2011 QRAA Award Winners
- Wayne Kratzmann Art Award – Merete Megarrity, Bush Memories
- Xstrata Young Artist Development Award – Luke FitzGerald, Small Faces – Obsessions
- Art Shed- Brisbane People’s Choice Prize – Elise Higginson, Vibrant Nation
- TAFTA Textile Prize – Adrienne Kenafake, Undertow
Touring Exhibition
Click the images below to view larger pictures of these artworks.
Artist: Glenda Hennig
Artist Location: Sunrise Beach
Medium: Artist Book
Artist Statement:
The series of three concertina-fold books expresses a personal response to the floods in the Brisbane Valley in early 2011. Gestural marks, made with water-soluble media, found earth pigments and river mud, are worked over monoprints of Queensland-style houses perched high on spindly stilts. During the floods I wondered ‘where could you go, what could you do to be safe?’ An intuitive solution, for me, was a whole settlement raised up above the danger of the floodwaters, into clear air; teetering a bit, quite ramshackle, and connected to each other and the ground by flimsy ladders. The books nest together or stand apart, but always remain in contact, even by a thread.
Artist: Rishenda Eldridge
Artist Location: Nerang
Medium: Mixed Media
Artist Statement:
‘It’s a small world’ a common expression through which we have all agreed with at one point in our lives. We are all connected through the people we know and in our highly influential and changing society. My artwork conveys the concept of innocence and how it has been abused through the years. This art piece has a screen print of an aged doll from my family line. As a child we receive a new toy. In the beginning its beautiful and flawless, as time passes the toy is mistreat and forgotten. We need to remember the beauty in our world. We need to stay together, stay connected.
Artist: Evangeline Cachinero
Artist Location: Nambour
Medium: Mixed Media
Artist Statement:
‘A couple of days after’ was painted after the Queensland floods. I was touched at how many people put up their hand to volunteer. Online networks like Facebook and Twitter played a huge part in the cleanup by providing people a platform from which to organize. People keen to help were able to connect with those in need and join impromptu volunteer groups. It was the first time I had seen online social networking serve an important practical tool for connecting people in the real world.
Artist: Gail Engel
Artist Location: Wellington Point
Medium: Mixed Media
Artist Statement:
One of a series on iconic trees in the Redlands area where I live, this Banyan tree in Cleveland (the oldest banyan tree in Queensland) is an enduring illustration of the true nature of trees, such an intergral component of life on earth. The twisting and entwined roots resemble a complex network or modern communication cables, but in this case serve as a natural conduit from the ground to the sun. The exposed roots snake downwards to the earth whilst the leaves and berries reach upwards to the sky. I have used acrylic and bitumen paints, charcoal and ink, with gestural brushwork, feathers and sticks for fine detailing, to create a feeling of the connection to life, from age to new growth.
Artist: Sarah Larsen
Artist Location: Thangool
Medium: Mixed Media
Artist Statement:
I thought about the connections between people, the environment, connections of ideas and beliefs, the threads and lines of connection and also separation. This led me to the phrase “six degrees of separation”. I used the six sided shape to convey this idea and kept the black and white colour theme depicting that our connections in this world and beyond can be interpreted in varying shades of grey.
Artist: Chrissy Dwyer
Artist Location: Redlands
Medium: Painting
Artist Statement:
Oriental Lanterns was originally created with the Chinese New Year in mind, however, as it hangs on my wall, it brings other connotations to the image and references celebration and party: the bringing together of people. Special occasions give reason for family and friends, and strangers to mingle and enjoy the festivities. Birthdays, Christenings, and Weddings are all joyous occasions where music, balloons, and food and drink, along with fun create new memories. Cultural festivals also share dance, music and cuisine educating diversity. Oriental Lanterns represents the multitude of connections celebration brings.
