Mid West Art Prize 2021 Catalogue

2021

Department of Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries

Acknowledgement The Geraldton Regional Art Gallery is proud to present the 2021 Mid West Art Prize.

The 2021 Mid West Art Prize has been proudly supported by Yamaji Art, Local Member Lara Dalton (MLA), David and Andrew Bowman-Bright and Latitude Jewellers.

Funding partners include the City of Greater Geraldton and the Department of Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries (DLGSC) Culture and the Arts (WA).

Trudi Cornish Manager Libraries, Heritage and Gallery

Gallery Staff Marina Baker Coordinator Gallery and Public Art William Upchurch Gallery Officer Marnie Facchini Rachael Vieraitis Community and Public Arts Officers

Gallery Assistants Anne-Maree Hopkinson Ruth de Beer Jenny Passalacqua Karina Pepper

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. I would like to pay my respect to the Elders past, present and future for they hold the memories, the traditions, the culture and hopes of the Yamatji Peoples.

FOREWORD I am thrilled to welcome back the Mid West Art Prize for 2021.

The Mid West Art Prize is the Geraldton Regional Art Gallery’s signature exhibition that expands the mind, informs, challenges as well as delights.

These qualities are just some of the reasons why the City of Greater Geraldton throws its support behind the exhibition and continues to do so.

The arts play a pivotal role in our community, region, state and nation – and I’m glad that the Mid West Art Prize contributes to that by providing opportunity for artists and bringing people together at the historic Geraldton Regional Art Gallery.

2021 has certainly been challenging and I know this year’s exhibition will provide joy and interest to viewers, which are sorely needed after COVID-19 and more recently Cyclone Seroja.

His Worship the Mayor, City of Greater Geraldton

This year also represents a huge milestone as the Mid West Art Prize reaches its’ decade. My congratulations to everyone involved who has brought us to this point, the staff, artists, sponsors, contractors, judges, plus so many more.

Shane Van Styn

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INTRODUCTIONS The Mid West Art Prize is the highlight of the Geraldton arts calendar. Hosted by the Geraldton Regional Art Gallery, the prize reflects a vibrant and individualistic WA arts culture, bringing recently-made and contemporary art to the Midwest audience and providing a showcase for local artists.

This year the Mid West Art Prize reaches its’ decade, generating seven award events over the past 10 years. We thank all those involved in this wonderful achievement, with particular appreciation to the City of Greater Geraldton who have been unstinting in their support, and to our further 2021 sponsors Yamaji Art, local member Lara Dalton MLA, the Bowman-Brights and Latitude Jewellers. We could not do this without you!

There are two stages of judging for the Prize – for the first selection, thank you to my fellow shortlisting Judges - academic and contemporary artist Dr Nien Schwarz and CEO of WA Art Touring Company ART ON THE MOVE Dr Theo Constantino. Our Perth meeting to shortlist finalists was generously hosted by the North Midlands Project and we were ably assisted by GRAG Community & Public Art Officer Marnie Facchini.

Final judging happens in the heady days before the opening event. We very much appreciate the generosity, professionalism and enthusiasm of the 2021 Judges Jane King, Sandra Murray and Jánis Nedela. The standard and diversity of artworks presented make this quite a daunting task.

To the dedicated team at GRAG – Marnie Facchini, Will Upchurch and Rachael Vieraitis, with our capable installers and casual employees, our departmental colleagues, with the guidance of our Manager Trudi Cornish, and Event Management on opening night by Megan Howlett - thank you all so much for your hard work and dedication in making this a memorable 2021 Mid West Art Prize.

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Coordinator Gallery and Public Art

Marina Baker

Jane King

Gallery Manager John Curtin Gallery Curtin University Previously Head of Member Development at Artsource, Executive Director at the State Library of WA Foundation and Executive Officer of Museums Australia WA, Jane is currently an elected member of the National Council of Australian Museums and Galleries Association. She is also the Deputy Chair of FutureNow, the Training Council for the Creative and Recreation sectors, and Co-Chair and an Artistic Director of the North Midlands Project.

Jane holds degrees in Economics and Fine Art, with numerous awards and post-graduate studies. She is also a practising artist, curator and a passionate advocate for WA cultural organisations and artists.

Sandra Murray

Jánis Nedela

Sandra has worked in the public, corporate, not-for-profit, and private sectors as an Independent Art Curator and consultant, curating over 65 exhibitions in WA and NSW with clients including the Royal Agricultural Society of WA and Bankwest.

As a practising artist and curator, Jánis has a substantial state, national and international profile in the Visual Arts.

His art is collected by over 20 public and private galleries, and he is the recipient of numerous awards and residencies.

Artistic Director/Lead Curator Sculpture at Bathers 2022 Fremantle

Sandra was also the inaugural Curator of UWA’s Lawrence Wilson Art Gallery. She has initiated many landmark exhibitions and prizes, including the Bankwest Art Prize for Sculpture and the Perth Royal Art Prize for Landscape, creating unique opportunities for WA contemporary artists. Sandra holds a BA Honours in Art History and Theory, and a Master of Philosophy.

Curator of Paintings and Works on Paper. Australian Capital Equity (for the Kerry Stokes Collection) Co-director Gallery East Art Services

In 2005 Jánis received a Creative Fellowship from ArtsWA facilitating an artist residency in Riga, Latvia. On his return a comprehensive survey exhibition was mounted by Bunbury Regional Art Gallery covering 15 years’ work titled A Near Distance. Jánis initially studied Printmaking and Graphic Design at Perth Technical College and gained his Bachelor of Arts (Visual Arts) from Curtin University.

