate placement of these discarded materials offers the viewer a certain beauty and delight which, in turn, echo the beauty of Thomas’ hope that, as a man of deep faith, he would be enfolded within his demise to Eternity.

Sara Walker The Exposed Nest

Regina Noakes Plaits

Behzad Allipour Transients Echos

Duck feathers, gold leaf, spotlight 25cm x 25cm x 5cm. $750

Acrylic, oil, oil sticks 120cm x 120cm x 2cm. $9,500

Acrylic on canvas 35cm x 35cm x 3cm. $1,700

‘The Exposed Nest’, as with the literal reading of the Robert Frost poem of the same name, explores the hope and potential for futility inherent in environmental conservation. Just as the poem’s characters build shelter for the exposed nestlings but never return to learn whether their efforts were successful or in vain, so too do we create protective legislation and havens for species that may or may not survive extinction regardless. Frost’s poem is usually interpreted as a metaphor for protecting younger generations from the horrors and anxieties of war-torn 20th century Europe, which runs parallel to a 21st century in which two-thirds of young Australians experience anxiety around climate change.

I tend to digest the everyday and regurgitate works that evokes déjà vu, bringing out memories of past lives and also a glimpse of an undiscovered future. This expressionistic portrait focuses on the shape and subject’s exaggerated features, with the aim of capturing the spirited, untapped emotions of a young girl.

Jurgen is a Perth-based photographer.

I am fascinated by Jurgen’s life story and his pure and genuine love and respectful relationship with his late grandmother, who played a significant part in his life and, despite her old age, offered him a home. Under his grandmother’s principle, Jurgen turned his life around. He grew out of anger issues, and educated him to grow a decent human being. Jurgen has a single old photo with his grandmother. This painting was inspired by this photo.

Selena Comeagain Haleys Comet as it passed over the land of my Ancestors

Brianna Adam Natural Aura

Acrylic on canvas 64cm x 85cm. $1,825

Mixed media canvas print 100cm x 150cm x 3cm. $500

I was born in Mullewa WA and grew up listening to the stories of my Elders. Family, Country and a sense of belonging are very important to me, I also share a special affinity with Turtles and Goannas and often incorporate these into my paintings. My paintings are bright and vibrant and I am pleased to be able to share them with you.

‘Natural Aura’ is an aerial view of the Kimberley Coastline on canvas. Mixed media was used to bring depth and life to the print, enhancing the sheer beauty of the rugged coastline. Glimmer mists added to enhance the holographic colours and undulations of the ocean. Shimmering inks, mist sprays and mini stones bring life to the waves breaking on the shore. Dylusions colour and paper mâché were incorporated to create height for the coastal trees growing in the rich ochre soil.

Elisa Markes-Young Floating in the Blue

Taileah Isaacs Perspective

Jennifer Cochrane Sleeper self-portrait #11

Mixed media 35cm x 25cm x 10cm. $3,700

Oil crayons 60cm x 50cm x 1.5cm. $150

Jarrah railway sleeper burnt surface with beeswax 54cm x 21cm x 12cm. $2,900

The work speaks of dreams, longing and the nature of memory. Memory contains the processes of remembering and forgetting. Memories are enduring, yet often fragmented and elusive. There are absences, gaps, voids. The shadows hint at that - they’re a presence in lieu of what informs them. The colour blue is a mystery. Existing only in the light spectrum, it‘s all scattered hues and reflections. It’s the colour that retreats from us most. It’s the colour of distance; of there seen from here; of where we’re not; of desire; of things forever out of reach.

At first I spray painted the whole canvas black to represent how empty and dark space is, then I painted the head with oil crayons wanting to make it about how when in peoples head “space” their mind can wonder off thinking. Then starting to do the galaxy and planet also with oil crayons blending out the pinks and blue to fade in with each other, came back with the black spray paint to fade some areas then after that I splattered white paint for the stars.

‘Sleeper self-portrait #11’ continues works using recycled railway sleepers. These began with carving the sleepers and wrapping steel around them. This process involved heating the steel to bend around the wooden form and controlling the resultant fire as the red-hot metal touched the wood – alternating fire and water. I became fascinated with the burning process. The beauty and subtlety of this surface took over and I left out the steel altogether, keeping the manipulation of the sleeper to a bare minimum – cut, burn, wax.

Jenna Pickering Together as one Oil on paperbark 20cm x 10cm x 2cm. $15,000 The indigenous Australian culture shows us that there isn’t us and the earth. We are all one. The beauty in this pieces comes from both Brendon and the natural form of the bark itself. The moment we stop seeing one piece of the painting/puzzle as more important. That is when true harmony will take place. Brendon to me is warmth. He carries with him the open arms of a teacher.

