Sixty-one paintings by 59 artists from all parts of Australia will be vying for this year’s $20,000 John Leslie Art Prize, a national biennial prize for landscape painting with the winning work to be acquired for the Gippsland Art Gallery’s permanent collection.
The four-member selection panel, comprising Gallery Director Simon Gregg, Curator Erin Mathews, and Gallery Advisory Group members Gillian Kline and George Thomas, were overwhelmed by the quality and variety of entries; ‘The standard of entries this year was phenomenal, and proves that painting is flourishing in Australia today,’ said Gregg.
2018 John Leslie Art Prize finalist – Jason Cordero, It Appeared the Guide was in Error, 2018, oil on linen, 102 x 152cm
The 2018 finalists are: Raymond Arnold, David Beaumont, Jason Benjamin, Natasha Bieniek, William Breen, Tim Bučković, Jane Chandler, Kevin Chin, Nadine Christensen, Joshua Cocking, Jason Cordero, Jo Darvall, Sofie Dieu, Mark Dober, James Dodd, Louise Feneley, Peter Gardiner, Jennifer Goodman, James Armstrong Gregory, Sarah Hendy, Pamela Honeyfield, Glenda Fell Jones, Alan Jones, Gina Kalabishis, Onela Keal, Vanessa Kelly, Chris Langlois, Bruno Leti, Debbie Mackenzie, Effie Mandalos, Liza McCosh, Frank Mesaric, Andrew Mezei, Ches Mills, Warren Nichols, Grant Nimmo, Cowboy Loy Pwerl, Adam Pyett, Tracy Roberts, Annika Romeyn, Marci Russo, Kathryn Ryan, Alexandra Sasse, Steven Sedwick, Andrea Sinclair, Teresa Spedone, Karen Standke, Karen Stephens, Adriane Strampp, Guy Stuart, AJ Taylor, Leah Thiessen, Sarah Tomasetti, Amber Wallis, Nat Ward, Leigh Webster, Brett Weir, Naomi White, and Alice Wormald.
The winner of the 2018 John Leslie Art Prize will be announced by Mayor, Cr. Carolyn Crossley, at the official launch on Friday 21 September, together with the winner of the $1,000 Best Gippsland Work. This year’s judge is the distinguished art critic, writer and broadcaster Dr Andrew Frost.
All 61 paintings will be on display at the Gippsland Art Gallery from 22 September to 25 November 2018.