Artist: Cindy Wider
Artist Location: Noosa Heads
Medium: Painting
Artist Statement:
In this artwork ‘A Woman and Her Cuppa’ I investigate the precious moments we allow ourselves when having a cup of coffee, tea or other warm nurturing beverage. It provides us with far more than simply fulfilling a thirst. This significant and valuable ritual gives us the opportunity to take a moment to ourselves, to rest, nurture and reconnect with our inner most being. It also provides us with an opportunity to nurture one another, to bond with family, friends, acquaintances and even strangers. Through the creation of this artwork, I aim to bring awareness to the value of the cuppa break and the significant role this fascinating ritual plays in our everyday lives; connecting us with ourselves and to one another.
Artist: Merete Megarrity
Artist Location: Radford
Medium: Painting
Artist Statement:
I am attracted to nature within the gallery space. The beauty of the bush colours – focusing on the endless variations while fluctuating between density and simplicity. The exploration of the terrain of no rules; expressed by the fluidity of the colours interaction with the paper. Making art has become an essential tool for me to CONNECT with an unfamiliar landscape. Through this CONNECTION, I have been able to find my sense of place & belonging.
Artist: Luke Mallie
Artist Location: North Mackay
Medium: Painting
Artist Statement:
No matter how far or how close we may roam, we will still have some connection with each other. We may travel as far as the moon away but our connection to each other and to the earth is so strong that our ancestors may travel with us to protect and guide us. Our journey is never alone. I’m not just talking about Indigenous Australians but for every culture.
Artist: Luke Alexander FitzGerald
Artist Location: Maleny
Medium: Painting
Artist Statement:
This art work is called “Small Faces : Obsessions” it is a series of small portraits of actors or characters who are from either TV or Movies. The portraits were painted on one sheet of paper but will be separated when framed. The portraits display Luke’s major obsession with TV and movies and has been a huge influence on his life since he was 3 years old. The TV screen has been Luke’s connection with the outside world and has taught him how to talk and read and eventually communicate with other people. Obsession is a major part of autism and Luke has used these obsessions to help him in his everyday life. The characters help him to connect to real people and places and have helped him to become an artist who relishes people admiring and talking about his art.
Artist: Kim Rayner
Artist Location: Cairns
Medium: Painting
Artist Statement:
My work, Spindly Vine, is about Connection in that it relates my Connection with Creation, Art and Expression, my Connection with my subject and providing that feeling of Connection, through light and movement. It also relates my personal connectedness with Nature, my Environment and the Forest of the Tropics. My connectedness is with paint, movement and flow.
Artist: Gabi Mika-McNaughton
Artist Location: Redcliffe
Medium: Painting
Artist Statement:
Subject: Yassmin Abdel Magied , Youth Queenslander of the Year 2010 President and Founder of ‘Youth without Borders’ I painted Yassmin for various reasons. Admiration, you only have to Google this 19year old to see how outstanding this young woman is. Agreeing whole-heartily with her plight was another. Racism! The main one! The negative reaction I had from various members in my community about painting someone from a Muslim background, stunned me. I have become self obsessed to paint, achievers in my community that may have come from migrant or refugee background. This leads me into a myriad of connections with this painting. My father was a refugee, I am an immigrant. This led me to Yassmin. Her portrait has already positively impinged upon negative community views. It connected me to TV/Radio exposure. It has lead me to connect with Sudanese’s, & other refugee/migrant communities within our community.
Artist: Fiona Kennedy-Altoft
Artist Location: Helensvale
Medium: Painting
Artist Statement:
By doing a residency I inadvertently discovered that Magpies have anthropomorphic characteristics. This series of paintings are more personal, a narrative of sorts about who I am, my family. Magpies remind me of growing up in the small town of Roma Qld. I love the warbling sound of the ‘maggies’; it makes me feel at home. Being attacked by these vicious birds became part of my nightmare of going anywhere on my bike as a child. Now that I am a mother I understand the protective nature of the magpie, don’t get me wrong, I am still scared of them but after watching and researching I see a strong correlation between these birds and what has happened in my life and with my family. 4pm is a self portrait, it is me after my day and the time I can finally sit and have a cuppa.
