People's Choice Voting: Queensland Regional Art Awards 2021
Event Details
Place your vote to help your favourite Queensland Regional Art Awards 2021 entry win a People’s Choice Award. Selected artists will also be in the running to win judges’ prizes.
Voting Process
You may vote once for an Adult Category artwork, and once for a Youth Category artwork.
- Click on the individual images below to view an artwork, read the artist statement, and reveal their voting link.
- To vote you must fill out the form and provide your real name and email address for confirmation.
- A confirmation email will be sent to your nominated email address to confirm your vote. You will need to click ‘confirm vote’ to validate and confirm your submission. If you do not confirm your vote through this email your vote will not be valid.
Adult Category
medicinae crescente de terra I (medicine growing from our earth I)
Artist: Cara-Ann Simpson
Artist Location: Haden
Medium: ink infused metal, 2021
Dimensions: 76.2 x 0.5 x 76.2 cm
Artist Statement:
medicinae crescente de terra I’ celebrates returning to my heart’s home: the joy, fulfilment and healing nature of place. Here I am grounded, deeply connected to the earth and sky.
The specimen is gumbi gumbi (Pittosporum angustifolium) from my family’s farm located on the lands of the Jarowair people of the Wakka Wakka nation. Gumbi gumbi is a beautiful weeping tree – lyrical, medicinal and a peacock within the bush.
In the title, seen within the image as a spectrograph (soundwave), I remind myself that all medicine comes from our earth in some form or another. This work is part of “Furari Flores” (Stealing Flowers) is a vanitas series of one-on-one plant interviews. The titles are spoken in Latin and translated into spectrographs. There is an irony of speaking a dead language to plucked flowers/fruits, now also dying, and leaving only the visual representation, the movement of sound left behind.
Photographer: Cara-Ann Simpson
Flying Art, Vote Now
Artist: Christa Coetzee
Artist Location: Clear Mountain
Medium: Mixed Media on Paper, 2021
Dimensions: 87 x 0.20000000000000001 x 64 cm
Artist Statement:
Flying Art
Imagine innocent youth. Combined with silver strands of wisdom.
Flying with whimsical wings of freedom, fuelled with flawless wisdom,
through time on a pendulum suspended from a universe filled with
1010010011101110011000’s and you are one block in the chain…
Knowing nothing yet everything.
In this virtual ‘apple’ world of songs yet to be ‘sung’
Photographer: Christa Coetzee
Pandanas Curtain
Artist: Lyn Laver-Ahmat
Artist Location: Mackay
Medium: Acrylic on Canvas, 2020
Dimensions: 90 x 4 x 120 cm
Artist Statement:
I made this painting after drawing the Pandanus Grove up at Slade Point where I live. I had attempted it many times, and disliked the heavy forms, I used colour to get a feeling for the quiet coolness and breeze of the beautiful morning and the gentle noise of the waving Pandanus fronds, to look through them like a curtain to the sea below and beyond.
Photographer: Lyn Laver-Ahmat
Birthday celebration of 2021, Vote Now
Artist: Tarja Ahokas
Artist Location: Ninderry
Medium: Acrylic on canvas, 2021
Dimensions: 30.5 x 3.7000000000000002 x 25 cm
Artist Statement:
I celebrate my Birthday each year by producing an Artwork.
I like to be inspired by something I see or experience that day usually by going on a day trip somewhere.
This year due to the lockdown I went to the far corner or our 8000m2 property and pulled out lot of weeds in the pouring rain. I could have danced in the rain but the ground was too muddy and soft, so I let the weeds dance on my canvas instead.
This was the way I “painted the town”…celebrating those weeds that inspired me.
Photographer: Tarja Ahokas
The Prose, Vote Now
Artist: Luisa Manea
Artist Location: Mount Sheridan
Medium: Clay/Pottery, 2021
Dimensions: 30 x 15 x 18 cm
Artist Statement:
The Prose is my method of turning a sculpture into a painting using paint on a 3D form. Where the person is the party and script dances all over the form, starting to document a life as they progress through ageing. We are all born as a blank canvas, no markings or history, silky smooth, sweet smelling skin made of soft rolls to cuddle, with age we start to unfurled and our skin starts to tell a story of life we lead. From the injuries, scars, piercing, and the tattoos we can’t live with out, that blank canvas starts to become our original painting. When we walk past someone we don’t know, we see a body but we don’t see the life they have live, here in my sculpture I bring the two together. “The Prose” the party of life.
Photographer: Luisa Manea
Lets have music and dance, Vote Now
Artist: Tarja Ahokas
Artist Location: Ninderry
Medium: Acrylic on canvas, 2021
Dimensions: 40 x 3.5 x 50 cm
Artist Statement:
I grew up with dancing being part of celebrations whether it was birthdays, weddings, New Year Eve or Midsummer Eve…
Always music and dancing…..
Lets celebrate Life…lets paint the town by having music and dancing…..
