Pymble Values Art Prize Exhibition of Finalists 2025
We acknowledge the traditional custodians of the land on which Pymble Ladies’ College and Vision Valley stand. We pay respect to Elders past and present and extend that respect to other First Nations people within our community.
RESPECT
I value diversity, my worth and the worth of others
Dr Kate Hadwen Principal, Pymble Ladies’ College
Thank you for supporting these outstanding female artists.
When we launched our inaugural Pymble Values Art Prize earlier this year, we hoped it would attract the attention of the creative community and discover a treasure trove of talent.
We have been overwhelmed by the response.
We were delighted to receive a total of 281 submissions, which led to the equally joyful and agonisingly difficult process of shortlisting just 48. The judges and I want each artist to know their submission was considered with the Care, Integrity and Respect they deserve for having the Courage to put their work forth. Choosing a winner in any situation is a Responsibility we never take lightly. Thank you for sharing your work with us.
Thank you also to our esteemed judges: Artist, Kathrin Longhurst; Curatorial + Co. Founder and Director, Sophie Vander; Pymble’s Head of Learning Area – Visual Arts, Brigiat Maltese; and our Deputy Principal, Lamia Rockwell, for the gift of their time, thoughtful appraisal and expertise. It was an honour to work with you all.
This exhibition reflects the importance of our five College values to our community, and our focus on the value of Respect in 2025.
This exhibition reflects the importance of our five College values to our community, and our focus on the value of Respect in 2025.
As you wander through, I invite you to consider the works in relation to the prize brief: to visually explore the concept of Respect in a broad and inclusive manner. You will see how each artist has responded in their own unique way to convey self-respect, mutual respect between individuals, respect for the environment, or cultural and generational respect.
It will be a momentous day when we install the winning artwork within the historic walls of Pymble Ladies’ College. Here it will stand proudly as a testament to outstanding female artistic talent in Australia and the importance our community places on values-led behaviour, starting with Respect.
Enjoy this beautiful visual journey.
Artworks for sale
All artworks* featured in our Exhibition of Finalists are available for sale through our online portal, GalaBid.
To make a purchase, you will need to create a GalaBid account. Payments are made directly through GalaBid via credit card. No alternate payment methods are available.
Successful purchasers are responsible for collecting their artwork from the College. Details will be provided after confirmation of purchase.
Thank you for supporting our finalists.
TO PURCHASE ARTWORKS
*With the exception of the winning artwork, which will be acquired by the College.
SCAN
Judging Panel
I am honoured to be included on the judging panel for the Pymble Values Art Prize. This prize provides a rare platform that combines artistic recognition with meaningful community engagement. I am truly inspired by initiatives that amplify women’s voices, support their careers, and ensure their stories are heard.
This prize not only fosters greater gender parity in the arts, but also offers an opportunity to reshape how we see women in society - as leaders, innovators, and deserving of respect.
KATHRIN LONGHURST
CONTEMPORARY FIGURATIVE ARTIST AND 2025 PYMBLE VALUES ART PRIZE JUDGE
Kathrin Longhurst
Contemporary Figurative Artist
Born in East Berlin and now based in Sydney, Kathrin Longhurst is a contemporary figurative painter whose work merges personal history with social and political commentary.
Having grown up under a totalitarian regime, her art often explores themes of propaganda, power, and female representation. Her large-scale portraits of women reframe traditional iconography to challenge stereotypes and reclaim the female gaze.
Kathrin’s work has been exhibited in Australia and internationally and is held in public and private collections, including the Bennett Collection of Women Realists in the United States.
Photo credit: Simon Cardwell
Sophie Vander Founder and Director, Curatorial+Co.
Sophie Vander is the Founder and Director of Curatorial+Co. – a Sydney/ Eora art gallery and art consultancy specialising in contemporary works by emerging and mid-career artists across all creative disciplines.
With an eye for discovering new talent, and a deep commitment to facilitating positive art experiences, Sophie works alongside her team to develop artists’ careers through a strong exhibition program, and placing works outside the gallery walls in residential, commercial and public spaces.
At the core of Curatorial+Co.’s ethos is connecting new collectors with emerging artists, enabling creative encounters that are inspiring, accessible and future thinking.
Curatorial+Co. is dedicated to promoting artistic excellence, integrity, diversity, accessibility, distinction, and experimentation. With 80 per cent of its stable being female-identifying artists, the gallery is passionate about re-correcting the gender divide. Cultivating connections between collectors and artists is fundamental to this mission, fostering mutual growth, appreciation and understanding.
