Melbourne-based artist Amelda Read-Forsythe has battled the storm and won this year’s John Leslie Art Prize, an announcement made by Harriet Shing MLC (Eastern Victoria) at the official gala opening at the Gippsland Art Gallery on Friday 2 September.
Read-Forsythe’s painting After the Storm (2016) is a whimsical and playful depiction of a bush beneath gathering storm clouds, pummeled by the wind in all directions. The work pays tribute to the wonder of nature, revealing the quiet rhythm and motion of a strange landscape, and gives a subtle nod to the idealized landscape painting traditions of the 17th century.
The winning work was selected by three judges: Melinda Martin, Director of Linden New Art (Melbourne); Marielle Soni, Director of Alcaston Gallery (Melbourne); and Shannon Smiley, artist and immediate past winner of the John Leslie Art Prize.
The judges agreed that After the Storm was “a confident and powerful painting” that “emerges more and more as you look at it”. They praised thet seductive and evocative surface of the painting, and suggested that the work describes internal human turmoil as well as natural turmoil.
Fish Creek-based artist Linda Gibbs was awarded Best Gippsland Work, for her painting Tidal River (2015). This work depicts a serene and evocative image of Wilson’s Promontory in South Gippsland, cloaked in an eerie haze that serves to heighten the primeval atmosphere. The judges agreed that the work “connects with its subject on an emotional level, and reveals a sense of the artist being in tune with the environment”.
Now in its 16th year, this $20,000 non-acquisitive biennial prize remains the most significant award for landscape painting in South Eastern Australia. This year has seen an increase in the number of entries, with 426 artworks submitted for selection from every state and territory in Australia, confirming the Prize’s reputation as an important national award. An exhibition currently on show at Gippsland Art Gallery features works of finalists Tanya Baily, Claire Bridge, Tim Bučković, Kevin Chin, Jason Cordero, Gabrielle Courtenay, Peter Daverington, Jeremy Elkington, Josh Foley, Betra Fraval, Gavin Fry, Oscar Garcia, Linda Gibbs, Stephen Haley, Nicholas Harding, Adrian Headland, Sarah Hendy, Nigel Hewitt, Sophia Hewson, Justin Holt, Alan Jones, Linda Joy, Gina Kalabishis, Richard Knafelc, Richard Maude, Andrew Mezei, Viv Miller, Saffron Newey, Grant Nimmo, Adam Nudelman, Allyson Parsons, Amelda Read-Forsythe, Victoria Reichelt, Mark Rodda, Phil Ryan, Ken Smith, Adriane Strampp, A.J. Taylor, Ross Taylor, Leah Thiessen, Sarah Tomasetti, Brett Weir, Anita West, Naomi White, Kim Wilson, Alice Wormald, and Chee Yong.
Gippsland Art Gallery
Until 20 November 2016
Victoria
Amelda Read-Forsythe, Under the Storm, 2016, oil on wood, 60 x 91cm
Winner John Leslie Art Prize 2016
Linda Gibbs, Tidal River, 2015, oil on linen, 102 x 152cm
