Canberra’s oldest art society, the Artists’ Society of Canberra, launched its annual spring exhibition in fine style on Saturday with about 400 artworks on display at the Fitters’ Workshop in Kingston. 

ASOC, we heard, had been founded in 1927, making it 97 years old, but it took a break during the Depression years, but has been going strong ever since, chalking up its 82nd exhibition this year.

On hand to deliver the opening address was Nicola Mackay-Sim from the National Library of Australia, who stressed the community nature of the show as she looked back on its history, saying that the society had “stayed true to its roots.”

A judge, Scottish artist Leigh Walker, took to the mic to tell the artists: “To live a creative life we must lose our fear of doing wrong,” saying she and co-judge Tony Oates from the ANU Drill Hal Gallery had enjoyed the adjudication process.

She urged the artists to “play, hone your skills”, while quoting from the celebrated American choreographer Agnes de Mille: “Living is a form of not being sure, not knowing what next or how. We guess. We may be wrong, but we take leap after leap in the dark.”

In the awards presentation that followed, Cafe-au-lait Dahlias by Maria Pfohl was singled out as Best in Show, while Alex Lynn’s Cows in the Haze won Best Landscape and Stephen Clively’s Waiting for Phở (Bistro Nguyens) won Best Portrait or Figure.

The full list of awards

Best Watercolour & Gouache  David Hatton prize, MAXINE SUMNER, Coastal Dreaming:

Best Abstract, LOUISE SPENCER Parallel Lines:

Best Flora, Fauna or Still Life, INGE FRANK, Pink Rose;

Best Landscape, ALEX LYNN, Cows in the Haze;

Best Portrait or Figure, STEPHEN CLIVELY, Waiting for Phở (Bistro Nguyens);

Best In Show, MARIA PFOHL, Cafe-au-lait Dahlias;

Acrylic 2nd, BELINDA GILL, Silent Canberra;

Acrylic 1st, ANNETTE RENNIE, Seaspray;

Digital Art 2nd, BOBBY GRAHAM, MY MAN (dala) post-stroke recovery;

Digital Art 1st, JO ANNE PULKO, Tidelines;

Drawing 1st, VICKIE HINGSTON-JONES, Thomas Boyd trackhead Goobarragandra NSW;

Miniatures 2nd, FENJA T. RINGL, Fairy-Wren with Grass;

Miniatures 1st, HELEN JENSMA, Nautilus;

Mixed Media and Other 3rd, LAUREN ALCANTARA, Freedom;

Mixed Media and Other 2nd, ROBYN LYNETTE DIENER, Shoreline;

Mixed Media and Other 1st, STEPHEN CLIVELY, Under Wraps (the Knox);

Oils 3rd, INGE FRANK, Blue Hydrangeas;

Oils 2nd, KYLIE HESLOP, Lady in the Purple Top;

Oils 1st, ALEX LYNN, Lake Tuggeranong;

Pastels 3rd, REBECCA GRAY, Meandering;

Pastels 2nd, VICKIE HINGSTON-JONES, Pangolin in the spotlight;

Pastels 1st, JO ANNE PULKO, Suncatcher;

Printmaking 3rd, CHRISTINE JARRETT, Two Cats;

Printmaking 2nd, LYNN NICHOLAS, Untitled;

Printmaking 1st, FENJA T. RINGL, Little Mulligans (triptych);

Watercolour & Gouache 3rd, MARIA PFOHL, Lady of Shalott Roses;

Watercolour & Gouache 2nd, EKATERINA MORTENSEN, Rest time.

Artists’ Society of Canberra spring exhibition, Fitters’ Workshop, Kingston, until October 27.