Brigiat Maltese
Head of Learning Area – Visual Arts, Pymble Ladies’ College
Brigiat Maltese is an experienced educator and practising artist. With over 30 years in secondary education, she specialises in girls’ education and achieving consistently outstanding outcomes.
Her own artwork has been recognised in several prestigious art awards, including as a finalist in the Wynne Prize, the Sir John Sulman Prize, the Dobell Drawing Prize, the Mosman Art Prize, and the Northern Beaches Environmental Art Prize.
Brigiat’s practice explores the intersections of environment, identity and materiality, reflecting a deep engagement with both contemporary and traditional techniques. This is an approach that is mirrored in her own teaching philosophy.
Drawing on decades of creative and pedagogical experience, she brings a passion for how the visual arts reflects cultural values.
Lamia Rockwell
Deputy Principal, Pymble Ladies’ College
Lamia spent her formative years in Lebanon and France before migrating to Sydney with her family in 1988. Raised in a family of educators – her mother and maternal aunts are teachers – she has drawn lasting inspiration from their commitment to nurturing young people, a legacy that continues to shape her own approach to education.
Throughout her 30 years in education, Lamia has had the privilege of working with students, staff and families from a rich tapestry of cultural backgrounds. Her personal value of embracing diversity is woven into every aspect of her role as Deputy Principal. Whether engaging with students, collaborating with staff, or connecting with parents, Lamia is dedicated to creating an inclusive environment where everyone feels respected and seen. She actively fosters open dialogue and mutual understanding, firmly believing that diverse perspectives enrich the entire community and stimulate growth and creativity.
Lamia values art as a powerful expression of diversity, believing it opens minds, bridges cultures, and allows individuals to see the world through different lenses. It is a celebration of creative talent and a reflection of the diversity within our community, an essential part of nurturing empathy, broadening horizons and strengthening connections. Her commitment to these values is reflected in our Respect Statement, I value diversity, my worth and the worth of others, as well as our College values of Care, Courage, Integrity and Responsibility, all of which set the tone for this special exhibition.
Finalists
Kristine Ballard
A seat at the table
Oil on canvas
64cm H x 94cm W
This artwork honours the often-overlooked role of women in both art and life. Using vibrant colours and collected still-life items, the painting reclaims the domestic table as a powerful site of connection and resilience. Traditionally a feminine space, the table becomes a canvas of visibility – each object staged, radiant in strength and dignity. Empty chairs stand in quiet defiance, calling for recognition, inclusion, and respect. This work challenges historical absence, inviting viewers to reflect on whose labour, voices, and presence have shaped our creative spaces – and who truly deserves to be seen.
Kate Banazi
Sharp Edges
Acrylic, pigment on paper 58cm H x 48cm W
Respect is earned, built upon the foundations laid by others who show through example what dignity, integrity, and care can look like. It grows from the invisible threads of compassion, resilience and repetition woven through generations and binding us to stories that will never be fully told.
Julz Beresford
A deep sigh at nature’s beauty
Oil on canvas
138cm H x 123cm W
As a female landscape artist, I am drawn to nature. I have a thorough respect for the landscape – recognising its life-giving force and the balance it provides. I spend many hours on the water, observing and absorbing the seasons of the place. My work reflects a deep reverence for the environment and the creative process it inspires. Being a woman alone on the water is both empowering and grounding; it connects me to nature and to myself. Just as women deserve dignity and equality, nature demands care and reverence. My work is both an expressive piece of the whole process, and an embodiment of how it feels to be there.
Sharon Billinge
Iggy
Acrylic on polyester 99cm H x 74cm W
This work is from a series of paintings I am making in collaboration with a group of teens and pre-teens. The subject’s direct, unwavering gaze is central to this piece. It is a statement of presence, of being, and of selfworth. The face is neither smiling nor submissive; it commands respect without demanding explanation. In this way, I aim to emphasise the quiet strength that comes from recognising one’s own value and honouring the intrinsic value in others. This painting is not about a single identity – it is about the universal need to be seen and respected for who we are. My process involves listening as much as creating, working with subjects who are collaborators, not objects. Their identities, voices, and stories help to shape the final work.
Wendy Bills
The Splendid Dreamers
Oil on canvas
91cm H x 122cm W
This painting is about respect, friendship, acceptance and dreams. I wanted to make a piece of art about the possibilities of beautiful social connections free of modern devices. The figures are enjoying a congenial cup of coffee while verbalising their hopes and dreams. No mobile phones or laptops are in sight. Acceptance and sincere friendship can only be realised with physical proximity and exchange of ideas which leads to valuing the worth of others. The scene is one of frills, finery and encouragement of self expression while building mutual respect. The figure on the left is a dreamy and creative escapist. Her Mainecoon cats are protective of her. The figure on the right has often dealt with social exclusion. His expression is not so dreamy. It is one of self confidence and joy. This is reflected in his colourful birds. That trusting expression has been built by connecting with a like-minded spirit. By respecting each other, my friends have discovered their own power of escapism. There is a promise of future fulfilment. This painting was painted from life (except for the animals) and based on real characters.
