Sydney artist, Janelle Thomas, has won the Newcastle Art Gallery’s 2015 Kilgour Art Prize, taking home $50,000 for her portrait “Helen Ross, 94 with Kirsty”.
The artist won from a field of 30 finalists and picking a winner wasn’t easy according Manager of Newcastle Art Gallery, Lauretta Morton.
“It was a difficult selection process for the judges,” said Lauretta Morton.
“The quality of this year’s submissions was top notch and our first challenge was to choose 30 finalists from a field of over 140 entries from across the country.”
“We found choosing the winner even more challenging however upon assessing the entries up close all three judges separately selected Janelle Thomas’s sensitive portrait Helen Ross, 94 with Kirsty in their top three. The judges agreed that her very personal portrait was deftly executed and encapsulated the strong bond and personality of the subjects. It is our pleasure to award this year’s prize to Janelle.”
On her portrait, Janelle Thomas said, “At 94, Mrs Helen Ross brims with vitality and dignity. I admire Helen’s spirit and contribution to her community as she tirelessly organises and assists local groups. Helen also published her first novel at age 88. Her latest book, Short Stories, 2014, captures some of her rich life experiences.”
“I minimised the background to focus the portrait on the strong relationship between Helen and her dog Kirsty. Helen credits Kirsty with saving her life after Archie, her beloved husband of 66 years, passed away. Helen and Kirsty were ideal portrait subjects as they both sat graciously and held a steady pose.”
The winner was announced at a ceremony this evening at the gallery.