Photographer: Tarja Ahokas
Birthday fun at St Helens Beach, Vote Now
Artist: Charlene Attard
Artist Location: Mackay North
Medium: Collograph print on watercolour paper, 2021
Dimensions: 62 x 0.29999999999999999 x 42 cm
Artist Statement:
To say that my daughter loves the beach would be an understatement; in her eyes, a family celebration coupled with a beautiful beach on a sunny day; nothing beats this in North Queensland. Digitally capturing this moment becomes a fond bitter-sweet memory that resembles but can never be as true as it was; removed from time and place. Traditionally printed, the artwork itself becomes a memory of the collograph plate, nostalgically rustic and appealing of times past. Precious moments such as my daughter’s 4th birthday though fondly remembered, capturing the experience is elusive – the created image will always be a memory of a time that can never be again.
Photographer: Charlene Attard
Goes to my head, Vote Now
Artist: John Ashall
Artist Location: Townsville
Medium: Oils on board, 2021
Dimensions: 60 x 0.5 x 45 cm
Artist Statement:
At my age I like to celebrate with friends over good wine and good food.
I feel my painting reflects that mood.
Photographer: John Ashall
Human to Humas, Vote Now
Artist: Kuweni Dias Mendis
Artist Location: Beechmont
Medium: Pastel and Gouache on Hahnemuhle Paper, 2021
Dimensions: 106 x 1 x 77 cm
Artist Statement:
The words Humus ( soil) and Human ( earthly beings) comes from the same source, the Latin origins meaning from the earth. We eventually return to the soil, the earth and to the ground. Death is that humble moment of returning back to the Soil, the pregnant void and the untapped potential.
Celebrating and bidding farewell to a dearly departed in my Sri Lankan culture is to finally take the cremation Ashes to the river. Ashes are taken to that place in the river where the fresh water meets salt water. The spirit of the river takes the soul home to its source. In this ritual these ashes become the sediment of the river, its a beautiful celebration of human becoming the humus. It’s is a sacred moment where we witness the soul weaving its way to the beginning of time, the interconnectedness and interdependerbility between death and birth
Photographer: Kuweni Dias Mendis
Waiting for go, Vote Now
Artist: Alison McDonald
Artist Location: Jensen
Medium: Reused anodised aluminium etched, copper, sterling silver, titanium, stainless steel, brass & wood – kinetic sculpture., 2020
Dimensions: 20 x 46 x 47 cm
Artist Statement:
Waking me at night was a list of COVID-19 related words, I wrote them down. I was not sure why, but I wanted to utilise them for an artwork about this current time. Perhaps I was trying to find order amongst the disorder in our current lives. We were waiting for the lockdown to finish, then the distance allowed to travel to be extended and my husband’s cancer treatment to finish. It seemed like forever. All we wanted, was to escape and go camping and celebrate simply amongst the outback bush and birds, where there was no COVID and no clinical hospital reminders.During my ‘lockdown’ clean-up of the studio, I rediscovered some green anodised aluminium that I purchased years ago from my metal recycler as ‘builders’ leftovers’. I combined this with jewellery materials; silver and titanium to reveal our story as we waited for that green light to go.
Photographer: Alison McDonald
In the garden, Vote Now
Artist: Caralyn Wiles
Artist Location: Welcome Creek
Medium: Alcohol Ink on Yupo paper, 2021
Dimensions: 29.5 x 0.10000000000000001 x 25 cm
Artist Statement:
This piece reminds us that it is not only people who celebrate with a splash of colour but also the plant life in our gardens, parks and nature reserves. These areas provide colour to our towns in their own form of painting.
Photographer: Caralyn Wiles
Desert Rose
Artist: Donna Glass
Artist Location: Bunya Mountains
Medium: Digital Print In Frame, 2021
Dimensions: 100 x 25 x 100 cm
Artist Statement:
Surrounded But Still Alone
We are Surrounded by Billions Of Galaxies But We Alone Are The Only Biological Life That Has Been Found As Yet
We Indeed Are Rare And Special
Photographer: Donna Glass
Topography, Vote Now
Artist: Barbara Pierce
Artist Location: Townsville
Medium: acrylic & collage on canvas, 2021
Dimensions: 76 x 3.5 x 91 cm
Artist Statement:
A celebration can be described – and shaped – by its’ location in the landscape. The landscape where I live has been the inspiration for this painting. Collage and acrylic paint have been used to make reference to a hillside – its’ rocks and pathways – and a celebration at day’s end as night falls.
Every day I connect with the surrounding environment and notice the changes – subtle or dramatic – depending on the time of day, the season or whatever is happening at the time. All sensory stimuli have an effect or leave an impression. Every day I quietly celebrate ‘my’ landscape.
In this painting I have reinterpreted the landscape surroundings and played with the idea of the possible appearance of a celebration at day’s end in the imagined topography of this environment. Every celebration – like every day – is unique. A celebration takes on a life and shape of it’s own.
Photographer: Ed Pierce
Jaded Landscape 2, Vote Now
Artist: Robert Natoli
Artist Location: Kureelpa
Medium: Oil on Board, 2020
Dimensions: 35 x 10 x 118 cm
Artist Statement:
Places, as much as people; reflect the activity, care and interactions in which they exist. Everything is interconnected and reliant on the other for survival.
Our landscapes often bear the brunt of human activity. It’s our choice if that activity harms or enhances the sacred grounds on which we walk.
