Linocut up for national prize

LINO printmaker Amanda Western is one of forty finalists in this year’s Sunshine Coast National Art Prize.

The linocut creative will be heading to the show next month at the Caloundra Regional Gallery where her piece Country Lane will feature.

“I never would’ve expected to have been considered at that level because it’s a pretty prestigious prize,” Western said.

“It’s incredible, the breadth of entries, so for a linocut work to enter is extraordinary.”

Centred around the importance of conservation, Western’s work has traditionally spotlighted endangered or significant wildlife.

Working from a photograph she took at Shaws Road at Buninyong, she said Country Lane depicts one of her less-explored subjects.

“Prior to my landscape I was primarily focused on birdlife in the region, and I thought I’d push it a bit harder,” she said.

“I was thinking about a location for about four to five days and I was driving one of my boys to a friend’s at Shaws Road which I’ve driven down for years and it hit me that this laneway would translate perfectly to print.

“The theme I wanted to capture was that even though this is a country lane, there’s a lot of species along the roadside and adjoining farmland that are critical to the ecosystem.

“It’s a way to tell a story that everyone, whether you’re a farmer or road user, you’re walking along lands and roadsides with amazing complex life.

“I introduced a number of birds and a marsupial into the piece so people looking in depth can see more and more life within it.”

Emerging onto the exhibiting scene in 2022, Western has won accolades in regional displays such as the Bacchus Marsh Rotary Art Show, and the Geelong Art Society Linework Exhibition.

Her Caloundra success marks her first time being celebrated on a national scale.

Country Lane was intended to feature in Western’s debut solo show I see you; do you see me?

She’ll travel to the gallery in time for its opening on 24 August.

A prize pool of more than $35,000 is up for grabs for exhibitors, with winners to be announced on 3 October.

The major prizewinning artwork go into the Sunshine Coast Art Collection. To vote in the People’s Choice category, visit the prize’s website.