"Aperture"
(Lace Moko Series)

Pastel 85x45cm (size of artwork), on Clairfontaine PastelMat
Original is Available

Absolutely thrilled to have won 1st Prize at the Hope & Sons Art Awards in Dunedin for 2020.
The opening was being held the same night as the "Jewels of Zealandia" opening in Wellington, whilst I had a phone call during the week from a lovely lady at the Otago Art Society to inform me I had won a prize, I had no idea which one, until my parents (my mum Margaret pictured below), happened to be enroute to Queenstown and accepted the award on my behalf. The exhibition is currently being held at the Dunedin Railway Art Gallery, until 28th November.

JUDGES' COMMENTS
"The judges described the work as "precisely fitting the brief, Light and Shadow. It is skilfully rendered in dramatic tnes of black, white and grey pastel work. The patterns of light and shade are beautifully contoured across the face evoking the look of a Renaissance painting. It invites the viewer to wonder who the subject is and what they are gazing at."

"Aperture" is a pastel painting of my (then) 12-year-old son Jakob, the fourth in a series exploring the drama of a monochromatic palette of light and shadow. These black and white works have evolved artistically for me from the drama aspect of working in scratchboard. I took photos of Jakob, posed in a brightly sunlit window with a borrowed piece of lace curtain, draped in the window to create interesting shadow effects on his face. Some Photoshop work before laying pastel to paper, enabled me to get the composition and tonal effects I liked for the painting. I've enjoyed being involved creatively from the very beginning of the photographic stage right through to the final framing of the artwork. Whilst I thought I had copleted my last painting in the Lace Moko series, when I heard the theme for the Hope & Sons Art Awards as "Shadows & Light", I thought to myself, perhaps I could do just one more!

Closeup of the detailing

Framed in a simplistic black frame. I very much concentrated on pushing the contrasts for this latest portrait , to create more depth in the shadows and light

My mum (Margaret) was able to accept the award on my behalf (left), whilst I was doing a happy dance at my Zealandia opening night!

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An article in the Otago Daily Times following the win