Local artists honoured at Art Prize exhibition

Caroline Ebenshade and Lucila Zentner were the judges for the various awards given to artists on the night.

Four adult artists were awarded for their work, with Suzanne Bentley taking the top prize for her sculpture, Leaves in the Wind.

Bronwen Quill was awarded the Local Entrant Prize for her stoneware piece Hindsight and Linda M. Schneider was awarded for her mixed-media artwork Gene.

Nathan Sims, whose artist name is Mr Dimples, was awarded the Hanging Team Prize for his acrylic piece, Stepping into Nature’.

Mr Sims was thrilled to receive the award, admitting that it was a shock because of the nature of his piece.

He was also happy that he could receive feedback on his work, something that local artists don’t always receive.

“It’s always nice to be recognised for my work, and I haven’t been able to receive a lot of feedback face-to-face in my career, so it was great to hear from the judges,” he said.

“It was a shock because my piece was so tongue and cheek compared to the rest, but I was grateful to receive the Hanging Team Prize.”

Mr Sims said art spaces such as The Foundry are essential for local artists to get their work out into the community and that exhibitions such as Nature Speaks are tailored to supporting emerging artists.

“I have always been a big advocate for supporting local artists. Art houses such as The Foundry are really important for locals and artists coming up who want to spread their wings and get their work out there,” he said.

“I’m from Bendigo, and I think the art scene there is lacking compared to towns such as Shepparton and Echuca, so it is very important that organisations get behind their local artists because we struggle.”

Nine young artists submitted work to the Young Creatives category for the Art Prize, and their artworks are displayed at Echuca Library.

Cara Haley’s felted textile piece, Impossible Elegance, took out the top prize, $250 worth of art supplies from Echuca Frames and Mirrors.

Olivia Hurley’s Birdwatching acrylic, Tyrese Baker’s Rainbow Bird oil pastel and Charlotte Turner’s Reef-Lections mixed media piece were highly commended.

Mr Sims pointed to group exhibitions as a great starting point for young and beginning artists to get their work noticed as there isn’t as much pressure as having their exhibition.

He also praised EMAI for the prize’s inclusivity and for having a young artists category encouraging young creatives to get involved and keep creating.

“When The Foundry does call-outs like this, especially for group shows, it is great because you can get out there without having the confronting demand of having a solo show,” he said.

“I loved the inclusivity of this art prize; all the entrants got the chance to be exhibited, and the inclusion of the young people’s prize also meant that we had a wide array of artists that got to show off their works.