Honours bestowed at Easter art show

THE 57th Bendigo Rotary Easter Art Show has come and gone, with 262 artists entering over 730 artworks for view and sale at the Town Hall last weekend.

Nina Volk won the Best in Show (all categories) prize and $2500 in cash for her streetscape The Light Of Shamrock (watercolour on paper), which also sold during the show.

Kyneton’s Lachlan Drake took home the Best Oil/Acrylic prize and $1500 for his portrait Ghost of the Swagman, while the Best Small Image nod and $750 went to Glenn Hoyle for his landscape The Dawn of a New Day.

Rounding out the major critiqued winners was Amanda Western for her oil on paper landscape Grazing the Creek Bed, which won Best Drawing/Any Media and $1500.

Western, who specialises in linocut, a printmaking technique where an image is created by carving into a block of linoleum, said she was “truly delighted” to receive the accolade.

“It’s such a high-level program and exhibition,” she said.

“When I dropped my artwork off I (had) a sneak preview (and) I must admit, I was excited just to be part of it.

“The calibre of the work was incredible, so to end up winning my class was not expected at all.

“I’m just thrilled.”

Western said the idea behind the winning work, which took 40 hours just in the lino carving alone, was based on a scene she saw on Mount Grenoch Road in Mount Glasgow (between Ballarat and Maryborough).

“One morning I was early for work, so I pulled over for a coffee and took in this stunning little creek scene with grazing land,” she said.

“The light was beautiful – it really captured me. That’s what inspired the piece.”

Her collection of original artworks can be viewed at amandawestern.com.au.