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SHORTLISTED ARTISTS (alphabetical order)

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ARTIST PAGE

ARTIST PAGE

Brianna Adam.....................................................................................7

Lorraine Defleur...............................................................................15

Jordan Andreotta................................................................................7

Nicole Dickerson ............................................................................ 14

Caroline Arnold ................................................................................ 8

Roger Dickinson.............................................................................. 14

Amanda Boyland............................................................................... 9

James Dudding.................................................................................15

Val Brooks ........................................................................................ 9

Joanne Duffy.....................................................................................16

Elliot Brown .................................................................................... 10

John Eden.........................................................................................12

Zac Bruce......................................................................................... 10

Peta Edwards...................................................................................16

Christophe Canato............................................................................ 9

Kaitlyn Elsegood ............................................................................ 18

David Carson ................................................................................... 11

Robert Ewing ...................................................................................17

Mikaela Castledine........................................................................... 11

Linda Fardoe.................................................................................... 18

Olga Cironis .....................................................................................12

Lynda Fynn Dickinson.....................................................................19

Jennifer Cochrane............................................................................13

Naomi Grant.....................................................................................21

Joshua Cocking ................................................................................13

Roxanne Grant .................................................................................21

Debbie Crothers...............................................................................13

Lynda Howitt....................................................................................17

Jo Darvall........................................................................................... 8

Lee’Anne Innes ............................................................................... 22

Kelli Dawson.................................................................................... 14

Lauren Kennedy ............................................................................. 29

Joshua De Gruchy............................................................................17

Paige Kirby........................................................................................19

ARTIST PAGE

ARTIST PAGE

Christopher Little............................................................................ 22

Laura Peden..................................................................................... 26

Camilla Loveridge .......................................................................... 24

Martine Perret................................................................................. 26

Jared Malton.................................................................................... 20

Andy Quilty.......................................................................................27

AHC McDonald............................................................................... 20

Taylor Reudavey ............................................................................. 23

Kayla McMillan................................................................................ 24

Ric Spencer...................................................................................... 29

Peter Moir........................................................................................ 25

Angela Stewart ............................................................................... 35

Pia Wadjarri Remote Community and School, Pop Len Merry, Nan Julie Ryan, Aunty Kylie Simpson, Mr B, Josh Kirkman, Maddison Schwarze, Rihanna, Denika, Matchum, Nancy, Bidi-Bidi, Kyanne, in collaboration with Nicole Monks................ 23

Wade Taylor..................................................................................... 35

Pia Wadjarri Remote Community and School, Pop Len Merry, Nan Julie Ryan, Aunty Kylie Simpson, Mr B, Josh Kirkman, Maddison Schwarze, Rihanna, Denika, Matchum, Nancy, Bidi-Bidi, Kyanne, in collaboration with Nicole Monks................ 25

Geoffrey Wake................................................................................. 28

Lesley Munro....................................................................................27

Jo Wassell ....................................................................................... 34

Ellen Norrish................................................................................... 30

Rachel Weaver................................................................................ 34

Ron Nyisztor ....................................................................................27

Jude Willis........................................................................................ 33

Geoff Overheu ................................................................................ 32

Dane Yates....................................................................................... 33

Sarah Thornton-Smith.................................................................... 28 Leah Vlatko...................................................................................... 32 Sara Walker......................................................................................31 Adrianna Wasinska-Fabian..............................................................31

Sherry Paddon................................................................................. 30 5

2021 ARTWORKS

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Brianna Adam Winters Aura

Jordan Andreotta Ghosts of the past

Metal background, drops of water and ink added in.

Within the woodlands of Yanchep National Park lie the remains of an old, abandoned house that has now been taken over by vines, moss and grass.

Many myths and stories surround the history of these ruins and it has since gained the name ‘The Ghost House’. I have incorporated many abstract shapes into the textures of the building and its surroundings to allow the viewer to create their own sense of narrative when interpreting the stories behind the house.

Aluminium 75cm x 100cm. $510

Graphite on Paper 42cm x 59cm. $4,000

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Caroline Arnold Tags of Time

Jo Darvall Winged Realm Summer Diptych 2021

The theme for my work covers time and the passing of time. Where the ritual of tea making creates a space for conversation, in the pleasure of company or the comfort of solitude. A history of stories told, memories evoked, advice given, decisions, indecision and revision. These discarded tea bag tags were collected by the community over the past six months, each one representing a moment in time - a memory. The tags themselves are sewn onto naturally tea dyed cotton. The patchwork tablecloth holds nostalgic memories of women’s crafts, love and nurturing of both past and present.

I also sought to highlight an element of commercial design, considering colours, advertising and our shopping habits. Our love of convenience and the vast choices all vying for our attention. The favourites are visible in this piece. Have we been tempted by the advertising campaigns, the packaging or is it just our taste in tea?

Winged Realm is a large series of unique works on paper, mono prints employing the ancient practice of intaglio printmaking. Five tons of pressure is used to imprint inked shapes, with a variety of translucent pigments, onto fine imported papers from factories that have refined their craft over centuries. Handmade Iwaki Daio (Japan) and Khadi (India) papers are collaged, using Chine-collé technique, onto Hahnemühle. These papers are essential materials required to convey the work’s luminous colours, delicate impressions, refined textures and embossing.

