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  Annual Exhibition 2017  

11-24 September
Gallery 314, 314 Church St, Richmond
Opening: Sunday 10th September 2017

  Review & Prizewinners by Karen Foley 


ANNUAL EXHIBITION 2017 OPENING CROWD: CLICK ON IMAGES BELOW TO SEE LARGER PHOTO

The opening turned out to be a sunny day welcoming all who came along. The gallery was full of artists, family and friends. There were 92 entries by 50 entrants in a diverse range of styles and media, 2D and 3D, plus 53 Works On Paper to be viewed in the gallery.

President Robert Lee opened the Annual Exhibition with a bit of background history about the Contemporary Art Society. He also explained that the Annual Exhibition has no specific theme allowing the members freedom in their submissions.

Robert thanked our generous sponsers for their support and assistance with the exhibition and for providing our great prizes, and thanked the CAS team for their great effort with the many tasks required to put on this exhibition. 

CAS has a long history of using prominent established artists as judges for the Annual Exhibition. This year’s judge was sculptor Peter D. Cole. Peter is one of Australia’s senior and most renowned contemporary sculptors drawing on the landscape as a source of inspiration. His work is represented in many collections both private and public throughout Australia, America, Japan and Europe.

The judge is provided with a catalogue that omits the artist’s name so all the works are judged objectively. The prize winning works Peter D. Cole selected were those artworks that attracted him and were well resolved; ones that kept his interest.

PRIZE WINNERS

1ST PRIZE: No. 30, Mars Black I by Karen Foley. (Mixed Media – acrylic, pencil, paper on canvas). Artist comment: ‘It is a work that explores the idea of a futuristic city through deconstructed shapes, grid patterns and light’.

2ND PRIZE: No. 72, Exorcism by Theo Petrie (Mixed Media). Artist comment:‘The physical reality of the materials assumes importance’.

3RD PRIZE: No. 20, Bella by Betty Collier (Bronze on Perspex). Artist comment:‘I see Bella as having personality plus. She looks at you, sizes you up and is ready to spring away if need be’.

4TH PRIZE: No. 52, Billabong Dreaming by Elinor Lowrencev (Oil painting). ‘A nostalgic project casting my eye back in time Yarra river Eaglemont basement which my parents house overlooked’.

ENCOURAGEMENT AWARD: No.15, The Balance by Paul Cacioli (Forged Steel). Artist’s comment: ‘This piece represents the balance between humankind, nature and spirituality and the daily struggle of facing these challenges alone’.

SPECIAL PRIZE FOR INNOVATIVE USE OF MATERIALS: No. 45, Relentless Infire by Payam Khajeh (paper and stone). Artist comment: ‘As a book lover, I have always felt personal connection with books therefore I was saddened to learn that older books end up in recycle bins in our local library. As an artist, I would prefer to work with pre-existing materials, including books, to create an artwork as well.

After the presentation, food and drink aplenty, I was able to view the artworks and the following artworks caught my eye.

No. 89 Shelley Vincent’s Dark Energy (Acrylic and Collage) of deep blues and white/ochre reminiscent of an aerial landscape or universe had such depth of colour.

No.63 Day's End, Apollo Bay, 2016 by Carmel O’Connor (Oil on Linen). I love the curve of the horizon adding drama/interest to the composition of the coloured boats and white sails.

No. 26 Winter is Leaving, (Acrylic) by Jan Delaney is poetic in colour and shape. Observing changes in nature as the season changes. Quite beautiful.

Finally, No.23 Lotus Girl (Steel and Wood) by Laurie Collins with its youthful vibrancy of movement and composition.

Congratulations to all the members for a wonderful exhibition of contemporary art in its many forms. The exhibition continued with the prize winning artist’s talks on Sunday, 17th at 4pm and closed on the 24th of September.

A special thankyou again to the following sponsors: Adara Apartments Richmond, Jasco Pty Ltd – Winsor & Newton; Grill’d Swan St Richmond, Art Almanac, Eckersley’s Art & Craft, Canson Australia; Chroma Australia; Richmond Uniting Church; Hocking Stuart and CAS Inc.


PRIZE-WINNERS: CLICK ON IMAGES BELOW TO SEE LARGER PHOTO

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