Yvonne Boag
Knowing Yourself
Acrylic on canvas
153cm H x 116cm W
Respect means valuing others’ beliefs, traditions, and opinions through active listening and genuine esteem. Like love, it requires caring for others as deeply as oneself. Both respect and love are fundamental to meaningful relationships and self-discovery, as we understand ourselves through our connections with others. Recognising our own needs helps us appreciate that everyone shares the universal desire for love and respect. Over time, when respect and love combine, they create lasting relationships, deep friendships, and an enduring sense of human connectedness. Together, these qualities form the foundation for fulfilling interpersonal bonds and mutual understanding.
Melissa Boughey
Forest Tapestry – Interconnected
Oil on canvas
100cm H x 90cm W
Forest Tapestry – Interconnected references a lifelong observation and appreciation for the natural forests. The forest is woven together, like a tapestry and interconnected to support the health of the whole (not the individual). It is my belief that if we spent more time in nature, if we held our living, breathing planet with the upmost respect that she deserves, then the world would be a much more harmonious place. In my work, I hope to inspire a reverence and respect for nature through colour play, tonal shifts and energetic mark-making.
Jessie Bourke
To weave is to be woven
Oil on canvas (mounted on board)
25cm H x 15cm W
Respect is a core value that cannot simply be taught, it must be modelled and interlaced into our sense of self. Our relationship to respect is built long before we are; intergenerational programming dictates how we view, model and receive respect. We are the foundation in which the next generation will grow to perceive respect, how we intrinsically weave that thread is one of the most authentic traces of humanity that we leave behind. This piece is a reflection of how those fibres intertwine to reveal the tapestry of our character, and that in order to weave those threads, we ourselves must be woven.
Clare Brodie
form . placement . time
Matt vinyl paint on cotton canvas
137cm H x 152cm W
This work explores respect and diversity through a constructed visual metaphor. Individual, varied geometric shapes form a cohesive “shapescape”, each shape distinct, yet strengthened by its place within the whole. In this imagined landscape, I’ve slotted transparent squares, each containing a single arc. Though separated, these arcs would form a full circle if joined‚ representing the unseen energies that connect us. The interplay of colour, structure and transparency allows space for both individuality and belonging. This piece reflects how we hold respect: by recognising difference, valuing contribution, and acknowledging the quiet forces that link us together in shared experience.
Tammie Castles
Our Violet
Underglaze, glaze and ceramic
40cm H x 27cm W
Dignity of the individual and the authenticity of childhood. This ceramic piece captures my seven-year-old daughter in a candid, uninhibited moment, her joyful expression a testament to a child’s freedom to be their true self. The portrait holds up this moment against a political landscape where children’s innocence and women’s rights are under threat. In a world fraught with disrespect, will this uninhibited nature still be celebrated and protected? It serves as a quiet reminder that the preservation of such innocence is not a given, but a responsibility.
Lucinda Chambers
Old Apple Gum
Acrylic on linen
183cm H x 152cm W
I walked with friends into the bush behind Mittagong, along the creek, into a valley. It felt so far away, secluded. Part pasture but mostly wild. Fred Williams painted there. Lucy showed us a special place – a clearing studded with a grove of enormous old trees surrounded by pole-like younger trees. We sat a while under the arms of the old apple gum (Angophora floribunda), leaning on Poa tussocks. We were in the presence of an ancient one in an ancient land. Timeless. Precious. My daughter looks up into the branches of the old tree. She stands straight like the young trees, patiently and respectfully waiting their turn. My painting symbolises strength, resilience and interconnection. Just as a tree thrives in balance with its environment, so too does respect flourish when we honour both ourselves and the world around us.
Christine Choi
Listening to Earth
Oil on canvas
102cm H x 122cm W
This work is inspired by the Country between Kings Canyon (Watarrka) and Uluru, the sacred lands of the Anangu people, including the Pitjantjatjara and Yankunytjatjara peoples, who have cared for this Country for countless generations. Standing on the red earth, I felt its sacred presence – unyielding yet tender – holding me still. A deep humming seemed to rise from the land itself, carrying ancestral stories, calling me to listen, to bow, to remember. In that immensity, I was undone, and my only response was silence and tears.