Textile, stitch and collected tags 134cm x 163cm. $500

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Monoprint and Chine-colle on Hahnemühle paper 90cm x 126cm. $4,200

Amanda Boyland Woven into Life

Val Brooks As the Sun Rises

Christophe Canato Anima #31

I have a love of chairs; they have stories to tell.

They are there in our domestic lives, hold social positions, denote political and royal rule, entwined in memories of loved relatives and holidays. They support us, offer a place of peaceful reflection, social interaction, an absorbing read. From our childhood musical games to bedside vigils, chairs are woven into our memories. Chairs speak to history, and significant chairs are often passed down through the generations. These icons of the chair world are probably some of those. I have a simple wooden chair that belonged to my great grandmother.

Studio study following plein air studies completed at Emu Creek Station. The intent is to convey the calm beauty of the sun filtering through creekside trees beside our camp site.

Pastel was used over initial pastel/alcohol underpainting in thin, gentle layers to achieve a shimmer and reflection on the water.

Christophe’s work is oriented towards the male gender and his equity to social, cultural or sexual orientation groups. What questions this artist is the notion of belonging or rejection and the status that man is supposed to hold in society.

With Anima, Christophe is exploring the inner feminine side of a man. The Anima is both a personal complex and an archetypal that expresses the fact that male psyche has a minority of feminine qualities. According to psychologist Carl Jung, it is an unconscious factor incarnated anew in every male child and is responsible for the mechanism of projection.

Acrylic on paper 140cm x 150cm. $3,800

Pastel on paper 60cm x 60cm. $980

Photography 80cm x 80cm. $3,100

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Elliot Brown Glimpse

Short film (3.08mins) $1,250 ‘Glimpse’ explores the idea of how Technology can alter our emotional state.

Technology will often dictate too much of how we think and feel, scrolling into the void of social media and living through other people’s experiences while ignoring our own.

The intention behind this piece is to encourage others to think about their time spent online, and the aspects of life they miss as a result.

Zac Bruce Burial

Video (11.04mins) $3,300 The party of people-kind has reached a crescendo: It’s late, all the guests are drunk, and many of them have become unpleasant.

Some share stories they’ve been carefully crafting for millennia, some show hidden selves, others bicker over the merits of this or that new word, fresh mask, or exotic wine, the emaciated waiters can barely walk, and not a soul grasps what is about to happen. And while the host, with the fervour of the newly rich, shows a tired acquaintance a celebrity cover of John Lennon’s ‘Imagine’, a group of non-people-kind huddle in the cold of the world’s backyard, watching through the windows.

‘So, this is it.’ They think, in chorus.

Burial uses film, soundscape, music and text to explore ideas of subconscious thought and feeling, animism, reincarnation, and ecological collapse

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David Carson Transformer #2 Video (5mins) $2,500

Over the last few years I have concentrated on video production creating works for galleries and public spaces. My recent video Metamorphosis (BLISS) won the 3D/New Media Art Prize at the Leonora Inland Art Exhibition. This work uses visual distortion caused by time-stretching 360º video. The continuous shifting and transforming of colour and shapes in the work has a mesmerising and meditative effect - emphasising mutability, metamorphosis and mindfulness. I have collaborated on many projects with sound artists using loops, phasing, repetition, mechanistic rhythms and contrary motion to create layers of sound that reflect the imagery of the video.

Mikaela Castledine Catch

Timber, crochet cotton and found objects 88cm x 183cm. $6,000 Animals in art have always represented equal parts science and religion, made for luck, control, education, propitiation, summoning and sacrifice. With our increasingly uneasy relationship with nature and disconnect that exists between most of us and the origin of our food, fishing represents one of the few remaining portals to our hunting past. This votive work is a recreation of a childhood photo of the most successful cobbler catch of all. It is an offering, and a trophy wall, thankfulness and satiation. It is the summoning of elusive luck into physical form.

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Olga Cironis Slingshot

Military camo fabric, wood, metal and thread 48cm x 12cm. $1,400 Today we are living in the Anthropocene era, where humans are forced to consider the consequences of our past environmental, political, social and cultural actions.

‘Slingshot’ questions our humanness, reflecting the political dance of today, as history reflects questions to our actions.

Through the calming meditative process of covering and hard stitching camouflage military fabric over driftwood collected on the WA coastline, the power of nature and the fragility of human dependence on nature is exposed.

To make sense of this world, ‘Slingshot’ is a talisman for change.

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John Eden Chapel bed

Oil, graphite, pastel and dirt from the prison on reclaimed board 94cm x 61cm. $1,200 Barton’s Mill prison only closed in 1989. This cell and the chapel that houses it was rescued and moved to its current site, next to the Pickering Brook Primary School. It can still be visited once a month. The prison’s remit changed many times in its history, however after the Second World War it was largely a minimum security facility. The solitary confinement building of six cells was converted into a chapel, whilst the two cells at either end were kept. I have visited the old prison site many times and wondered at the stories we will never know that occurred there. I collected dirt from the site to use on this artwork.

Jennifer Cochrane Impossible Shadow #37

Joshua Cocking New Furniture included

Impossible Shadow #37 continues a body of work exploring shadows from sculptures I have created in the past.

Over the last 12 months my work has begun to explore outback mythology and how it has evolved over the last 200 years. In this work I wanted to create a false utopia. A contrasting jumble of expectation and reality.