Photographer: Robert Natoli
21st Century Aphrodite, Vote Now
Artist: Ange Venardos
Artist Location: Woorim
Medium: Watercolour, 2021
Dimensions: 80 x 5 x 80 cm
Artist Statement:
21st Century Aphrodite is a simple elegant response to celebrating everything it takes to being a female in today’s world. It evokes a spirit of sensuality, (tulips are said to refer to the perfect lover), fertility, and grace (signified by the magnolia) with a focus on quiet moments of reflection and gratitude, ceremony, tradition and ritual through the choice of Eastern composition and colour.
This is a work rich in metaphor and symbolism. The female form, at one with the landscape, rises from adversity and pain depicted by the thorns embedded in her lower limbs. The Carline Thistle (an ancient remedy for pestilence and plague) to the bottom left, references hope for a natural Covid cure. The traditional shell of Venus has diminished. Today’s female has outgrown the embellishments of history’s expectations. She looks down serenely upon the lily which was once used to enhance natural beauty but often killed more women in the process of pleasing and attracting a mate. This lily recognises the woman’s responsibility to ‘keep it hot’ deferring to the importance of inner beauty and natural glow.
Aphrodite – goddess of love – celebrates the awakening feminine in all mankind.
Photographer: Ange Venardos
Throw It To Me! Throw It To Me!, Vote Now
Artist: Judi Parkinson
Artist Location: Bald Knob
Medium: Acrylic Paint on Stretched Canvas, 2021
Dimensions: 100.3 x 3 x 100.3 cm
Artist Statement:
The picturesque hillsides, views, and rain forests of the Sunshine Coast Hinterland make our countryside and community idyllic for wedding celebrations. Hence, I’m painting our town with bouquets instead of firecrackers as I explore our relationships with traditional bridal bouquets, primarily, The Bouquet Toss.
Current culture celebrates The Toss as an interaction between brides and single female guests. From the delight of brides sharing their flowers that signify joy and future wishes for guests, to the anticipation those guests might experience as the bouquet is thrown. The excitement, the dream to become reality, the eagerness to catch the bouquet as it appears suspended in time.
The diagonal design supports this social interaction like an invisible garden trellis. The tradition remains but the participants may change. These bouquets have been created with reference to simple homegrown flowers, mostly grown in our country garden at Maleny. They symbolize love and innocence.
Photographer: Judi Parkinson
Ignite
Artist: Michelle Kurth
Artist Location: Cooran
Medium: Plastic Food Packaging, Metal Fan Case, Cotton Warp, 2021
Dimensions: 54 x 13 x 52 cm
Artist Statement:
My memories of fun and celebration always have a brightness about them. Thoughts
re-ignited and brought back to life with feelings of joy, the images bold and full of colour.
Growing up in an English seaside resort, a special outing was often focused around the fairground. The amusement arcade with it’s coloured lights and brash signs.
The carnival that preceded it with it’s balloons, streamers and everything that sparkled.
With these events there were always treats. Food or novelties that came in bright plastic wrappers. Overwhelmed by the choice as a child, yet wanting to have it all.
In adult years the contents of the event changed. Bright colours came from lights in a nightclub, or behind the band. Later still; the observation that celebration and fun doesn’t always need to be an external source, and learning how to create that sweet sparkle within.
Photographer: Michelle Kurth
Joie de vivre
Artist: Kerry Wilson
Artist Location: Yandina
Medium: Mixed Media on paper, 2020
Dimensions: 61 x 0 x 45 cm
Artist Statement:
I enjoy the drama of romantic landscapes, and I enjoy mark-making.
I enjoy the calligraphic and floating perspective of Chinese landscapes.
I enjoy automatic drawing and the excitement of chance.
All of these things are distilled into my own personal iconography.
Painting helps me to understand the world, to celebrate the natural world, to see, to feel, and to live in the moment.
My aim is to invoke the spirit and feeling of the natural world.
I invite the viewer to experience and connect with the exuberant enjoyment of life.
Photographer: Kerry Wilson
Only Pink in Here! (2021), Vote Now
Artist: Lee Fullarton and Sue Hammond
Artist Location: Ipswich
Medium: Photographic Print, 2021
Dimensions: 29 x 5 x 30 cm
Artist Statement:
Through their collaboration FullARTon and Hammond intentionally wander into the narratives of the creative, mythical and adventurous woman. Together they create the work as an installation searching iconic Queensland environments and moments, detailing costumes and evoking the mood of the space. In Only Pink in Here! FullARTon and Hammond capture the preparation for Painting the Town Pink! Beauty is always at the forefront of their making; they explore and play – and Hammond captures ‘that’ moment through the eye of the lens.
