The standard of the inaugural Sunshine Coast Art Prize is extremely impressive. The organisers are to be congratulated on the formulation, aim and intent of this prize which is extremely well thought out and I believe will contribute immensely to the cultural life of the Sunshine Coast. It will also greatly benefit the recipients of the prize and those whose works appear in the exhibition.
Many works stood out as possible winners. Instantly commanding and impressive is the large work by David Fairbairn. Pamela Mei Leng See’s work was also impressive for its subtlety, finesse and quirky imagery. She is an artist whose progress is worthy of support. Neil Healey’s veiled abstracted landscape is also a fine work with an interesting mix of calligraphy and abstraction which gives it a quiet emotional presence. Very fine where the paintings of Marcel Cousins and the photo media work by Polixeni Papapetrou, both of whom in very different ways and in very different subjects offer impressive contemporary views of social situations or historical events.
There are however two images I felt stood out and the choice between them not easy. The depiction of night imagery immediately poses problems and issues of colour and light (of lack thereof) are hard to solve. I feel that Nick Ashby’s painting Night Birds was especially creative in this regard – not only for solving these problems but for its intriguing subject and fine painting which makes both for a striking yet lyrical image. However as this award carries with it a residency which adds to its significance considerably, the choice of winner, I believe needs to be factored into the selection. And so I believe a worthy recipient of this inaugural award is Western Australian Nyoogar artist Shane Pickett for his rhythmic and textural landscape Wanyarang the Calling Season for Rain which shows a fine balance and imagery at once subtle yet confident. I hope that the artist, the wider community of the Sunshine Coast as well as the Caloundra collection will benefit from this exchange and that the fruitful and interesting links may also be established with one from another very different regional area.
I congratulate Shane on this win, on the Caloundra Gallery, the sponsors, all the entrants and all who contributed to this fine prize and thank them for the opportunity to judge it. I can assure them that, as with the best of art and as the judging experience should be, judging this award was both a pleasure and a challenge.
Susan McCulloch, August 2006