A work containing the juxtaposition of colonial paintings, resort style living, people going about their strange business and remote Australian flora. An archaic Australian diorama where visual references splice and trouble one another to form new meaning, and then come undone. A place where our romanticized notions of remote Australia are shaken by hard truths.

Industrial tape painted and steel 94cm x 101cm. $3,300

Oil on canvas 182cm x 182cm. $20,000

Debbie Crothers Hidden Treasure

Mixed media, found objects and recycled jewellery 70cm x 40cm. $1,200 How many treasures lay hidden in the box of a drawer tucked between folds of fabric or are stashed in an old tin on the top shelf of the cupboard? Do we even know how valuable some of our collectibles are? Items forgotten, broken or simply not needed have been incorporated in this multi-media, upcycled piece rich in texture, colour and history.

Materials have been manipulated to transform their meaning or value, telling a new story. Look deeply and you may find a special object that triggers a memory, evoking thoughts of family, friends and pleasure from the past.

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Kelli Dawson East

Found objects, red dirt, cyanotype, tent canvas and thread $3,600 Memory: the intersection of place and time.

Out east, with my Dad (circa 1984) following abandoned railway tracks and fence lines.

Isolated, ancient landscapes of endless red dirt and blue skies. Land with many layers of history, dotted with decaying memories. Collections of things. Old maps pulled from dust-filled corners documenting the journeys and personal connections of this unique place, out east.

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Nicole Dickerson A Spiritual Family Connection

Roger Dickinson Downtime (self-portrait)

This artwork is about my family - My Mother who is the backbone and carries the strength through us all, My Father who taught many of his family skills - they are still practiced today and now his Spirit carries on through us. I have many memories of spending time near the ocean, with my three brothers. As siblings we are connected by blood, by spirit and love. All that I have been taught about collecting from the ocean, I now pass this onto my son. As the sands of time meet the oceans a connection of family spirits come together; they are bound together for an eternity, connected by blood. It is a feeling of peace, a feeling of home as their spirits travel through time – ‘A Spiritual Family Connection’.

Since 1759, when horologist John Harrison created his history-changing chronometer for the Royal Navy, high-end timepieces have exemplified the fusion of elegant design and high-precision manufacturing. For my 16th birthday I was given a Tissot Seastar — which I still treasure. Tissot continue to make Seastars and my artwork references their refined qualities of form and function.

Acknowledging the complex technology and gleaming glass and stainless steel exterior, I drew the artwork on a digital graphics tablet and computer, and it was printed by dye-sublimation on high-gloss aluminium.

Acrylic on canvas and scallop shells 75cm x 75cm. $2,000

Digital print on aluminium 80cm x 80cm. $2,950

Lorraine Defleur Montgomery Reef Chronicles

James Dudding Frisson

‘Montgomery Reef Chronicles’ where open sea evolves, tenderly kissing the fragile edges of the abundant Kimberley land.

Gentle ripples dancing harmoniously, giving birth to an eternal life-force.

Beauty abounds in all, with an absolute willingness for freedom to exist, here at Montgomery Reef.

‘Frisson’ is an attempt to capture a landscape in a strong wind, still water in a dam stirred up, trees bending and swaying, rain beating down; blending and obscuring it all together.

I am strongly influenced by Cy Twombly and Sol Lewitt.

Ink on paper 67cm x 88cm. $1,600

Graphite on watercolour paper 56cm x 70cm. $1,500

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Joanne Duffy Timeline

Peta Edwards Me dreaming warrgamay women

‘Timeline’ explores the changing of industry in the Midwest from farming land to mining. There is an echo of man-made equipment deteriorating amongst salted lands, from ‘old-school’ farming methods. The chosen media will continue to change over time and fade. It is a moment in a time of change, development, decay and progress. These are changes I have seen as a young girl growing up in the region in the 70s, and with my return in the now.

This piece represents me, my life, my son, family, friends, my career as an Indigenous female jockey and all my achievements in the racing industry.

It also highlights a lot of my mother whom we lost to cancer. Colour combinations are significant to me, and they all have a purpose and tell my story. Front nearside neck are my signature flowers representing my son and I. The colours around it are in remembrance of a very special horse that was a founder of my biggest career win, the little horse that could, King Blitz. Off-side neck is my family tree and off-side leg represents my cup winner’s and most memorable horses, off-side back leg is my totem and shield representing my roots, family country and land. Seat is finger print flowers with colour combinations of growing up. Back seat is my interpretation of Broome. The significance here is, I was the first indigenous female to win the Broome Cup. I also got engaged there. Nearside leg colour combinations are related to memories of my mother.

Mixed media on cotton paper 60cm x 80cm. $2,500

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Acrylic paint on wood (rocking horse) 120cm x 120cm. $5,000

Joshua De Gruchy Burn

Robert Ewing Untitled Landscape

Lynda Howitt Buried

‘Burn’ is representing the cycle of destruction and rebirth. A vulnerable yet constructive law of progression. Symbolising the burning embers of your former self and the rejuvenation of new life.

The choice is yours in how you proceed, but only through influence, not control.

I predominantly produce studio-based artworks on paper and linen, using a variety of medium including acrylic, watercolour, graphite, coloured pencil and oak gall ink. My artworks endeavour to evoke the elusive characteristics of landscape, those mysterious elements that appear to be immediately recognisable yet never fully understood. I’m particularly interested in the interplay between a sense of place and the intrinsically changing natural environment.