Photographer: Lee Fullarton
This Won’t Hurt A Bit, Vote Now
Artist: Grant Quinn
Artist Location: Bundamba
Medium: Photography, 2021
Dimensions: 50 x 1 x 70 cm
Artist Statement:
Tattooing, the art of painting our town’s people, yesterday today and tomorrow. The history of tattooing goes back for thousands of years, and the reasons for getting tattooed are many. With the markings being personal, they can be plain, or elaborate, and they serve as amulets, healing and status symbols, dedications of love, signs of religion, adornments and even forms of punishments. The fascination of acquiring a tattoo may fall into four main groups, namely healing, affiliation, art and fashion. For many, tattoos are art, similar to a piece of jewellery for others to admire. People allow themselves to get tattooed simply because it’s beautiful. Previously, tattooing at galleries was mainly considered performance art in the form of live tattooing, but recently, tattoos, like graffiti, have gone from cult to art status and have been adopted by the art industry, especially in areas where art and fashion meet.
Photographer: Grant Quinn
Golden Days, Vote Now
Artist: Kym Tabulo
Artist Location: MOOLOOLAH VALLEY
Medium: Mixed, 2021
Dimensions: 11.699999999999999 x 2 x 16.5 cm
Artist Statement:
Celebrating a family birthday with a day at the beach is simply perfect. Especially when it ends in beachcombing at sunset on Bulcock Beach with a Golden Beach skyline. It is a special place where the land meets the sea, and the buildings frame the vista. To create this artwork, I blend my abstract watercolour painting with my photographs and digital drawing techniques. This process allows me to express the theme of a delightful, calm celebration that creates long lasting memories.
Photographer: Kym Tabulo
Grasses of Diamantina, Vote Now
Artist: Karen Stephens
Artist Location: Winton
Medium: Acrylic on polyester, 2021
Dimensions: 19.5 x 1 x 80 cm
Artist Statement:
I live in Channel Country and ‘Grasses of Diamantina’ was painted on site at Diamantina National Park. The ‘Diamantina River’ that can be up to fifty kilometres wide when waters flow inward is surrounded with unique grasses and textures of soil. The river was named for the late Lady ‘Diamantina’ Bowen, the wife of Sir George Bowen, the first Governor of Queensland. Because of the areas abundance from life giving water, this region was also a thriving trade route for many First Nations people living in Channel Country.
‘Painting the Town’ conjures up the idea of noisy celebration. Waiting for water, the Diamantina landscape is so quiet it becomes unquiet. I hear myself breathing in and out and find joy spectating and painting little pathways of grasses that gently come to a close. ‘Grasses of Diamantina’ is a window for quiet contemplation and a celebration of remote Queensland landscapes.
Photographer: Mick Richards
Scared, Vote Now
Artist: Donna Glass
Artist Location: Bunya Mountains
Medium: Digital Print In Frame, 2020
Dimensions: 100 x 25 x 100 cm
Artist Statement:
Scared Of What You Don’t Show Me.
Our Universe is Made Up Of 25 percent Dark Matter 70 percent Dark Energy And The Rest Is Normal Matter And A small
Percentage If this is Us.
We Are So Small Yet So Important To The Stream Of Things.
Photographer: Donna Glass
Sedimentary, Vote Now
View Digital Artwork Artist: Jason Nelson
Artist Location: Witheren
Medium: Interactive Digital Artwork, 2021
Dimensions: 80 x 10 x 120 cm
Artist Statement:
After bushfires swept through the Illinbah Valley, new layers of geology and geometry were revealed. Layers of blue-tinted rock, red volcanic soil, burned grass trees, green shooting eucalyptus, yellowed grass lining the mountain slopes. The Coomera river snaking across the landscape. And while the fires themselves were devastating to many, including those closest to us, there is a beauty in the regeneration of nature, a celebration of creatures and wildlife returning, layering the valley with newly born narratives. Sedimentary is an interactive digital artwork replicating our region’s post-bushfire landscapes. This artwork uses generative coding, and forever changing sediments of color and geometry, surfaces and lines to create a journey through our valley. To us, the notion of a “town” isn’t built from streets and houses. Instead our town is born from the soil and geology, the trees and grasses and rivers. It’s a many layered place, painted by erosion and sediment, fire and growth. The artwork is here: http://dpoetry.com/sedimentary/ Use your mouse to move and adjust and rethink the generative valley.
Photographer: Jason Nelson
LET’S PAINT THE TOWN RED, Vote Now
Artist: BRUCE GRIFFITHS
Artist Location: KLEINTON
Medium: WATERCOLOUR, 2021
Dimensions: 39 x 5 x 27 cm
Artist Statement:
LET’S PAINT THE TOWN RED – 39X27 – Watercolour Bruce Griffiths
As a watercolourist, I paint traditional realism leaning towards impressionism. I paint what I see but more importantly I paint what I feel about what I see. Another detour on another journey, but I concluded that as all roads eventually head in the one far off distance, I put brush aside & sat down to ponder my contribution.
Looking upon my watercolour palette and its permanence of pigments in arrays of warm & cool it had to be an exploration of reds. With a background of wet in wet warms, I teased up paints of deferring ilk to drip off the painting but not from brushes but rather from celebratory flags. It seemed logical & the flags would drip colour like waxing apples oozing over mellow. They align but differ in their strength & vibrance. A celebration of the colour red.