Susan Cole
The Wattle and the Ant
Acrylic mixed media on board 21cm H x 26cm W
For centuries, nature has shown us that diversity and respect are inseparable. Trees and insects, though vastly different in form and scale, sustain each other through intricate exchanges‚ pollination, protection, nourishment. The Wattle and the Ant is in three connecting panels to emphasise the symbiotic relationship between the wattle and the ant. The acacia provides food and shelter to the ants, whilst the ants defend the acacia from herbivores and pathogens. The exchange is not one of dominance or dependence, but of respect and diversity. By creating a strong industrious relationship, the ant and the wattle flourish and thrive.
Eliza Cottonwood
Erin’s Window
Gouache and coloured pencil on watercolour paper 104cm H x 83cm W
Erin is an incredibly gracious, generous teacher who gives of her knowledge and inspiration so freely. She has a teacher’s talent for creating safe, respectful spaces to help those around her learn, heal and create. Her works come from her upbringing, her imagination, her search for home and spirit; each piece she creates is a window into her soul. Her little birds take flight throughout her creations, alighting on rooftops, nesting in pockets, resting on chairs. This painting was shaped in her studio, also her home; a space where many works in progress, in various stages, await completion alongside those complete. While creating the beginnings of this painting, her hands were always moving, sculpting, so quickly that they scarcely seemed to pause. At the very front of this painting, a small ceramic self-portrait by Erin is cradling her daughter, a reminder that in Erin’s Window, love is not just a subject but the foundation for her creations.
Emma Dash
Doorways and a Quilt
Oil paint and embroidery on canvas 28cm H x 35cm W
Doorways and a Quilt offers a poignant way to enter and explore the world of another through mutual respect. Doorways represent multiple perspectives and possibilities. Sewing machines allude to a particular way of creating and conveying a story, a uniquely human story. Crafted and sewn together with care, acceptance, curiosity, inclusion and friendship, stories of difference, companionship, loss and joy, symbolising differing perspectives through the work of a quilt which may dissolve what often separates our shared humanity.
Kate Dorrough
The Ancient River
Acrylic on linen
152cm H x 167cm W
Respect for the rivers of our country, which meander a long worn path across our land, link and provide fertility, sustenance and respite. The layering of mark making, a textural palimpsest plays homage echoing layered stories and histories of the river. Inferred calligraphic marks suggest a text or language to be deciphered and understood, acknowledging a growing respect given to the rights of the river and water systems and their crucial ecological role. The river, embedded in our consciousness becomes an abstracted emblematic icon.
Yvonne East
Table dance
Oil on canvas
94cm H x 120cm W
From a young age I observed crows dancing, and here in a landscape drawn from childhood memory, the playful interaction of movement is a connection to a greater creative force. In the human condition, this creative force is a connection to be acknowledged and respected. Playfully interpreting ‘table dancing’ into an act of strength and joy – there are elements of ambiguity between still life, figurative and landscape genres. Movement is expressed in the representation of the figures and in the application of paint, the visceral qualities of the paint itself, signify an empowered physical experience.
Katherine Edney
She is the land she walks upon (a portrait of Frances Belle Parker)
Oil on polycotton
174cm H x 90cm W
Frances Belle Parker is an artist and proud Yaegl woman from Maclean in the Northern Rivers of NSW. I have portrayed Frances in a landscape inspired by a place near Maclean which is close to her heart – Paperbark Camp. The title of my work draws from Frances’ recent collaborative film, We are the land we walk upon, which speaks to the respect and responsibility embedded in First Nations stories, protocols and profound connections to Country. Frances’ work has featured in numerous public commissions, most notably, Angwirri, which was projected on the Sydney Opera House on 26 January 2021.
Julia Elsey
Phenology wheel
Watercolour
80cm H x 80cm W
My artwork has three circles reflecting three elements of respect. The first is a phenology wheel created from my observations of nature from my property over the period of a month. This clearly shows the respect and love I have for nature, without which our world will not be sustained. The second shows institutions in society that have been established to enable us to live in peace and harmony. The third is a picture of the Rose Window in the Pymble College Chapel, donated by Pymble students and dedicated in 1967, expressing respect for tradition.
Celia Fernandez
In
Search of My Space (diptych)
Acrylic on canvas
79cm H x 157cm W
In Search of My Space journeys into the depths of personal evolution and the intricate journey of self-realisation. It is a visual narrative of the human quest to navigate the labyrinth of existence, seeking not only our purpose in life but also our unique place in the world and, ultimately, within ourselves. At its core, the work reflects the profound act of respecting the self, acknowledging our inner voice, our vulnerabilities, and our strengths. From this foundation, respect radiates outward, nurturing empathy, harmony, and connection with others, cultures, generations, and the world.
