Flying Arts Queensland Regional Art Awards (QRAA) - Momentum Award Art for Life
I am overwhelmed with excitement to announce my artwork titled; ‘For Annie Slade’ won the overall Art for Life Award. This is the major prize of the Queensland Regional Art Awards. I owe a huge thanks to Flying Arts Qld, both Judges Rebecca McDuff and Holly Ardent, all the generous sponsors including Qantas and Mervin Moriarty.
The finalist judge Rebecca McDuff from Bundaberg Galleries left this remark about my work:
“This artwork is a striking installation of small, intricate works that draw the viewer in with their organic beauty. Each piece is uniquely textured, inviting closer inspection and appreciation of the artist’s practice. There is a vibrancy in these artworks that was exciting, and the unexpected elements, such as the upside-down vessels, was intriguing.”
Part of the prize is an article in Artist Profile, and can be found in Issue 74, Mar 26. Alison McDonald: The Long Arc of Momentum by Bradley Vincent
My work, other winners and finalists of the 2025 QRAA Exhibition Tours are exhibited at:
Brisbane Quarter, 300 George St, Brisbane City - 22 Dec 25
Cairns Courthouse Art Gallery: Feb - 2 May 26
St George Cultural Centre: 12 Jun - 12 July (Opening event 18 Jul)
NAFA North Australian Festival of the Arts, Townsville
The Drill Hall Studio, North Ward 12 Sep - 11 Oct (Opening event 24 Sep)
1 William St, Brisbane City: 2-20 Nov 26
Detail of: ‘For Annie Slade’
TITLE: ‘For Annie Slade’
MEDIUM:
Reused copper hot water service, refrigeration tubing & 1 x sterling silver and various patina and archival wax using chasing & repousse technique
This landscape represents the intersections of my enduring passions: a fascination with seaweed and the technique of chasing and repoussé.
Whilst giving momentum to an ancient technique, these diverge from traditional perfection, embracing the irregularities that arise during the making. Creation is slow and contrasting to the relentless pace of our contemporary world. Every mark a quiet celebration, with momentum driving the rhythmic tapping of the hammer against copper. This meditative act is gradual, each stroke building upon the last, transforming the material into something new.
In 2023 I was awarded a dual Creative Research Residency at Umbrella Studio Downstairs & James Cook University Library Special Collections to look at the Annie Slade’s 1884 sellection of seaweed, which now form part of British Marine Algae Collection & now part of the Sir Charles Maurice Yonge Collection. This investigation sparked a creative dialogue leading to the development of these artworks. Studying her pressed seaweed specimens deepened my understanding of both her pioneering work and the enormous variety of marine algae.
The bowl shape references the global significance of seaweed as a potential food source.
Detail of: ‘For Annie Slade’
Detail of: ‘For Annie Slade’