Good news. I just have to tell someone. I found out today that I have been selected as a finalist in the Henry Jones Art Hotel Art Prize. I'm so pleased! The prize is worth $20,000 and is open only to developing artists - not to successfully established artists who have already won major competitions. So that's a plus but there are 55 finalists so it's a big field and therefore it's unlikely that I will win. But it's nice to be selected and it's something else to put on the artist's CV. Also a good opportunity to sell another painting. I also got an invoice from the gallery today - they sold another of my small early paintings. I'll only get about $400 out of it by the time the gallery gets its cut and I subtract what I paid for the frame but every little bit helps.
Thanks to all here for your support over the last couple of years since I started painting and for helping me learn how to paint a half decent picture. And a very big thank you to Mark.
Comments
Great stuff. The big difference between you and the other 54 is that you know how to paint,
Let’s hope the jurists have some skill.
Denis
We can do a picture swap, I paint one for you, you paint one for me
Richard, it's the one with the trees.
http://thehenryjonesartprize.com.au
Thanks, @PaulB.
I love this Forum. Frequently find words I need to look up. And artists I never heard of. So I guess "antipodean" means a guy from down under who doesn't like his shoes laced tight while he's painting.
Be sure to let us know how it goes.
Entering these things takes a bit of guts but they are a great way to toughen up and to gain confidence. Of the 54 finalists, some were better than mine (none of which won) and there were some that were not so good. Mine attracted interest and I heard good comments about it so I feel ok about it. Still, that 20k prize would have been neat...
Onwards!
Here is the big prize winner.
Denis
It was basically a smallish but very ornate bronze frame made to house a wee photo of an owl. I hope it doesn"t sound like sour grapes but I don't even think it was a painting. But, then, it didn't have to be. It was exquisite in its own way. By sheer coincidence the winner just happened to be one of the Henry Jones Art Hotel Gallery's own artists. But there was no entry fee and it was useful to see all the other finalist works alongside mine so I'll probably enter again next year.
@BOB73 you are funny with Lucian Freud - he's one of my favorite artists. You should see some of his landscape scenes from outside his window - incredible!!! He did love his self portraits though... I wish I had the nerve to do that
Anyway, chin up @tassieguy - we love you and admire you and appreciate you. Keep entering! Your paintings are beautiful! You never really know what is going on behind the scenes with these things.
Despite not winning I still think my entry was one of my best paintings. Here's the painting I entered:
Most of the entries were abstract and there was a lot of mixed media - pin pricks on paper, an origami type thing made of the pages of Pride and Prejudice, fabric with embroidered design , a wooden mandala type thing ... Most of the works weren't about anything. Except perhaps themselves. Which is fine. I guess mine was just too traditional for the judges who seemed to want something 'edgy' and 'out there'. Still, they thought it was good enough to make the finals so that's something.