Louise Fowler-Smith
Extinction Solastalgia
Acrylic paint on stretched canvas, textiles, stitching 120cm H x 90cm W
In this time of climate crisis, we must rethink how we perceive and respond to the natural world. True respect means recognising the planet as the lifegiving system that sustains us and acting with care for all species. According to the Department of Environment and Heritage, more than 60 Australian plant species are now extinct and over 1,180 are threatened. This mixedmedia painting mourns that loss, focusing on the Coleanthera Virgata, once endemic to Western Australia and now declared extinct due to habitat destruction, altered fire regimes and invasive species. The Coleanthera is encircled by black butterflies – symbols that, in some cultures, signal death or carry messages from those who have passed. Their presence underscores the fragility of life and the urgent need to honour and protect the biodiversity that remains.
Isabel Gomez Strength
Gouache on board
80cm H x 100cm W
Through strength we can gain respect – respect of ourselves and how others treat us and how we treat others. In this painting Strength, I explore the spaces with objects and how they relate to each other, you. The hand on the bottle indicating a hello or a stop. Both of which ask for respect. The gnome covering his eyes to a horror he wishes went away, but if we don’t see what is around us, we deny our own respect of self. The cat watches on as others overlook the child and mother clinging on to each other in a vulnerable place. The candle burning shedding some warmth and light in a place where the strength of mind and heart is stronger than bombs and guns.
Sharron Goodwin-Ryan Kangaroo
Dog
Acrylic on cut plywood
44cm H x 70cm W
My work reflects on the role of the colonial kangaroo dog, an animal that helped sustain early European settlers by providing food and companionship. In this work, the dog represents both human reliance on animals and the complex relationship between people and the environment they inhabit. By highlighting the dog’s presence and agency, the piece invites reflection on respect – for the animals that sustain us, for the ecosystems they inhabit, and for the natural world more broadly. It is a reminder that respect extends beyond human relationships to all living beings and the environments we share.
Graziela Guardino
Deconstructed Painting Yellow
Acrylic on unravelled Belgian linen
60cm H x 60cm W
Deconstructed Painting Yellow starts with the deconstruction of linen, resignifying the support and materiality of both the painting and textile works. Rather than adding layers, the artist removes them. It is in this unravelling of the wefts that the artist’s work reveals itself. Deconstructed Painting Yellow is the result of experimentation and studies of materials, forming a unique visual language of minimalist abstraction. It is based on deconstruction to explore new possibilities of reading about reconnection, the femininity, and ancestry. The artwork invites us to reflect on the role of femininity in our history and to reimagine the stories that have shaped our identities. The artist retraces our way of thinking about the construction of the textile painting, from ancestral to contemporary.
Jane Guthleben
It takes a village
Acrylic on cut plywood
183cm H x 122cm W
Skeletal branches in an elaborate urn are home to a motley crew of Australian birds. Each architect builds an instinctive shelter, keeping a respectful distance in a connected ‘village’ system. A black swan’s dangling feet ripple through watery crystal; a bowerbird renovates its mid-air love shack with a bottletop; an ibis seeks sticks for its elevated perch. Displaced from its dwindling habitat, wildlife is forced to seek comfort in ours. My work taps into the symbolism of Dutch Golden Age painting. Here, birds repurpose a floral arrangement to remind us of our mortality and the brevity of life.
Tracey Jones
It Starts with You
Oil on canvas
69cm H x 48cm W
My painting It Starts with You is an image designed to inspire the concept of self-worth. Introducing the trope of vintage hot pink women’s gloves to an otherwise androgynous scene causes the viewer to consider the figure in the image. This is not someone preparing for just another day. The figure embodies the understanding that respect for others and respect for the world starts with respect for self. The visual motifs and the painting’s cropped and detailed perspective create a narrative of strength and autonomy, suggesting an attitude of getting on with business but in a principled way.
Thea Katauskas
Red Lagoon - Dry Wetland (Bool Lagoon, SA) 2025
Oil paint on canvas
93cm H x 123cm W
This painting is part of a body of work resulting from the inaugural Naracoorte Artist Residency I attended in 2024. I learnt about the history and biodiversity of Bool and Hacks Lagoon, protected wetlands of international significance and migratory bird habitat. The large expanse of stunning red samphire groundcover and tea tree shrubs was a stark contrast to the historically thriving wetland habitat. To stay and observe this landscape, record its present state as a site of resilience and fragility, a quiet space with stunning colour, curious forms and rhythmic detail is an act of respect.