Photographer: BRUCE GRIFFITHS
Charlie’s Party, Vote Now
Artist: Susan Dryden
Artist Location: Lockyer Valley
Medium: Oil on canvas, 2021
Dimensions: 45 x 5 x 55 cm
Artist Statement:
Charlie’s party was a celebration that brought friends from as far away as Boonah, The Lockyer Valley and Brisbane to Maleny. It was an occasion for old friends to gather and celebrate our long friendships and to meet new ones. We may not be 20 again but we dined and laughed and felt 20. The painting captures just a moment at the party.
Photographer: Susan Dryden
CELEBRATION, Vote Now
Artist: BRUCE GRIFFITHS
Artist Location: KLEINTON
Medium: WATERCOLOUR, 2021
Dimensions: 35 x 5 x 54 cm
Artist Statement:
CELEBRATION – 35X44 – Watercolour – BRUCE GRIFFITHS
I reviewed history for an event that had impressed me. The Sydney Tall Ships Regatta came to mind, but it would not be any old seascape. “It is not the subject that makes a painting work, it is the interpretation of the subject by the artist that lifts it out of the ordinary.” So, I merged a number of my own images with history and placed the “viewing point” on top of the midmast of one of these majestic vessels. All below is secondary, even the Opera House & Sydney Harbour Bridge. So, against tradition I placed the viewer & some of the crew in the upper foreground. The only things above them; the soaring birds & fleeing balloons before the wind. All other are simply supports & my focus is the cavalcade of celebratory flags tied to the foremast. It is all about CELEBRATION
Photographer: BRUCE GRIFFITHS
Ode to Victorious II, Vote Now
Artist: Rachel Wolfe
Artist Location: Redlynch
Medium: Watercolour on paper, 2021
Dimensions: 76 x 0.10000000000000001 x 56 cm
Artist Statement:
I am a survivor of domestic violence and a post traumatic stress disorder warrior. Like a phoenix rising from the ashes, ‘Ode to Victorious II’ is a symbolic celebration of my new beginning. For I am a wolf who cannot be tamed or controlled and I embrace my life transformation. I will no longer hide in shame or fear as I now celebrate every day of my beautiful and peaceful life.
Photographer: Rachel Wolfe
Mangos Are On, Vote Now
Artist: Colleen Gardener
Artist Location: Harrisville
Medium: Oil, 2021
Dimensions: 47 x 5.0000000000000003E-2 x 63 cm
Artist Statement:
I wouldn’t call it simple or elegant, but certainly a riotous explosion of the teasing of the senses…..the just right colour and aromas, the passing of the pinch test,.. the expectancy, that comes with the year long wait for Mango Season. Friends and family arriving to feast and share the many ways to enjoy their annual arrival and of course my visual senses awakened to paint them, celebrating their gorgeous plump form and colour.
Photographer: Colleen Gardener
High Tea, Vote Now
Artist: Wayne Boyle
Artist Location: Silkstone
Medium: Acrylic on canvas, 2021
Dimensions: 61 x 4 x 61 cm
Artist Statement:
High Tea, a time to unwind, laugh, eat cake, drink tea with friends and family, forget about our troubles. We have suffered through the isolation, paper cups and takeaway. At the end of Covid lockdown Queenslanders have emerged better off than most, now we can enjoy a new normal with the freedom we have missed so much.
With bold brushstrokes I strive to capture the opulence, social engagement, the eccentric and the ordinary, flamboyant relationships, joyous occasions, outpouring of emotions, lively conversation, laughter, and tears.
Our support networks have never been more valuable, we have probably come to take for granted the simple pleasures such as getting out and sharing cake and a cuppa, enjoying each other’s company and conversation, meeting face to face, listening to the highs and lows, laughing till we cry.
Time to get out of the house, what better way to celebrate than with high tea.
Photographer: Wayne Boyle
Garden celebration, Vote Now
Artist: Ilona Demecs
Artist Location: Imbil
Medium: Handwoven tapestry, 2021
Dimensions: 56 x 1.5 x 68 cm
Artist Statement:
Through the notion of going around the weft with coloured wool, this work honours the craft of tapestry weaving both as a technique as well as an expression. Exploring the possibilities of painting with wool, I crafted a picture that captures a celebration of the land which nurtures us with its prospects in the Mary Valley. The renaissance tapestry design frames the image with a native passionfruit vine border and invites the viewer to come to the party and enjoy the celebration.
Photographer: Fine-line Photography Fine-line Photography
The Hug, Vote Now
Artist: Karen Wiz SMITH
Artist Location: Gold Coast
Medium: Acrylic on Canvas, 2021
Dimensions: 91 x 4 x 91 cm
Artist Statement:
As an introverted artistic type, I prefer to keep celebrations low key, no rabble rousing about town for this individual. Hence, this work conceptualises the importance of being grounded and connected to place and loved ones, to either celebrate or commiserate, where the simple hug (although almost taboo) is a favoured means of emotional expression.
Photographer: Karen Wiz SMITH
Precious, Vote Now
Artist: Gabi Sturman
Artist Location: Yungaburra
Medium: Ceramic, timber, 2020
Dimensions: 17 x 35 x 42 cm
Artist Statement:
Two squirrel gliders are waking up from their sleep to embrace the night with their antics that will paint the town – or forest in this case.