A playful combination of anthropomorphic symbolism and familiar aspects of landscape combine to produce images populated with a sense of intrigue.

I draw on my spiritual connection to explore the relationship of the mind, body and soul. Through the mediums I use, the paper represents the mind, Indian Ocean seawater is the body, ink is my soul, they are embodied together seemingly immortal and inseparable. Each uniquely affects the other to become visual, yet buried from sight.

Acrylic on canvas 165cm x 165cm. $4,000

Acrylic on linen 93cm x 106cm. $12,500

Ink and seawater on paper 82cm x 68cm. $1,200

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Kaitlyn Elsegood Bruce or Craig

Linda Fardoe Banksia

Bruce Denny is an actor and director. His birth name is Craig Taylor. With a Yamatji mother and a Native American father, Bruce was taken at four days old to be raised by a white family.

Upon hearing this I projected my assumptions of the hardships and injustices experienced by the Stolen Generations onto him. Bruce politely told me that he found it amusing that for his entire adult life he continues to be told by white people how he should feel about this. In this portrait I wanted to express the complexities of personal experience, individualism and capture Bruce’s optimism towards life.

I discovered this particular Banksia in the midst of a chaotic forest of Banksia trees. The swirling spikey leaves like a sea creature’s tentacles. I created an A2 ink and wash drawing which I scanned, to then manipulate on the computer.

This was printed at Fitzgerald Fine Art Printers as an archival Giclée. I then used archival inks to draw back into the print, making the image unique.

I work between traditional drawing, contemporary digital manipulation and contemporary printmaking technology until I am satisfied with the result.

Charcoal, graphite and water colour 70cm x 50cm. $1,000

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Ink drawing on archival Giclée on Canson paper 90cm x 74cm. $1,200

Lynda Fynn Dickinson Samphire Gem, Shark Bay

Paige Kirby Zodiac Orca

A sense of well-being pervades each visit to the Shark Bay area. This painting is a reflection of that sense of peacefulness rather than a mimesis of place. In recent visits, I enjoyed observing the detail and varieties of the local flora. The movement and flow of land through the gently moving samphire in the painting hopefully also reflect that contentment.

I used a Micron fine liner to create a detailed drawing of an orca with constellations in it. I chose the subject of a whale because drawing sea animals helps me feel closer to the ocean. Star constellations like the Southern Cross in the centre of the Orca, and zodiacs including Pisces, Leo, and Gemini have also been incorporated from my love of astronomy.

Acrylic on canvas 92cm x 122cm. $3,300

Fine liner ink 42cm x 62cm. $200

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Jared Malton Reluctant Obsolescence

AHC McDonald Jam Trees on Fire, Eastern Wheatbelt

This piece starts a dialogue about a somewhat forgotten section of time and technology. The ruthless speed of advancing technology is evident to everything and everyone around us. This is obvious to us as something which was highly functional not only 15-20 years ago is now completely obsolete. I make these concrete sculptures to remind the viewer that a valuable sense of nostalgia still exists in the obsolete and unused devices we once were quite fond of.

The threat of fire, the smell of Jam Trees and tiny, tiny black timber churches – experiencing any of these for me brings back strongly the experience of growing up in the Wheatbelt region of Western Australia in the 1960s and 70s. ‘Jam Trees on Fire, Eastern Wheatbelt’ is a unique state composition relief print made using relief ink on hand carved rubber stamp blocks, built into a composition, one imprint at a time on watercolour paper.

Concrete and aerosol paint 6.5cm x 11cm. $350

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Unique state composition relief print, relief ink on watercolour paper 56cm x 76cm. $1,900

Roxanne Grant Performance Stills Clichés #48, 49, 50

Photography and mixed media 85cm x 65cm. $650 I have chosen Sandra Carr MLC as my muse for this year’s entry.

This year has been a significant one for the Midwest politically.

Local and State politics have undergone major change and the notion of outdated clichés can be met head on.

This artwork is inspired by the cultural shift that Sandra, along with the now sixty per cent women in the Legislative Council represent. Sandra signifies change, a positive future, one in which battling clichés can start the conversation and bring about women finding their true place in our political landscape.

Naomi Grant Manifestation

Acrylic and collage 150cm x 95cm. $15,000 In the beginning the four elements emerged from a single Unity.

Fire, the electrical fiery force.

Water, the magnetic watery force.

Air, the vibrational airy force.

And the void and formless state of potentiality - the earthy force.

The four states coalesced and from their interplay the light burst forth. Light - the First Matter - both visible and invisible filled the Universe. Light, the wellspring of generation precipitated the manifestation of substance.

From the depths of darkness and inert matter to the heights of illumination and consciousness, all things exist and are made manifest through and within the light.

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Lee’Anne Innes Delicate Time (Diptych)

Cyanotype print and felt tip pen on paper 130cm x 110cm. $1,250 My first art making memory is of painting coral with my mum on Beacon Island where my dad worked as a cray fisherman.

Growing up on an island, treasure collecting becomes innate. The delicate nature of fan coral has always fascinated me with its intricate patterns.

The cyanotype print represents the short bursts of time I can create whilst with my young child. He loves watching the sun work its magic before the print is submerged into water. The felt tip pen stippling represents the late nights and early mornings where I steal time for myself to immerse in a moving meditation and a labour of love.

