HASTINGS Valley Fine Art Society’s Open Art Prize was launched on Tuesday 31 March at the Port City Bowling Club, with over 150 guests attending.
Artists, their family and friends, and sponsors were able to preview the exhibition before all of the category winners were announced.
“The exhibition has enabled 125 local and regional artists to showcase their talents with 226 artworks,” Deputy Mayor Nik Lipovac pointed out when officially opening the event.
“It brings together creatives, families, seniors, volunteers, residents and visitors to enhance the cultural vibrancy of our local area.”
Judge Vivianne Hazenveld, is well-known for her support of the local art community, especially as the organiser of the Port Macquarie Art Trail.
She was impressed by the high quality and range of the artworks, which she described as “testament to the creative hub in our area”.
“I was looking for originality, brave creative choices, mastery of technique and the emotional impact on the viewer.”
Carly Marchment won Best in Show with “Amphitheatre Series #4 Bundanon 2025.”
Ms Hazenveld commented on Carly’s “beautiful professional skill, using old master techniques of dark and light with bold lines and a tenderly drawn, vulnerable figure in the front.”
The work was produced at a Bundanon Trust Residency on the South Coast of NSW, with imagery inspired by the stunning surroundings, and the technique informed by Carly’s physical capacity.
“In this series I explored and experimented with different ways to adapt and move my body to achieve a balanced harmony between chaos and stillness to tell the story.”
First place winners included Jill Cairns in Oil and Acrylic with “Homage to Miss Flynn”; Sarah Spencer in Water Based Medium on Paper with “Shellys at Dusk”; Jodi Newman in Drawing/Pastel with “Sanctuary in the Bush”; and Anne de Nooijer in Mixed Media with “All that Skin Against the Glass”.
The exhibition runs until this Sunday April 12 and is open 11am-6pm daily.
Event profits are donated to the Hastings Education Fund which provides financial assistance to young local people to achieve their post-school education and training.
By Pauline CAIN
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