Squirrel gliders are the party animals of the forest at night, aerobatic flashes of grey dart in between the trees as their big, beautiful eyes glisten like the celestial sky.
Their night club of choice are gnarly big old trees that they can glide between, and hollows they can sleep off the excesses of the night.
Unlike the squirrel gliders, I am not a party animal, but I do enjoy quiet moments of reflection and gratitude in the bush. Moments that celebrate the amazing diversity of our wild landscapes with all its creatures. Even though rarely seen, when spotted, there is such delight in knowing that the gliders are still there, in their natural habitat, doing their thing. Truly precious.
Photographer: Sarah Scragg
Everywhere, Vote Now
Artist: Jasna Spiranovic
Artist Location: Hollywell
Medium: Acrylic and oil on canvas, 2021
Dimensions: 90 x 2 x 70 cm
Artist Statement:
When the Annual Music Festival
Occurs each year in the village of my art studio there is music everywhere.
This painting depicts the excitement of community, nature and musicians coming together celebrating the sounds on the streets, gardens and community hall , hence , ” Everywhere” .
Photographer: Jasna Spiranovic
Recognition, Vote Now
Artist: Ann White
Artist Location: Pomona
Medium: Acrylic and collage on board, 2021
Dimensions: 45.5 x 2 x 61 cm
Artist Statement:
Many regional towns are competing to be on the map, drawing attention to an identity enhanced through public art. Murals and street art flourish to celebrate events, mark occasions, unite residents with local themes and attract appreciative visitors. This sanctioned art has been agreed by those who commission and those who make it, arguably a celebration in itself that they collaborate on an image to grace a location. Then there are others who paint public statements – bold, shadowy creatives or malcontents with textas and spraycans, demanding to be noticed, expressing their ‘voice’ in a world where being ‘heard’ can be difficult. Across this visual spectrum, all are seeking recognition. Throughout the sanctioned and guerrilla mark-making, marvellous art can be found amongst the less-than and the dross. Categorising which is which is contentious. I wish to credit the guerrilla mark-makers of Nambour and other towns for those elements referenced in ‘Recognition’.
Photographer: Ann White
Flicker Sparkle Shimmer Glint, Vote Now
Artist: Sharon McKenzie
Artist Location: One Mile
Medium: Beading and mixed media on linen, 2021
Dimensions: 27 x 3 x 27 cm
Artist Statement:
Celebrations are precious and can happen anytime of the day or night but I always associate them with the sensory experience of light. We effectively “paint the town” with light: the flash of a phone camera, the sparkle of sequinned, beaded dresses, bags and jewellery, the flickering of candle light, small fairy lights twinkling on at tree, colored light bulbs and bright diamond like lights. The clusters of colorfully dressed people that breaks up and reforms during the festivities moving and reflecting light like water.
Photographer: Sharon McKenzie
Maleny, Vote Now
Artist: Sophie Thyer
Artist Location: Caloundra
Medium: Watercolour and Gouache, 2021
Dimensions: 30 x 1 x 45 cm
Artist Statement:
My family and I relocated to Sunshine Coast during the Covid-19 pandemic period. Lockdowns and snap border closures mean that we needed to stay local and appreciate everyday life without travelling overseas, or even interstate. I was inspired to paint this work to capture a glimpse of natural beauty in my town. I can’t help but wonder, why is nature so therapeutic? Beaches, Hinterland, mountains, and subtropical rainforest- Thank you. You have made my memory during the pandemic much more beautiful!
Photographer: Sophie Thyer
Abuzz
Artist: Jasna Spiranovic
Artist Location: Hollywell
Medium: Acrylic and oil on canvas, 2020
Dimensions: 90 x 2 x 70 cm
Artist Statement:
Where I have my art studio the village becomes “Abuzz” each year for weeks before the annual Music Festival.
This painting depicts the energy
Before the festival in the community combining all sounds of nature and everyday life before the musicians and crowds enter the space.
Photographer: Jasna Spiranovic
Celebrating at Sunset, Vote Now
Artist: Debbie Chilton
Artist Location: North Ipswich
Medium: 3D Artbook / Watercolour, 2021
Dimensions: 10 x 1 x 64 cm
Artist Statement:
My idea of celebrating is to indulge in natural beauty. And what is more beautiful than the picture the sunset paints across the sky? The scenic rim is just a short drive from my hometown of Ipswich. Hot air balloon flights over the scenic rim may be booked to celebrate special events such as engagements, wedding, anniversaries, and birthdays. My artwork Celebrating at Sunset takes audiences on this magical journey.
Photographer: Debbie Chilton
Gunna Need A Bigger Brush
Artist: Grant Quinn
Artist Location: Bundamba
Medium: Photography, 2021
Dimensions: 50 x 1 x 70 cm
Artist Statement:
When you respect and preserve a towns history, you are preserving and respecting it’s personality, the very thing that gives it character, and brings new residents and new life. When most people think of preserving history, they envision painting the town, restoring old buildings and historical sites, and beautifying our urban landscape. But preserving the history of our town is so much more. Preserving our history has many benefits, from improving economy to becoming more environmentally conscious. Having pride and celebrating where we come from, improves connection to community, to neighbours, and a strong community makes for a strong town. Historic preservation is proven to provide jobs and increase tourism. Our history is the heart and soul of our town, and it is vital to our future success that we work to protect it and with preservation comes rejuvenation. In our beautiful town, our history has been our heartbeat, and we need to continue to work tirelessly to respect our town’s history and continue to work to embrace it.
