IT was a case of the destination being more important than the journey, president of the Artists Society of Canberra, Peter van Rens, said last night (October 21) as he launched the organisation’s 80th annual spring exhibition.

It was, he told sponsors, arts lovers, entrants and Arts Minister Tara Cheyne, the first time since November 2020 that the venerable society, founded in October 1927 by Irish-born John Horgan, had been able to hold its annual exhibition, and what a journey it had been to get there.

This year’s judges, Virginia Rigney, of Canberra Museum and Gallery, and Peter Haynes, from Strathnairn Arts Association, reviewed all 300 works and awarded prizes on the basis of one work, one prize, as opposed to awarding a whole body of work.

Haynes said the predominance of landscapes in various iterations spoke of the continuing impact of the environment with the visual artists and after a long list of announcements, (see below), it was in fact  a landscape, “Batlow Hills”, which won Best in Show, although Batlow-based artist, Wendy Fraser, could not  be present for the occasion.

PRIZEWINNERS

Miniatures

• First Prize, Neil Renfree for “Gutthega to Perisher Trail”
• Second Prize to: Madhuita Satpathi for “Verdant”
• Third Prize to Simone Doherty for “Memories”
• Highly commendable, Claire Cusack’s “Little Victoria.”

Digital Art Prize

• First Prize, Bryan Kilgallin for “Sonya”
• Second Prize, Smithson for “Polyhedral Landscape”
• Third Prize, Bobby Graham for Portrait of Bryan.

Printmaking

• First Prize, Hilary Warren for “Grevillea ‘Bonfire’”
• Second Prize, goes to Fenja T Ringl for her “Woodland Echidna”.
• Third Prize, Christine Jarrett for “Lockdown Cats.”

Mixed media and others

• First Prize, Marijke Gilchrist for “Secret Waterhole”
• Second Prize, Robyn Diener for “Fire and Ice IV”
• Third Prize, Rebecca Gray for “Tropical Dreaming”
• Highly commendable, Claire Neil Renfree’s ‘Waterfall.”

Pastels

• First Prize, Ian Bignall for “Blenheim Creek”
• Second Prize, Hideko Pentony for “Guerilla Bay Rock Arch”
• Third Prize, Lesley Burrows for “Landscape”
• Highly commendable, Caroline Reid’s “Glorious End of Summer”.

Drawing

• First Prize,  Tim Hardy for “Blacksmiths Workshop”
• Second Prize, Jo Anne Pulko for “Finding Strength 3”
• Third Prize, Maureen Lawrentin for “Abstract Trees”.

Acrylics

• First Prize, Trish Dillon for “Catching up”
• Second Prize, Margaret Harrison -Smith for “Liffey Falls, Northern Tasmania”
• Third Prize, Ekaterina Mortensen for “Tablelands Sunset”
• Highly commendable, Stephen Clively’s work: “Louise” and Wendy Frazer’s work “Moody”

Oils

• First Prize, John Bosler for “Green Patch, Jervis Bay”
• Second Prize, Lazo Stankovic for “Scarfed Woman”
• Third Prize, Victoria Collins for “Endless Youth”
• Highly commendable, Madhumita Satpathi’s “Slice of Joy”.

Watercolour and gouache

• First Prize, (the Annual David Hatton Prize for best Watercolour,) Wendy Antoniak for “Leek (Allium porrum)”.
• Second Prize, Ute McEachran for “Early Frost Front Paddock”
• Third Prize, Hans van Haalen for “Murramurang NP”
• Highly commendable, Oliver Chang’s “Sentry.”

Special prizes

• The Peg Minty Prize for Best Landscape, Isla Patterson for “Murrumbidgee River Scene”
• Best Abstract, Caroline Reid for “Erupt”
• Best Portrait or Figure, Stephen Clively for “Fatima”
• Best Flora, Fauna or Still Life, Maria Pfohl for “Pink and Purple Irises”
• Bendigo Bank Prize for the work that created the greatest feeling of joy, Valerie Spear for “Easter Stroll”
• Best in Show, Wendy Fraser for “Batlow Hills.”

The Artists’ Society of Canberra 80th spring exhibition, Fitters’ Workshop, Kingston until October 30. Entries for the People’s Choice are still open.