Ballarat artist bests allcomers at Easter show

BALLARAT printmaker Amanda Western has taken all before her, plus the tidy sum of $2500, after winning best in show at last weekend’s Rotary Club of Bendigo Easter Art Show.

Melbourne’s Amanda Hyatt and Perina Sannia were awarded the prizes for best oil/acrylic and best drawing any media respectively, while Bendigo painter Terry Hunter’s oil on canvas work, Simon Peter… Feed My Lambs was awarded Best portrayal of humanity.

Two more Melbournites, Nina Volk and Mark Seabrook, went home with the best watercolour and best small work (sponsored by the Bendigo Times) category prizes.

Judge Richard Stork from Bath Lane’s Stork and Bee Framing Gallery said Western’s winning linocut relief print, Country Lane, was “absolutely stunning”.

“Precise, painstaking attention to detail – every leaf and blade of grass (is) accounted for,” he commented.

In her acceptance speech, the visual artist thanked Rotary Club of Bendigo for the opportunity.

“We all know how much work goes into pulling together such a magnificent event,” Western said.

“So many artists are involved, all with their own hopes and dreams, to provide them with an opportunity to show their work, get feedback, and potentially even sell their work so it goes on and has another life, it’s just so generous.”

Western described the annual event as “a wonderful way to promote art, to promote culture, to promote community”.

“We should be really, really grateful to everybody that’s involved, from Rotary and the sponsors, obviously, to also all the contributing artists, because it’s a very hard life,” she said.

“It’s a lonely life, and to be able to come into a community like this generates more energy for you to go back into the studio and do your best work again.

“This is a dream come true for me, it’s just delightful, so thank you.”