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Christopher Little Nurtured by Nature (detail) Acrylic 75cm x 53cm. NFS

This painting shows how nature supported me through grief. The universe sends me messages in many forms, animals, plants, even light. It shows me I am not alone and that there is love. I can show this love through painting.

It is my way of telling my story and the story of my son. It is a way I can transform my grief into a celebration of life and the wonders of this world.

Taylor Reudavey Packin’

18 inkjet prints on paper 80cm x 230cm. $150 Packin’ is an image series that offers a queer reading of AC/DC frontman Bon Scott and his performance of masculinity as similar to that of a drag king. By bringing together eighteen close-up images of Bon’s crotch, the artist draws associations between Bon’s apparent “packing” and the drag king’s humorous play with the presence and absence of a phallus.

Pia Wadjarri Remote Community and School, Pop Len Merry, Nan Julie Ryan, Aunty Kylie Simpson, Mr B, Josh Kirkman, Maddison Schwarze, Rihanna, Denika, Matchum, Nancy, Bidi-Bidi, Kyanne, in collaboration with Nicole Monks. birriny - birriny / baba / marlu

Triptych Photography 40cm x 124cm. $7,250

Understanding Wajarri Barna and the interconnections that sustain us all. birriny – birriny (Pom-pom flowers): Wildflowers flourish on Wajarri Country and symbolise seasonal change. Community say there’s more than ever this year… baba (water): The groundwater supply today at Pia Wadjarri Remote Aboriginal Community has too much uranium in it. No one’s allowed to drink it anymore. The community needs imported containers of baba, here laid out in the Wajarri symbol for baba. marlu (kangaroo): The marlu are nourished by the wildflowers and groundwater. The community is nourished by the marlu, and has been since time immemorial. Aunty Kylie is waiting for them to fatten up from eating all the wildflowers this year.

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Camilla Loveridge Evanescence

Ink and polymer on Japanese rice paper, with ink detritus on tissue overlay 95cm x 65cm. $1,700 ‘Evanescence’ is my response to the prevailing threat that pollutants pose on marine life as a result of human activity. In particular, this work addresses the ingestion of micro plastic waste poisoning fish and, consequently, threatening human life. A fish print floats upon two surfaces. The base image is printed upon rice paper, using the Japanese “gyotaku” technique, with an underlay of polymer. Covering this impression is a print upon tissue paper, in residual silver/grey ink, of repetitious lines. These fine “scale-like” lines serendipitously resonate the vulnerability of the fish beneath, whilst they also resemble the plates of protective armour.

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Kayla McMillan Chaotic Harmony (detail)

Sakura Micron pigma ink pens 56cm x 50cm. $5,000 Working with ink on paper, drawing, stippling, mark making, exploring a fascination with pattern in nature/life while reflecting on my generational tie with the ocean. I imagine their personalities and stories as they come to life. A sense of connection pulls us in, grounds us, filling us full of emotion, reminding us of who we are.

Take a moment to find stillness amongst the chaos of life.

Peter Moir Dune Shadows Boodjidup

Acrylic on canvas 76cm x 102cm. $1,700

It is important to me to depict the living ecology of the beach - dynamic and fragile. Although there are many dunes on the south-west coast, the dune system at this particular beach is striking in its aesthetic appeal.

To capture the shadows, I walk there at first light to catch the sun rising gradually behind the dunes. The strong light and restrained palette of blues, white and grey-greens is designed to immerse the viewer in the experience of a summer’s morning walk at the beach.

Pia Wadjarri Remote Community and School, Pop Len Merry, Nan Julie Ryan, Aunty Kylie Simpson, Mr B, Josh Kirkman, Maddison Schwarze, Rihanna, Denika, Matchum, Nancy, Bidi-Bidi, Kyanne, in collaboration with Nicole Monks.

ganun-ganunmanha (tread lightly) Video (1.53mins) $7,250

Understanding Wajarri Barna and the interconnections that sustain us all. birriny – birriny (pom-pom flowers): Wildflowers flourish on Wajarri Country. Hand-picked by community from around Pia, we yarned with Nan Julie and Aunty Kylie, and sat with the girls to make the artwork. That afternoon the wind blew, sending the petals and seeds back to Country where they’ll bloom again. baba (water): Groundwater at Pia has too much uranium in it. No one’s allowed to drink it. It comes in plastic containers now. Recycling these isn’t easy. We yarned with Pop Len and Mr B about it, and laid out the empty containers in the Wajarri symbol for baba. The children are always finding new ways to be creative with them… marlu (kangaroo): Wildflowers and ground water nourish marlu, and marlu nourish the Pia community. This practice has continued since time immemorial. I haven’t eaten kangaroo at Pia yet. Maybe I’ll get to try one of those fat ones Aunty Kylie speaks of when I go back.

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Laura Peden Ubirr Rock #3

Martine Perret Soleil

‘Ubirr Rock #3’ is a study of the sandstone and siltstone outcrops, once separated from the Arnhem Land Escarpment by the Mesozoic seas. I have created the ripple marks in this sedimentary stone and the haze of the late afternoon by using masking and glazing techniques.

During dry season the salt lakes of the North Midlands leave a unique palette of colours, texture and shapes. From the artist’s ongoing series of photographs ‘Beyond – Above Western Australia’.

Aerial photography captured from the open door of a Cessna 172 Skyhawk light airplane.