Laura E. Kennedy
The adaptive knitter + inclusivity champion (After Grace Cossington Smith)
Synthetic polymer paint pen, pencil, marker and resin on laser-cut wood 100cm H x 42cm W
Out of deep respect for my remarkable friend, I created this portrait using both visual and textual elements to honour her advocacy for disability inclusion. A multi-medal-winning Paralympian and award-winning sports reporter, she’s also a knitter – an act of quiet ingenuity, especially as she was born with just three fingers on one arm. I integrated her own words into the work using Atkinson Hyperlegible font to ensure accessibility for those with low vision. Inspired by Grace Cossington Smith’s The sock knitter, the composition balances homage with realism, highlighting her bold spirit through vivid colour and form.
Lana-Leigh Lombard A Process of Becoming
Acrylic on canvas
100cm H x 100cm W
In this portrait I’m wanting to honour and respect the difficult and worthwhile process of growth a young person goes through in discovering who they are. The painting explores the boundaries between childhood and adulthood, the physical world and the digital community, as well as the boundaries between current social gender identities. The complexity of life’s journey varies from person to person but for some it requires a great deal more effort to achieve actualisation. I think that not enough respect is given to those brave enough to truly be who they are despite a barrage of disapproval from society, especially when they are kind, gentle souls. The subject of the painting is my daughter and I wanted to allude to the fact that in her mind she has a strong idea of who she is but is still in the process of growing into that idea. Parts of the painting have been deliberately left unfinished to represent the process.
Claire Martin
The Grandmother Hypothesis
Oil on linen
158cm H x 96cm W
This painting is a portrait of self; child, woman, grandmother. It is about locating your history, understanding and respecting your origins. The foreground image is a statue of Marguerite d’Anjou, 1430 - 1482, Queen Consort of England and France. The sculpture shows a powerful pose as both a ruler and fierce protective mother. In the Luxembourg Gardens, Paris, she is amongst 20 statues of significant French women, a series of public sculptures celebrating women. A vivid group of historical characters that are both timeless and familiar. I include this figure to give a sense of the long history that forms us.
Kiata Mason
Mother and Child with Spaniels
Acrylic on board
112cm H x 71cm W
Mother and Child with Spaniels depicts the deep respect Kiata has for the past generations and traditions of the women in her family. The work portrays a narrative of connection, through personal and emotive objects that sit in her family home. The three spaniels represent the different generations both living and passed. Painted in a shrine-like manner, Kiata reflects on a family where the women were always main characters and on a home that holds within it values of generationally “difficult” women, values that are still strongly guarded alongside an evolving understanding of the world around us.
Kerry McInnis
My Winter Garden
Synthetic polymer paint and oil stick on canvas
76cm H x 102cm W
I love my garden in winter. The sun is low, casting a yellow glow over dried leaves and spent flowers. The garden beds are tired, but expectant of what they might soon display. There is a sense of calm excitement that pervades the whole. Birds and insects emerge warily from their hiding places. We do too, grateful for our bounty and good fortune. First comes appreciation, then comes respect. When we appreciate the wonderment that surrounds us, we will treasure it and keep it safe.
Sally Mowbray
Silk Thread
Oil, marble dust, wax and charcoal on canvas 100cm H x 80cm W
Silk Thread takes as its starting point an imagined garden embroidery sample, offering a field of connections and open potentials. I considered previous generations in which the traditional work of sewing was the woman’s domain. This kind of space would have been a time tor threads of conversation and the passing along of family and community values through generations. The non-literal motifs in my painting might metaphorically suggest the importance of the way in which values such as diversity and worth need to be integrated and interpreted personally in order to be lived and practised with integrity and diplomacy.
Susan O’Doherty
Moving House
Acrylic on canvas 168cm H x 152cm W
Set in a warm empty lounge room, no windows, only a single red chair, not just a room but a state of mind, this woman’s life is heavy with unspoken rules and tacit duties, holding it together, juggling a job, caring for children and ageing parents, domestic duties, with a deep-seated bias that women’s work is menial, trivial, undesirable and of little consequence. Time lost, unappreciated, disrespected, unpaid. Determination, resilience and selfrespect, a house within her grasp, set upon her shoulders. The suitcase signifies she is carrying her past as she moves forward.
Lucy O’Doherty
Pink curtains, stone balustrade and moontrail
Oil on linen
76cm H x 61cm W
This painting is an expression of my respect and reverence for the moon. In my art practice, painting and drawing the moon’s likeness functions as an act of devotion. I am compelled by the moon both for its visual presence as a celestial object hanging above the Earth and for its enduring role as a feminine archetype across cultures and throughout history. There is nothing more striking and entrancing to me than the sight of moonlight reflecting of the ocean at night. Framing the painting in this way, so that the the full moon and its light trail is revealed at the centre of parting curtains, references the theatricality and awe that this phenomenon commands.
