The 2017 winner of the Bundaberg Arts Festival Adrienne Williams is already preparing her canvas for a new Bundaberg Art Prize entry.
Adrienne said there was a lot of buzz building in the arts community about the relaunch of the festival as Bundaberg Art Prize with its new $10,000 major trophy.
“As an artist it’s always exciting to put a piece into a competition that has a really decent prize dollar amount,” Adrienne said.
“The other thing about art prizes of that calibre is that it’s not being judged by your local peers and it’s not being judged by your local friends and family.
“These prizes bring in a highly experienced judge.
“As an artist we all really seek that external affirmation of our work. We’re very needy!
“It helps us advance as artists and become more confident with feedback.”
Adrienne was also excited by the fact that the prestigious prize offering would potentially draw entries from interstate.
“There’s some potential with the amount of prize money that we will have some really stiff competition from around Australia,” she said.
“It makes you think about stepping up your art practice.
“If there’s some really great artists from other areas prepared to send their work here to be hung in the final exhibition then we get to see that work in real life.
“It makes a huge difference. You get to see the way they’ve made their artwork … you can scrutinise and learn from them.”
Adrienne Williams ready to make Bundaberg Art Prize entry
While she is yet to start work on her entry Adrienne said she planned on entering an oil painting into the easel works section — the same style as her award-winning piece in 2017 — and possibly also a watercolour in to the works-on-paper section.
“I am definitely keen. I am starting to think about what size that might be.”
She said oil painting was her favourite medium and at the moment she was inspired by the region’s coastal landscape.
“I guess making artwork is the first love and then you end up being drawn to certain medium that works for you,” she said.
“For me when I’m painting on canvas I love the way that oils don’t dry fast. I can work with that medium for longer.
“I always paint things from an environment I live in or an environment I go to specifically to make work at.”
The avid artist also offers beginner workshops to introduce more residents to a love for painting.
Adrienne encouraged people to enter Bundaberg Art Prize.
“You’d be mad to not throw your hat in the ring,” she said.
“I think it’s a really exciting thing for Bundaberg.”
The Bundaberg Art Prize has an overall prize pool of $20,000 including the major prize of $10,000.
There will also be $2000 section prizes offered for easel works (sponsored by Best Practice), works on paper (sponsored by Alowishus), digital work and 3D work (sponsored by Wide Bay Neuroscience and Coral Coast Orthopaedics) and a $1000 award recognising an emerging artist (sponsored by David Batt and Stephen Bennett).
The exhibition will be displayed throughout the Bundaberg CBD from September 21 to 29.
To find out more and to enter head to bundabergartprize.com.au.