Acrylic 49.5cm x 65.5cm. $560

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Giclée fine art photographic print 150cm x 120cm. $1,490

Lesley Munro The Journey for Meaning

Acrylics, wood fillers, pigments and ochre on routed marine ply 120cm x 120cm. $4,750 In this work, finding meaning is in the journey: in the doing and undoing; decisions made, liked or regretted; early preconceptions confirmed or abandoned. It is in the time taken and conversations had, in a sense that grows or dulls as one gets to the essential part of the matter.

This is the journey, whether played out on the stage of eroded and worked plywood, life in the suburbs, or on a desert camping trek in an ancient land.

Ron Nyisztor Rock Crystal

Oil on canvas 180cm x 180cm. $7,500 ‘Rock Crystal’ is another title from my series ‘Momento of Clarity’. Crystals are often associated with accuracy and finess. I have referenced a wax blob as a liquid crystal substitute, deforming corrupted and hopeless.

Andy Quilty Family Portrait (after miscarriages) Charcoal, ink monoprint, aerosol and sandpaper on Arches paper 178cm x 168cm. $3,000

Eva and I have a three and a half-year-old son Alby. Last year Eva experienced two miscarriages. The grief, fear and uncertainty resulting from these events, as individuals and as a couple is difficult to reckon with. After the remains of what was planned to be a life has been cremated, you receive the ashes in a ziplock bag, inside a small box placed into a white gift-shop-like paper bag with black handles.

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Geoffrey Wake Imaginary flight path of the Butterfly

Sarah Thornton-Smith Litmus II

Synthetic Polymer on canvas 85cm x 170cm. $8,500

Gouache on Paper 61cm x 88cm. $2,000

The narrative for the ‘Imaginary flight path of the Butterfly’, is a linear expression of the randomness of the flightpath culminating in a destination, being a safe landing area for feeding or safety. A sense of security and an implied knowingness of the destination is expressed here!

‘Litmus II’ consists of monoprinted thallus shapes sitting under a myriad of hand cuts and folds where the colourwaves – gradated hand rendered gouache - move in hues to reflect the changing light caught in the landscape. Each aperture makes its way like threads of connection forming mellifluous shapes scribing a new form of pattern language portraying the interconnectedness we have with our environment and how like lichens, we are living symbiotic partners in this world.

‘Litmus II’ quietly observes the vicissitudes of seasons and highlight how as agents of change, we can each play a part to enable a better future for us.

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Lauren Kennedy Walking Wurdimarlu

Ink and acrylic on wooden panels 60cm x 227cm. $3,800 The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the importance of human connection with nature. Growing up in the outskirts of Geraldton and moving to the city, I have found a longing for the rural landscape and its slower pace.

‘Walking Wurdimarlu’ evolved after a couple of painting trips to Wurdimarlu/Kalbarri National Park.

I have methodically used a mix of slow, quiet areas with energetic organic marks, attempting to replicate movement across the work, similar to music. This, along with the use of a concertina board, I hope to invite the viewers into a sequential story; to reconnect with the country.

Ric Spencer Gumnut study: two views

Graphite and oil paint on primed paper 32cm x 96cm. $1,500 I recently completed building a studio in my backyard and of late have had more time to spend in the studio drawing. The studio is situated under a gum tree with the gumnuts constantly, almost rhythmically landing on my studio roof, providing a constant reminder of their presence and no shortage of material or drawing inspiration. This work is from an ongoing series of gumnut studies I have been working on with this diptych providing two views of a single gumnut.

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Sherry Paddon Live within dreams

Archival inkjet print 30cm x 44cm (piece 2, left), 60 x 40cm (piece 1, right). $880 I am a Perth-based, multi-disciplinary artist who combines photography with sculpture. My work focuses on the sense of possession and its effect on the self. I attempt to elevate found objects to become reminders of the commericalised reality. My interest in materiality is inspired by my upbringing in 1980s’ regional Western Australia, an era filled with high-end media that advertised lavish lifestyles. It led me to the Buddhist principle of ‘attachment’, which suggests: if we source peace externally, we would strive to maintain the crumbly reality of dreams and aspirations.

Through ‘Live Within Dreams’, I reconstruct my dream by presenting the process alongside the final product. In the diptych, the dream is revealed through its metaphotography, embedding my presence into its creation and acknowledging dreams as a processed phenomenon. This relationship points to the structure between the dream, the self and its reality.

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Ellen Norrish Principality of Hutt River: An Incomplete Stamp Catalogue Oil on pine block Various (3cm x 4cm x 1.5cm). $2,645

‘Principality of Hutt River: An Incomplete Stamp Catalogue’ is a set of small oil paintings that attempt to catalogue and re-present the official stamps issued by the former Hutt River Province micronation in WA’s Midwest region. In this series I have repainted the illustrations of each stamp to scale, capturing a variety of intriguing kitsch imagery and Australiana genres including Issue 1: Wildflowers (unknown artist, 1973), Issue 5: Birds (Princess Sherryl, 1976), Issue 9: Birds of Antarctica and Issue 14: State Visit to the Vatican (unknown artist, 1979).

Sara Walker Amended Plan

Adrianna Wasinska-Fabian Mirror Horses 2

A childhood fed by the Great Australian Dream meets the housing crisis of the COVID-19 era in this cubby for a 30 year old. Hand-stitched designs of a dream home embody youthful plans of independence and the security of home ownership, a traditional Australian rite of passage. Affectionately referencing ‘playing house’ as a child, the cubby’s insecure, improvised nature and public exposure turns it from an object of nostalgia into a desperate symbol of the invisible homeless of the 2021 rental shortage - those couch-surfing, using temporary accommodation, or living in the homes of others.