Willow Mcauliffe This is Not a Love Story Photography on paper, fishing line 50cm x 35cm. $200 Growing up queer and neurodivergent in a regional town, a camera lens became my mechanism for existing in a world in which I didn’t fit into. For this series, I created scenes of a sexualised Western fantasy, bringing to life the limited roles of male and female that are so often woven into the small town experience. The photos are unedited, a direct insight from my eye to yours of the polished narrative I tell myself about giving my body away for a night. About submitting to the role, I am expected to play as someone born in a female body. About slipping into a familiar act for a single moment of relief, to relinquish the confusion and pressure that is being trans in a world that knows only male and female.

Roger Dickinson Roll Reversal, Karijini

Sherry Quiambao with Apurva Gupta Fortune comes to those who wait

Geoff Overheu Tracks of Sisyphus

Digital print on aluminium 80cm x 70cm x 3cm. $2,840

Single channel digital video with sound, 4:3 ratio, 2min 55 sec, looped and displayed on CRT TV. $1,100

Poly resin, enamel paint 60cm x 60cm x 50cm. $2,500

One of a series of hand-drawn digital images depicting technologies that have had a seminal impact upon my life, this artwork features a digital SLR camera imaging a gorge in Karijini National Park. In past decades, I photographed the gorges with a 6x7 camera using black and white film (plus reversal processing), and this artwork highlights that technological change by compositing the SLR against an imagined film-frame image of a rockpool. The artwork was created on a graphics tablet and printed by dye-sublimation on high gloss aluminium.

Fortune comes to those who wait, depicts a dreamlike dinner party where new growth sprouts from platters of indulgence. The main focus of my work is the sense of possession and its effect on the self. I am interested in materialism, particularly the messages people receive through media regarding new products and extravagant lifestyles, in contrast to our realities.

In ‘Tracks of Sisyphus’, I explore the dichotomy of progress and imperfection. The cracked painted surface, once pristine, now bears the marks of time and use, embodying the inevitable flaws that accompany advancement. The white hue signifies purity and potential, while the endless circle portrays perpetual motion—our unending pursuit of progress. This artwork encapsulates the paradox of an eternal drive for improvement contrasted with the inescapable reality of decay.

Sherry Quiambao 1986, plant/water

Rodney Adams Yindjibarndi Country

Aluminium print. 25cm x 45cm x 0.5cm. $800

Acrylic and Pilbara Earth on canvas 41cm x 61cm x 5cm. $2,200

Influenced by the 1980s’ media portrayals of opulence, my work explores the tension between dual cultural identities and my family’s pursuit of status. Using found objects, I examine the link between memory, cultural heritage, and materialism. In ‘1986, plant/water’, I juxtapose product packaging with nature, floating and reflecting, revealing the tension between dreamlike imagery and the realities of a commercialised society.

This is part of the cliff range at Solomon Ranges on the way to Satellite Springs in the Table Land area. Rodney often paints from his memory, capturing places in their natural state before they are redeveloped. He uses a secret mix of Pilbara earth behind his paintings and his ability to capture the colours and essence of the Pilbara landscape is incredible.

Lesley Munro A part of Me is You

Tineke Van der Eecken Major Sea Snake

Acrylic media, wood fillers and pigmentson routed marine plywood 73cm x 73cm x 3.5cm. $2,500

Vascular corrosion cast of sea snake, synthetic resin 3cm x 30cm x 25cm. $10,000

This painting arises from reflections on a decade of work from the early 2000s. It references discrepancies and ambiguities created by early digital photography, within urban night landscapes and their fleeting changes of light. In it I attempt to reconcile two opposites – on one hand the beauty and mystery of subtle night spaces, and on the other, the digitally imposed, static solidity then given to lights in motion, that transformed them into strange and separate presences suspended within the image. I attempt to allow each to retain their presence, to enrich the other while creating a new, more evocative matrix.

As a Belgian-born Australian interdisciplinary artist, having worked with precious metals and Australian flora for over two decades, I am concerned with the ecological fragility in Australian ecosystems. I found the technique of corrosion casting, which I have been developing since a residency in 2012 at SymbioticA (UWA), suited to image the flow of blood, of life. During an artist residency with the Minderoo Exmouth Research Lab in September 2022, I cast this ‘Major’ sea snake, who had died in a fishing trawler’s net in Exmouth Gulf, a global hotspot for sea snakes. Sea snakes are an important indicator of the health of an ecosystem; this sculpture signals ‘life’ and calls for environmental protection of the Exmouth Gulf.

PREVIOUS WINNERS: City of Greater Geraldton Overall Award for Excellence

2021

2019

2017

Artist: Mikaela Castledine Artwork: Catch

Artist: Zac Bruce Artwork: The Wunder Years

Artist: Sarah Mills Artwork: The Fantasy and the Flesh

2015

2013

2012

2011

Artist: Paul Kaptein Artwork: Everything is Nothing

Artist: Mark Nodea Artwork: Texas Country

Artist: Biddy Timbinah Artwork: My Father’s Country

Artist: Elisa Markes-Young Artwork: The Strange Quiet of Things Misplaced #24

24 Chapman Road, Geraldton WA 6530 P: (08) 9956 6750 | E: artgallery@cgg.wa.gov.au