Jill Liepertz of Bloomsbury has won for the second time in four years the Basil Sellers $2000 Midge Point Art Prize with her art work 'Fury of the Sea' held at The Point Tavern on Saturday.
Proserpine art judge Jennifer Beaumont wrote of the winning entry:
"An arresting work which made me stop to inspect the beauty of nature's patterns. Skillful use of colour and tone. Frame interestingly but not over powering. Heart in mouth."
Jill Liepertz wrote of her art work:
"In my wildest nightmares I would picture our little Trimaran tossed around at the mercy of a severe storm. 16 wonderful years we lived the dream!"
Each entry had interpretations of the theme - 'Fury of the storm' - the subject for the 2016 Basil Sellers prize. There were canvas' illustrating storm weather, the sea, the beach, abstract ideas along with animals bearing down as if the storm itself.
All these ideas came to the fore on the canvas and all of the entries were considered power driven reflections of a storm, stormy weather, stormy emphasizes, stormy reflections, stormy heartaches, well .... all things stormy.
Second and third
Second and third place went to Kevin Garner of Midge Point with two large pieces of horses – 'Horse in flight on a stormy night' and 'Wild horses out galloping the fury of a dust storm.' Kevin Garner says of his art – 'freehand air brushing on canvas'.
The judge selected eight finalists including previous winners
2015 - Margaret Pearce
2014 - Gina Passfield
2013 - Jill Liepertz
Jill's 2016 winning work shows the port hole with the bolts that hold it in place, the hinge along with the clasp when the port hole is closed. This was noted by the judge.
The Basil Sellers Midge Point Art Prize was initiated in 2013 as a community project of Well-Being Australia. It taook in the Whitsundays Laguna Quays Resort, Midge Point and Bloomsbury areas. Then in September last year Mr Basil Sellers AM visiting for the 'art finalists lunch' at The Point Tavern increased the value of the prize and widened the geographical extent of the prize as far south on the Bruce Highway as Calen and Kuttabul.
It was also the first time the judge from Proserpine found larger paintings worthy of a mention with second and third prizes - large canvases.
Once again it was my privilege to be MC for this art prize with The Point Tavern's proprietor Neil Brooks making the awards including the $2000 winning cheque.
Dr Mark Tronson is a Baptist minister (retired) who served as the Australian cricket team chaplain for 17 years (2000 ret) and established Life After Cricket in 2001. He was recognised by the Olympic Ministry Medal in 2009 presented by Carl Lewis Olympian of the Century. He mentors young writers and has written 24 books, and enjoys writing. He is married to Delma, with four adult children and grand-children.
Mark Tronson's archive of articles can be viewed at http://www.pressserviceinternational.org/mark-tronson.html