Judge – Peter Cleverley

Kirsten Ferguson, Untitled

Acrylic on paper

Intelligent painting. The work shows the makers knowledge of the particular, ‘community of practice’, that is connected with abstract painting, from all childrens initial art/mark making , through to Cy Twombly, through to the late Allen Maddox. The work shows the makers knowledge of painting supports & mediums, including scale & dimensions, the picture plane, paint application, colour, and presentation. Illusive and fragile, yet deliberate and grounded. Kept drawing me back, I could look at it forever and never know it all.

Untitled, by Kirsten Ferguson

Pauline Bellamy
Portrait of Nick Knox 2016.

Oil on Board

Intelligent painting. warm, real & honest. At the same time, momentary & timeless. The work showed a considerable expertise in drawing with paint… looking spontaneous… but in the making… probably not.

The work showed a considerable knowledge of world art histories. The chosen palette of translucent & opaque Umbers, Siennas, Prussian Blues & Rose Pinks is seductive.. close to those Leonardo de Vinci used in the landscape which back-drops the Mona Lisa painting. The work is brave and seems to make music like its topic.

Portrait of Nick Knox, by Pauline Bellamy

Laura McDonald, I wanna see eny. 2016.

Instinctive, refreshingly blunt, of the right here and now, sensitive and honest. a directly painted glimse of a moment. For me, the work references now-photography, instant social media connection and contemporary urban living. The work is made of good quality materials that look like they had been painted on previously. This makes it non-precious, fragile and irregular, enabling a beautiful aesthetic.

It has a beginning an ending and a massive in-between. no compromise, no fussing, what you see is what you get. I couldn’t stop looking at it, so illusive,

I wanna see envy, by Laura McDonald.

Raimo Kuparinen, View of Port Chalmers from Back Beach. 2016

Pastel on paper

Enticing work, jewel- like. Gifted use of the medium, pastel. Noted, is the labour in this work, which I commend… though, trust yourself, sometimes the picture arrives quickly, observe, then let it be,.. or not.

The work seems to me to be a calculated attempt at realism, but ends up being splendidly naive… the ‘painterly’ exagerations are wonderful.. those overt fluffy clouds remind me of Emil Nolde’s paintings of the sky & sea. The work demonstrates the makers attention to detail, from the support & ground to the coloured surface and presentation/ finish. I saw it straight away, the aesthetic was attractive at a glimpse, I knew it needed a closer look. Fresh and honest, a feast for the eye.

View of Port Chalmers from Back Beach. 2016, by Raimo Kuparinen