Lori Pensini
The Conversation - Rest Awhile
Oil on linen
85cm H x 85cm W
Our identities have not only social and cultural foundations and ramifications, but ecological ones as well. The premise that humans are seperate from the natural world/environment has created an anthropocentric paradigm of over consumption, alienation and out-of-balance extraction. The Conversation - Rest Awhile considers animal sentience and our role in nurturing diversity, harmony and healthy environmental stewardship. The quietly painted human-animal interaction illustrating companionship and fellow feeling, pushes us to expand our circle of moral consideration beyond our own species and to foster a deeper sense of connection and interdependence of our shared environmental fate.
Antonia Perricone Mrljak
I Felt You Through the Earth
Ink, oil and acrylic on Belgian linen
180cm H x 140cm W
This painting reflects how we are shaped through others, and how every story holds value. Each gesture I make in the action of painting and mark making, acknowledges diversity, honouring both my own experiences and the worth of those around me. The paintings carry devotion, memory, and longing not as declarations, but as quiet acts of recognition. In this way, the work embodies respect, valuing difference, valuing connection, and valuing the dignity we want as humans and we all share.
Sandra Routh
Water Doesn’t Know Your Weight
Acrylic on poly 44cm H x 54cm W
Why do we need to care about what we wear, or our shape, how to sit, what others think of our shape, our colour, our hair and a million other trivial yet earth shattering personal features? So we come to Clovelly Beach for peace and quiet and simply to study!
Sally Ryan
Paysanne
Oil on board
19cm H x 30cm W
Paysanne is a bust in my studio. Broken from her base, to me she evokes a powerful image – fragmented yet enduring and a symbol for perseverance. The break does not erase her purpose at all and must not be viewed as a failure or render her useless. Instead, it becomes part of her story, one that can represent beauty, strength and resilience, even in damage. To honour her by painting her in this state is to acknowledge and respect her existence, history and worth beyond perfection. Paysanne is painted from life.
Lynn Savery
Viva
Oil on canvas
107cm H x 81cm W
According to the astrophysicist Carlo Rovelli, science and art are about the continual reorganisation of our conceptual space, of what we call meaning: “What happens when we react to a work of art is not down to the art object itself, still less to some mysterious world of the spirits; it lies in the complexity of our brain, in the kaleidoscopic network of analogical relationships with which our neurons weave what we call meaning. We are involved, engaged – for this takes us out of our habitual sleepwalking – reconnecting us instead with the joy of seeing something anew in the world. The light in Vermeer’s painting opens our eyes to a resonance of light in the world that we had not previously been able to perceive, a fragment of a poem by Sapho opens up a world in which to rethink desire, one of Amish Kapoor’s voids of pure black disorientates us, like the black holes of general relativity. And like the latter, it suggests that there are other ways of conceptualising the implacable fabric of reality.” My hope is that this painting prompts viewers to consider the nature and significance of respect and self-respect in our lives.
Therese Shanley Heavy Blankets
Oil on board
110cm H x 180cm W
At first glance, you might be mistaken in believing that my six sisters and I are all alike. But the closer you look, the more you will see how different we are from one another. We grew up together with the same parents, in the same household, with the same two brothers and the same teachings. Although nothing is ever really ‘the same’. Over the course of our lives, we’ve each made our own choices that have taken us down our own paths, carving our own stories and uniqueness and beliefs. It’s these individual beliefs that are often what sets us apart from one another. Just as our blankets here take on their own patterns, creating their own stories, so do we. In Heavy Blankets some of us are seen wearing socks, while some of us have none, some of us have pillows, while some of us do not. Though we all rest peacefully in the safety of kindliness, trust and friendship, as well as ‘Respect’ which is the underlying glue that keeps us together. ‘Respect’ for ourselves, ‘Respect’ for each other and ‘Respect’ for the understanding that all which makes us different is okay. We are, who we are.
Olivia Slater
Women of the World
Acrylic on canvas
60cm H x 60cm W
Women of the world, now more than ever, the world craves your healing heart, your touch, your stories, your art, your song, your values, your beliefs. You.
Women of the world, open your heart, Mother Earth yearns to connect with you. She comforts you while you walk barefoot, listen to her whispers. Let her guide you, hold your hand, soothe your soul. She will spark the fire from within again.
Women of the world, reconnect and honour one other, for sisters you are. Forever, sisters you shall be.