Photographer: Grant Quinn
Eucalpytian Glad Rags
Artist: Anne Mossman
Artist Location: Elanora
Medium: Coloured Porcelain, 2021
Dimensions: 26 x 22 x 22 cm
Artist Statement:
Mossman’s inspiration is drawn from the disparate colours on some of the eucalypt tree trunks that surround her hinterland environment. In the summer the eucalyptus bark peels off in sheaths to reveal nude like patches of new ‘skin’ which is invariably smooth and lighter coloured than other parts of the bark. The contrast in colours and tones is wondrous and provides an ever changing visual feast. This vessel purposely exaggerates the colour palette as a celebration of Australia’s iconic trees.
Photographer: Anne Mossman
Jimmy and Denis – its in his jeans
Artist: Melaine Doheny
Artist Location: Blackbutt North
Medium: Photographic work, 2021
Dimensions: 45 x 3 x 30 cm
Artist Statement:
Isolation, long work days, climate change and globalization are just some of the many pressures that make farming a vulnerable occupation in addition to stock gates.
There is a bond that is made through the love of horses that can be a way of connecting members of community who otherwise would not meet through social events, meetings or networking programs.
From as far back as the human memory reaches, people and horses have always had a special relationship. People form an inexplicable bond with their horses, built on trust, loyalty and love.
Dennis is a paint horse. Jimmy is the custodian of Dennis – or is it the other way around.
Photographer: Melaine Doheny
Palette-able, Vote Now
Artist: Warren Richardson
Artist Location: Kuranda
Medium: Photograph, 2021
Dimensions: 38 x 3 x 60 cm
Artist Statement:
I live in the rainforest in Kuranda. On the morning side of the mountain. 90% of my palette is green in all of its variability. However, I have travelled all over tropical Queensland with my entomological mate, photographing the night life of the insect world. One of my favourite locations is Talaroo station, now being developed as a hot springs tourist destination by the Ewamian native-title holders. Not only are the insects great but the sunsets over the dam are to-dye-for. Here the palette holds all the colours of the spectrum to ‘Paint the Town’ with tranquility and reflection. Truly Palette-able.
Photographer: Warren Richardson
LCS.2
Artist: Petalia Humphreys
Artist Location: Peregian Beach
Medium: Acrylic on plywood, 2021
Dimensions: 90 x 5 x 90 cm
Artist Statement:
I revel and indulge in the act of looking at and exploring architecture.
“LCS.2” is a celebration of architecture, and of colour. What is at once a sunburnt roofline sitting beneath a glorious and intense ocean sky is also a homage to Johannes Itten’s formulaic ratios and fields of colour. A window of white creates a void – a respite – from the hazy midday heat.
Pushed into the corner the square folds into its rigid setting whilst the works manifests itself in a space beyond its physicality. The folded painting discloses contrasts and dichotomies, exploring ideas of playfulness and interplay – mapping both movement and stillness. Although hard-edge and geometric the work reveals itself and the inherent gestural traces left from the painting process. Marking an interplay between site and possible pathways, lines and spaces upon the surface shift, crease, flatten and straighten out and then fold again as the viewer passes by.
Photographer: Petalia Humphreys
The Ville
Artist: Gabriel Smith
Artist Location: Townsville
Medium: Cold Wax and oil, 2020
Dimensions: 120 x 3 x 92 cm
Artist Statement:
I have a love for patterns, colour and how the land looks from the sky. This work explores my home of Townsville and how the built up areas interact with the wild spaces. Castle Hill has always been my special place and I wanted to explore is delicate wildness through pattern and colour juxtaposed with the more structured pattern created by our built environment to paint the town.
Photographer: Gabriel Smith
Eungella
Artist: Janet Ambrose
Artist Location: Eungella
Medium: Oil on Canvas, 2021
Dimensions: 90 x 4 x 90 cm
Artist Statement:
This landscape is of Eungella. The view is of the mountain above Pioneer Valley. We are confronted with deep forests to the valley floor. The structural energy of the mountain gives movement as the valley below winds its way to the coast.
There is harmony in the irregularities of twists and turns that we see, the forest is poised and alive with inhabitants calling this the largest sub-tropical. It is my intention to reflect the rawness of this landscape. Broad brush strokes dominate in this work to give the landscape a strong sense of character and strength.
Photographer: Janet Ambrose
Jumping for Joy, Vote Now
Artist: Jenny Neubecker
Artist Location: Waterloo
Medium: Pencil and graphite on paper, 2021
Dimensions: 41 x 2 x 58 cm
Artist Statement:
No matter the weather or time of day, our working dogs jump for joy when they are released from their pens. Sometimes that’s for work or sometimes just for play; either way their joyful enthusiasm is contagious. Whatever my days’ circumstances or the mood I might be in they bring instant joy and pleasure. Without any worries about the past or anxiety about the future they live completely in the present and celebrate in leaps and bounds without a hint of self-consciousness. Being with them when they play, or work the cows, brings joy to my soul and reminds me to enjoy and to celebrate the small pleasures of life.
