Local creative wins seaside arts prize

ARTIST and Heathcote local Irene Majer has been crowned the overall winner of the 2023 Queenscliff Arts Prize, Australia’s biggest outdoor art and photographical exhibition.

Trumping 230 pieces of work that were on show on the Queenscliff Pier from all over the country, Majer’s mixed medium canvas piece Boulders Three, was cited as the winner of the contest and lauded for its originality and attention to detail.

For her winning work, contemporary artist Majer used a mix of acrylic, oil, pencil, crayon, pens, alcohol, and gold and silver leaf to create a visual representation of a three-boulder statue that is close to her home at Heathcote.

In her piece, she seeks to show her love for black cockatoos and sheep and invites viewers to linger for a closer look at its intricate artistic details, particularly on the boulders.

“This is the first time I’ve entered the prize and I was thrilled to win, I certainly wasn’t expecting it at all,” she said.

“For me, I love combining an abstract approach with realism.

“In my winning print, you can see the shape of the boulders and birds is that example of realism.

“I also play around and go abstract with the patterns and detail on the boulders which include turtles and written words that are meaningful to me.

“A lot of other works that were exhibited along the Queenscliff Pier were certainly deserving of the prize, so it’s a huge honour to win it.”

Majer said she discovered her love for art by painting underwater scenes as a PADI Divemaster in North Queensland, before working for Ford Motor company as an automotive designer and clay modeller.

After the birth of her first child 33 years ago, she turned to contemporary art and and hasn’t looked back, winning several artistic prizes in the process.

Majer said she was thankful that Queenscliff Arts Prize curator Chris MacLeod extended an invitation for her to compete and encouraged more people to get involved.

“I actually heard of the prize through a friend and then was invited by Chris to compete in it,” she said.

“It’s certainly a great opportunity for artists of all levels to get their art out there.

“The recognition of entering and then winning has gone far beyond what I expected, that’s for sure.”

Mrs Majer’s winning artwork can be seen on the Queenscliff Pier till the end of April.

– BY NATHAN RIVALLAND