Artist: Damien Kamholtz
Artist Location: Toowoomba
Medium: Painting
Artist Statement:
In all my works there exists a certain ambiguity that deliberately allows for personal interpretation. This is achieved in a number of ways, often by arranging figures like characters on a minimal stage. The scene, the props and the script being performed exists only in the viewer’s interpretation/imagination/ memory. Through the dreamlike ambiguity the interpretations differ from one viewer to the next and these are determined by the CONNECTIONS the viewer has with the objects and there placement on the picture plane and the unavoidable CONNECTIONS derived between the otherwise unrelated objects. This work is about the connection between the art work and the viewer, the way that individuals connect disparate objects on a picture plane.
Artist: Dale Leach
Artist Location: Doonan
Medium: Painting
Artist Statement:
Suddenly Arthur felt alone came from a lunchtime encounter with a table of eight people, possibly a family, seven of whom were armed with mobile phones and computer games. The exception was an elderly man who seemed to be bewildered by all the activity. During the course of the lunch, text messages were sent and answered, phone calls were made and instructions received and sent and all the while the children were head down deeply absorbed in their games. Connection comes in many forms, through communication, experiencing emotions together, the bonding of family, the common strengths and weaknesses that nationality brings, and the universal concern for the planet. If only expressed as an obstinate regard for the land we stand on. It is thinking beyond your self and having concern for the other. I have used Australian animals to represent the other and brought humour to the subject. Which I believe is a very Australian attribute. The colours I have used are clear and bright on a white background.
Artist: Napolean Oui
Artist Location: Redlynch Valley
Medium: Painting
Artist Statement:
This Painting presents “connection” on two fronts: the artist’s “”connection”” to tradition and secondly how the remote artist needs to connect to the market. Connection to tradition is referenced through the tradition rainforest shields of north Queensland and ato my Djabugay hertiage. The oval represents the raised “boss” on these shields and blocks of colour with black outlines, along with the icons echo the style of the shield designs. The painting’s story, icons and colours connect it to our present day. The oval “boss” represents the “art world” of galleries, collectors and organisations. Wavy lines show connections between all the people and places. The cities are depicted by the square icons, smaller triangles represent the house within various communities, and larger triangles represent the various communities across this remotes region. Icons of aeroplanes show how the people physically interconnect and the brighter colours reflect the Barrier Reef.
Artist: Pam Finlay
Artist Location: Bowen
Medium: Painting
Artist Statement:
Bob Moses Creek holds a special place in the hearts of the South Sea Islander people of Bowen. My aim is to express the affinity South Sea Islander members of our community have with their environment. Over the decades the events, traditions and stories hold special memories in relation to their connection to place. I was motivated to communicate this visually because of the friendships I have made with the family members since moving to Bowen. With this series of paintings I wish to communicate the peacefulness and carefree feeling that is generated by being at Bob Moses Creek and the special connection that their family have with each other, spending time relaxing and enjoying being together. This has been commemorated in the Queensland Music Festival Production ‘Behind the Cane’ held in Bowen. I was inspired by the song of the same name, whose lyrics were written by Michael and Margery Forde and whose score was composed by David Bridie.
Artist: Pam Walpole
Artist Location: Coolum
Medium: Painting
Artist Statement:
In 2009 when floodwaters inundated her home, a friend lost many possessions – among them, precious photographs of generations of her family, school photos of her and her siblings – all ruined or swept away. In 2011, disaster struck again. Floodwaters rose quickly, but this time she was ready and items were carried to higher ground. Not all was saved but images of the aftermath was what inspired me to paint, using copies of old photos saved and collaged to create a sense of authenticity.