My subject matter is nature, especially horses which are my biggest and finest inspiration. I use traditional materials like ink and handmade paper, with drawing techniques that allow me to pay tribute to my favourite artists like A. Durer, Hokusai, E. Haeckel and E. Shile.

I am influenced by Baroque, which involves highly ornate, dramatic, and complex composition and am transforming it into a strong and lively movement.

The drawing style is delicate, but expressive at the same time, further influenced by Art Nouveau. My lines capture the beauty of horses with heavily outlined forms, suggesting power.

Cotton thread, cotton bedding, pine chairs, lamp 90cm x 200cm. $550

Ink, gel pen, acrylic on paper 90cm x 160cm. $1,100

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Geoff Overheu Summer Swarm

Leah Vlatko Study of Banksia

Rock is one of the great connectors within our environment in which many organisms live that are virtually invisible. This igneous rock is common to the Midwest.

This piece first began on Menang Noongar Boodja (Albany), where I was inspired by how beautifully detailed Banksias are in all their stages of growth. I continued to work on these pieces at home on Yamatji country (Geraldton), and became obsessed with trying to truly see and capture the unique shapes of the classic seed pod.

I love the way the light plays through the wire, and gently demands the same focus and attention you may have to give to a flower you are truly noticing.

Please use the torch provided to find Banksia seed pods playing in the shadows.

Bronze, rock 34cm x 30cm. $1,600

By using bronze, this work celebrates and memorialises all those invisible insects.

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Crochet 100cm x 40cm. $250

Jude Willis Look into the land and it will tell you a story

Dane Yates Non Essential; Family Values

This artwork is a homage to the unique beauty of Western Australia’s native flora and its fragility in the wake of both climate change and habitat destruction.

It is a deconstructed botanical abstraction made in collaboration with nature, incorporating gum blossom as well as marks made from gum leaves and twigs.

The title is taken from the lyrics of Icehouse’s anthemic song ‘Great Southern Land’. Like the song, this work is a nostalgic reflection as well as an invitation to pause and consider the beauty of the natural world.

Filmed digitally between Geraldton, Perth and Fort McMurray (Canada) during WA’s March lockdown of 2020, the work is comprised of obscured screenshots from FaceTime conversations with family whilst in lockdown.

Made one year later between Geraldton, Perth, Karratha and Ravensthorpe, the work not only creates a discussion around the importance of family during crucial times of a pandemic, but ironically looks at the depressing nature of lockdown when experiencing a lack of the West Australian landscape. The visuals are accompanied by audio composed digitally through the family piano which was not accessible at the time due to intrastate borders; I suppose it’s Grandy’s pianola that will always bring us back together.

Mixed media on paper 90cm x 70cm. $1,200

Object / AV 13.83cm x 6.71cm. $2,000

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Jo Wassell Unmoored

Rachel Weaver Baba Yaga’s Dream House

This drawing is my response to the disquiet I feel being separated from my family, who live in the UK. The uncertainty of when I will see them again grows with time, which is reflected in the restless rhythm of the graphite marks. In contrast, the gold stitching at the heart of the form is steadfast and sure, as certain as our connection.

Baba Yaga lives deep in the forest, in a house that walks on chicken feet. This fierce witch has cannibalistic tendencies, with children being a particularly indulgent delight. What better way to lure lost children than a dream house built of gingerbread and candies? Painstakingly created piece-by-piece from polymer clay and resin, I built her house from the walls up, fresh-baked and dripping with traditional white icing. My piece embodies a fun and twisted fusion of the Slavic legend of Baba Yaga, with the tale of Hansel and Gretel.

Graphite and embroidery thread on paper 76cm x 56.5cm. $1,200

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Polymer clay, resin, inks and feathers.

34cm x 21cm. $2,450

Angela Stewart Aristocrat

Wade Taylor How the West was Won

This painting conveys love, joy and loss. The dark velvety colour palette is reminiscent of the cloths of my muse, 16th century Sofonisba Anguissola. The gloss and matte surfaces reflect changeable lighting and moods, as well as the shifting of time where memories flicker and the heart yearns.

My work often makes stylistic and thematic reference to the Italian Renaissance historical portraits and the transition of the fresco to easel painting. It suggests details of imaginary narrative and slippages of a forensic trail that may or may not lead back to the portrait.

The burning Xanthorrhoea alludes to the tension and rising panic that permeates the heart of the Australian landscape, a scene of quiet simmering danger.

Drought, disease, bushfire and the clearing of land for agriculture have razed an ancient country. In the face of this destruction, the blazing grass tree expresses an idea of renewal and hope, a traditional practice of setting seed, flowering and ceremony. These opposing forces coexist as a counterpoint, but also as a challenge for us universally.

Oil and acrylic on board 130cm x 90cm. $5,800

Oil on wood 50cm x 40cm. $3,500

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PREVIOUS WINNERS: City of Greater Geraldton Overall Award for Excellence

2019

2017

2015

2013

2012

2011

Artist: Zac Bruce Artwork: The Wunder Years

Artist: Mark Nodea Artwork: Texas Country

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Artist: Sarah Mills Artwork: The Fantasy and the Flesh

Artist: Biddy Timbinah Artwork: My Father’s Country

Artist: Paul Kaptein Artwork: Everything is Nothing

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

Department of Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries

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