WAA End of Year Art Show
December 2021 Winners

Shown below are the winning entries. For the Highly Commended Awards, see the full show gallery page, the link is at the bottom of this page. A big thank you to our talented artists for continuing to produce amazing work during COVID, and to our hard working Committee for making the show possible.

And special thanks must go to our judge, Sharon Martin, who provided most insightful and helpful comments. Here are some of her introductory remarks:

"It is an honour to be asked to judge Whitehorse Arts Association’s Annual Awards and I would like to thank WAA for this great privilege. First of all, I would like to commend everyone who has entered a drawing or painting to be judged. The judging process is fraught - how can one judge the heart and soul of an artist who is showing us all a piece of ‘who they are’? It is a courageous thing to be an artist in the first place and especially entering your work to be judged.
A former tutor of mine (some of you will remember her – Agata Lelek), told me many years ago…. “Sharon, you must show your work, no matter what level you are at – it will help you develop a thick skin”. And I especially find those comments relevant in the early stages of learning to become an artist & when it can seem disheartening not to be included on the awards’ list. Congratulations to all of you for being brave and putting yourselves ‘out there’.
In Judging, what I am looking for in a painting is something that ‘draws me in’. Does an artwork make me pause and want to look at it longer. Is there an approach that keeps me held there exploring the work, is the work telling me a story? Most importantly of all, I am looking to a work of art to make me feel something"

Click on the thumbnail images to see the enlarged images with captions.

Best in Show

Arrangement in Greys, by Askolds Peterson I was torn between the two paintings that Askolds entered, as to which one to award - they are both brilliant works. His painting ‘Backstage’ reminds me of the expressive works of the master Egon Schiele, but it is the humanity in the work of ‘Arrangement in Greys’ that I decided to award Best in Show. One of the marks of a very accomplished artist is their ability to handle ‘greys’ in a painting. For me, it is a great pleasure to see them used with such competency in Askolds painting. Initially I am drawn to the interesting strong vertical and horizontal directional lines. And then to the warmest colours on the cheeks of the face and the myriad of subtle colours used there. I am cleverly taken around the painting, then drawn to the focal point of the subject, the face. I particularly like the mark making in this work which is very interesting and gives this painting a contemporary feel. The sitter’s hands are beautifully done, showing us how skilled Askolds is, in painting the human form. The sitter is gazing out from her seated position and it is the eyes I am drawn to, wondering what she is thinking about, what kind of life has she lived?

Works on Paper
	First: Rage, by Laurie Dusting The viewer is immediately struck with the force of the image on the paper, as the title ‘Rage’ suggests. The proportions of the face are good and the expression is excellent The mood of the portrait is very convincing. It is unusual to see such a strikingly emotional portrait and I came back quite a few times to look at this one.
	Second: Simba, by Darelle Tenace This scratchboard work is very well drafted - the shape of the head is rendered showing correct proportions. Light and contrast are used well and variation in tone is accomplished. As well as perspective, we see tone used convincingly for the turning of the head & undulations in the coat of fur. A lovely portrait of a ‘Simba’ the cat.
	Third: Red, by Ann Fiedler This black pen and ink portrait of ‘Red’ captures a beautiful & convincing expression of the ‘sitter’. The pen strokes have been used consistently and well, and following the shape of the dog’s coat - it would be very easy to overdo their use, so congratulations Ann for holding back where appropriate. Tone and form have been understood well. The silky softness and wavy fur of the coat is convincing and Red is grounded well on the paper plane. But it is those beautiful gently eyes that keep bringing me back to this one.

Watercolour
	First: Whispering Warrandyte, by Deborah Allison This scene evokes the feeling of a cold early morning or rainy day along the banks of the Yarra River. It is an extremely well executed painting, showing a high level of competency in the use of the medium of watercolour. I especially like the depiction of shadows and way the trees have been accurately reflected in the water. One of my favourite elements in this painting is the use of a variety of mark making - including scratchy grasses, fine strokes of dark for smaller tree branches, whites of the paper left for tree reflections, loose watercolour softness of the foliage and then the wonderful mass of dark ‘spots’ (probably done with a toothbrush or brush) overlaying the shadows and reflections in the river in the bottom right of the painting.
	Second: Wally deep in Thought, by Christine Lacreole How does one paint white fur on white paper? Christine shows us how by using a very dark contrasting background against the subject. The background has been kept loose so that we get the effect of it appearing in the distance. The subject matter is compelling……….I am drawn in, wondering what is Wally thinking about.
	Third: Early Morning on the Canal, by Greg Burns Here is a work that exemplifies ‘simple is best’. Using a limited palette Greg has captured the feeling of the light in the early morning by using strong contrast in the shadow areas. The shadows also reveal changes in hues that are both simple and interesting. A quick and successful plein air sketch that maintains a loose approach very well.

Pastels
	First: Bella, by Bev McVilly A very compelling portrait rendered with great skill and subtlety. Bev shows us an understanding of many elements of a good painting. The subject is positioned perfectly on the paper to the left and well grounded. Bev has captured the shadow areas so that there is an overall balance in the placement of her subject using the darks on the paper. The contrast between the hard and soft edges in this painting is particularly lovely as well as the delightful subject. Well done Bev.
	Second: Lost in Thought, by Ingrid Heward This painting has been handled with a great degree of skill. Great subject matter and composition. Ingrid’s painting shows us she has great skill using soft pastel. There is a sophistication with the mark making and a luscious quality to the work. The figure is beautifully painted. This painting really tells a story.
	Third: Out of Africa, by June Ripper Even though this is basically a black & white ‘subject’, there are a myriad of colour changes on the Zebra so that we see it as a convincing painting. June has let the paper – a ‘caramel’ coloured Canson Mi-tiente paper, peep through the pastels on the background and also in places on the zebra’s stripes on the body to very good effect.
	Popular Choice Award: Taylor, by Anne Metherell Congratulations to Anne Metherell who has won our Popular Choice Award for this beautiful pastel painting. Thanks to everyone who voted online for the award. Having the voting online was a first for WAA and I am sure you will all agree that Anne is a worthy winner.

Oils & Acrylics
	First: Spring Blossoms, by Carole Lees Carole shows great skill in the painting of her flower subject, using line, detail & high contrast in the area of the focal point - the lightest flower There are delightful passages of light that draw us around the painting and make us look further. Great contrasts between hard and soft edges, light and dark, and the lovely colour choice of a complementary colour scheme of reds for the subject and greens for the background. The background has been left soft and blurred so as not to detract from the subject. I also like the diagonal placement of the subject which gives the painting a dynamic effect. Congratulations Carole – a beautiful painting.
	Second: Hold Beauty In Your Heart, by Rosemary Price The title of this work is a message that is quite profound and in these current times one that many of us, as artists, find satisfying and distracting in our art - looking for and focussing on the beauty around us in a troubled world. Glass is a subject that is very difficult to paint well and Rosemary has shown us how masterful she is with observation, technique and very careful rendering. The camellia flower is beautifully painted with very subtle colour transitions and the whole subject really 'pops' against the dark background.
	Third: Koi Fish, by Natalie Dubrovski Natalie has shown us a contemporary painting approach to her subject, with lots of colour, texture and movement in her work. The Koi are vibrant and interesting and painted very well. I particularly like the squiggly marks of white paint layered over the top of the fish and the modern, semi-abstract style of water in this painting. A well-known subject painted very well.

Tutors Artworks

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