Artist: Suzanne McMaster
Artist Location: Hodgson Vale
Medium: Painting
Artist Statement:
The Lake is a painting of my daughter Joanne from a photo taken while on a camping trip. I like to take a picture and blow it up into something larger that a photograph would normally be. The pixilation from the digital image is converted into convoluted lines giving it interest up close but retaining a level of photo realism from a distance. As Joanne and I live in different towns it is important to us to meet half way as often as we can. Camping is both a way to connect to each other and to connect with countryside. Our urban lifestyles tends to make us forget the simple things in life and camping removes the distractions, the complications, and allows us to just be connected to each other and the land.
Artist: Tenielle Maassen
Artist Location: Lockhart River
Medium: Painting
Artist Statement:
‘Olomen’ is a portrait of two female elders of Lockhart River Aboriginal community. The painting’s bright colours and bold lines capture a trilogy of connections that transcend the personal to the intergenerational and the community level, and which is imbued with the hidden link between the artist and her subject. ‘Olomen’ is a local word meaning ‘Old Women.’ The two old women – Queenie and Suzie – are closely bound to one another, almost always in each other’s company and often referring to the other as their ‘partner.’ Their faces are rendered in energetic brush strokes and vibrant colours to reflect their soul and spirit. As the reservoir of Lockhart River’s traditional knowledge – of its customs, beliefs, language and stewardship of country – the pair embody the community’s connection to its past, which carries forward into the future as an emboldened sense of identity for the community’s youth.
Artist: Anna Carey
Artist Location: Palm Beach
Medium: Photography & Digital Imaging
Artist Statement:
My art practice explores the spatial experiences I encounter within my immediate urban environment, which is the Gold Coast. The Gold Coasts urban landscape is in a constant state of flux; space is not represented as a static site but place to be transformed encouraging one to generate imaginations and daydreams. Through memory recall as the only reference point of permanency I combine model making and photography to create an illusion of space. The model making process is fluid; I allow the model to transform through the process of memory retrieve. As a result the architectural spaces are in between fixed entities opening up an imaginative realm for the viewer.
Artist: Donna Maree Robinson
Artist Location: Sarina
Medium: Photography & Digital Imaging
Artist Statement:
We usually think of our connection to the environment as having an affinity for vast landscapes and natural wonders, the beauty and the terror of nature evoking a sense of awe in the viewer. Now with every inch of our earth’s surface affected by our human presence, there is no untouched place. We are awed by it, we destroy it, we idealize it, we buy and sell it and we use its resources to create new environments in place of natural ones. We separate ourselves from it, yet we are always connected to it. The resulting images are those of a tainted world which explores the sublime in nature whilst imbuing a sense of toxicity and artificiality in this depiction. Working with the discarded relics of our human presence this triptych reflects upon our human connection to the natural world and our continual distancing from it.
Artist: Jo Lankester and Hannah Murray
Artist Location: Townsville
Medium: Printmaking
Artist Statement:
Three Wise Owls brings together our individual styles and represents a shared journey – one of personal change, transformation and artistic freedom. The process of working in collaboration, a first for both artists, has been an unexpectedly positive and inspiring experience. As artists most commonly work in relative isolation this new process has not only encouraged the exchange of ideas and process, but has also connected us with the wider arts and non-arts community.
Artist: Susan Head
Artist Location: Emu Park
Medium: Printmaking
Artist Statement:
I was commissioned by a friend to do an art piece for their home. I decided to do something on her and her family’s life activities. The final result was a triptych telling their story. It included their home and garden, going bike riding, sailing, parts of the seaside village, the sailing club, beach etc. Framed it measured 1.10 m x 80 cm. Since then I have done further commissions on a similar “story telling” approach, again as linocuts. “Yeppoon. Slice One” is a picture of Yeppoon township – shops, sea side houses, old buildings, pizza shop, work places, Norfolk pines on the hill, the marina and boardwalk, with the road linking or connecting the components of the picture. It is also about the connection between working, our homes and leisure time with the place where we dwell.
Artist: Elise Higginson
Photographer: Elise Higginson