Women of the world, plant seeds of flowers and fruit. Flow with your deepest desires, observe how Mother Earth, nurtures your dreams.
Women of the world, walk where rivers flow, waves crash, and creeks run. It is here you will re connect with your calling.
Women of the world, listen to the children laugh and play. Hear the babes cry, marvel at our co-creation.
Women of the world, remember your power, your breath, your value. Remember why you came.
Women of the world, stop doubting, and lean into me, for it is here you will find what you have been searching for.
Mary Stack
Untitled (folded hospital blankets)
Oil on canvas
64cm H x 64cm W
These stacked hospital blankets struck me as a symbol of dignity and respect. Their careful folding reflects the quiet labour of hospital workers, while their warmth offers comfort to anyone who needs them. In a place that brings together a diverse community of patients and carers, the blankets stand as a shared, equal offering. Continuing my series on the tension between order and use, I was drawn to the way their geometric forms are softened by signs of wear – each fold marked by human hands. In painting them, I wanted to recognise these everyday gestures of care and respect.
Kate Sylvester
The beauty within the materials we take for granted
Deconstructed t-shirt weave, stencil onto canvas, acrylic enamel 95cm H x 125cm W
My work seeks to promote respect for the everyday clothing items we take for granted. As the textile waste phenomenon continues to devastate our natural environment with the rise of ultra-fast-fashion, greater awareness of materials and respect for the symbiotic systems of consumption need to be addressed. My works intention is to inspire curiosity and a new perspective of the intricate beauty that lies within the construction of the jersey knit weave, a simple mass-produced material that is complex, malleable and capable of transcending utilitarian wear into the realm of contemporary art. To engage a new way of thinking about the nature of materials connectivity to the environment and our ways of consumption. My process involves deconstructing, or de-threading, recycled t-shirts by hand to reveal the weave of warp and weft. This material is then placed over the canvas and stencil sprayed to leave the pattern of the fabric. By layering the paint, I transform an ordinary t-shirt into a minimalist landscape painting, returning the material to the land, to advocate respect for the materials we take for granted.
Nat Ward Beautiful Scrubland
Oil and wax on canvas
103cm H x 103cm W
Curiosity = education = respect. I believe this can be applied to every facet of life and is a valid and important way to see the world. My work is based on the bushland of Nail Can Hill which at first glance could seem to be innocuous, with broken branches, weedy grasses and scraggly trees. It is a landscape that could seem at first glance, unremarkable, even innocuous. However, if one takes time to ‘slow look’ and regard more closely the curious nuances, the sometimes-whimsical forms and delicate intricacies, it becomes a gentle and thought-provoking landscape. My objective is to bring these observations and ideas to my painting, where every inch of the painting honours, considers and respects this Beautiful Scrubland.
Alexandra Weare
All that Glitters
Oil on linen
66cm H x 91cm W
I recently went to a party in regional NSW and couldn’t help but marvel at the vintage V8 utes lined up, glistening like jewels in the sunset. In reality, these fuel-guzzling national icons carry a toughness that feels invasive to the environment. I want to invite the viewer to consider how easily we can be drawn in by what is convenient, fast and shiny, often at the cost of the land itself. The allure of human ambition needs to be balanced with responsibility – and a respect that honours both the environment and each other.
Zoe Young
Kumi, Kintsugi + Joan Ross Post-it Notes
Oil, acrylic, linen, marine ply, ink + rosewater 180cm H x 160cm W
This work positions portraiture within a dialogue of cultural repair. By invoking kintsugi, the Japanese art of mending with gold, Zoe frames Kumi Taguchi’s journalistic practice as an act of repair – one that honours fracture rather than conceals it. The inclusion of Joan Ross further complicates this terrain: Ross’s appropriation of high-vis fluoro operates as a cultural seam, exposing the trivialisation and disrespect embedded in colonial history. In bringing these two figures together, Young situates respect not as sentiment but as active labour – a process of visibility, dialogue and healing that strengthens community and culture.
Lyra Zhu
The echo of time
Acrylic paint
110cm H x 91cm W
The echo of time is a diptych exploring cultural memory, identity, and respect. Featuring White Rabbit candy and the gummy bear – symbols of childhood from different cultures – the work magnifies these familiar objects into shared monuments. By reimagining them in a common space, it celebrates diversity as a source of connection and reminds us that respect begins with recognising the value of every culture and the stories that shape us.
ENTRIES OPEN EARLY 2026
The 2026 Prize will honour our College value of Courage represented by the statement, I am open to new experiences to learn and grow.
For further information, please contact the Pymble Values Art Prize Committee at artprize@pymblelc.nsw.edu.au.