Photographer: Jenny Neubecker
Self-Portrait, Vote Now
Artist: Elizabeth Graetz
Artist Location: Dalby
Medium: Textile, 2020
Dimensions: 88 x 1 x 64 cm
Artist Statement:
Celebrating the colour of life- the effervescent highs and the dispiriting lows make me who I am today. Over the past few years, I have battled demons no-one else can see and still hold my head high, colouring my perspective on life. I live in a small town of limited views and understanding and look to reflect a sense that today is all we have- tomorrow is never a promise. So live in the here and now, celebrate what we have and reflect light and wonder on the world around us!
Photographer: Elizabeth Graetz
I Left My Heart On The Island, Vote Now
Artist: Jay Feather
Artist Location: Qunaba
Medium: Oil and acrylic on cotton linen blend canvas, 2021
Dimensions: 90 x 3 x 70 cm
Artist Statement:
This piece is very special to me, it was created when I was pregnant with my second child. I find it joyful and it reminds me of my son. After having a failed pregnancy, I was able to reflect on the negative space I had come from and into a happy positive space being pregnant. My marks are strong and confident in this piece through the use of thick oil paint and use of a pallet knife. Forever now I will be reminded of the happy island of hope that emerge from the tumultuous sea of despair, of which, I know I will never return.
Photographer: Jay Feather
Out and about, Vote Now
Artist: Jennifer Wright (Summers)
Artist Location: Toowoomba
Medium: Woven Chir pine needles, cotton threads, metal ear ring, 2021
Dimensions: 20 x 17 x 17 cm
Artist Statement:
This work reflects the joy of going out on the town to connect with friends or celebrate at a festival. During the past year going out to ‘paint the town’ has become even more precious.
The base of the piece is an urn in which treasures could be placed.
The pine needles are from a heritage Chir pine planted in 1850 at the opening of the first Royal Toowoomba show. The tree stands at the entrance of much beloved Cobb & Co Museum 171 years later.
The cap of this piece is reminiscent of going on the Merry-go-round at a Show in childhood and with friends, children and grandchildren.
The coloured cotton threads were selected by a process similar to dressing up – and thinking a colour theme for an outfit or selecting ear rings that suits a mood.
Photographer: Jennifer Wright (Summers)
Mardi Gras, Vote Now
Artist: Richard Ranson
Artist Location: Charleville
Medium: Acrylic on Canvas, 2021
Dimensions: 76 x 4 x 76 cm
Artist Statement:
Mardi Gras. In your face, loud, confronting, and oh so good. It is the perfect vehicle for painting the town red!
For me, whether it’s Sydney or Rio de Janeiro, the essence is the same. A relentless underlying beat that carries performers high on a wave of emotion and excitement.
I am drawn to the way a Mardi Gras is not about one person. It’s a living writhing thing, moving through the crowds like a serpent or a Chinese dragon. I have tried to reflect this with performers painted in the minimalist style.
Photographer: Richard Ranson
A Covid Birthday, Vote Now
Artist: Emma Thorp
Artist Location: Dundowran Beach
Medium: Digital Drawing Print, 2021
Dimensions: 70 x 0.29999999999999999 x 50 cm
Artist Statement:
During an early period of Covid lockdown, my daughter turned 11.
Unwilling to leave the house for trivial items, we ordered her gifts online and had them delivered. I did not do the careful, deliberate shopping for decorations of years gone past. What is her favourite colour? What is the best theme? These were questions I did not ask.
We still decorated for our family dinner, she had a miss matched array of plates and napkins and wrappings from past celebrations. She still had a wonderful birthday. It was actually one of the best, since during Covid we have become more aware of what is important and how much we value experiences with our loved ones.
Photographer: Emma Thorp
MY HAPPY PLACE, Vote Now
Artist: Christine Holden
Artist Location: Boyne Island
Medium: Marine debris rope, twine and fishing line, 2021
Dimensions: 16 x 25 x 26 cm
Artist Statement:
Life is full of highs and lows and the challenges we face can be overwhelming at times, so for me, creating art helps me to maintain a healthy balance. Simply put, weaving makes me happy. The process of gathering materials from the environment, recycling and reusing what is around me is a very healing activity that quietens the mind and replenishes the sole. Through this journey I have become increasingly aware of the need for everyone to reduce their waste and protect our beautiful planet. This basket reflects my love of the ocean and our unique Australian reef systems that need our help to remain a happy place for future generations.
Photographer: Christine Holden
Drought Rain
Artist: Jasna Spiranovic
Artist Location: Hollywell
Medium: Watercolour on paper, 2021
Dimensions: 30 x 2 x 42 cm
Artist Statement:
In summer 2021 I was bushwalking in the Giirraween National Park where the local town was buying in tank water because of the extended drought. One day it rained and I couldn’t believe my eyes . The colours changed immediately .
I celebrated the breaking of the drought by drawing and painting in the rain.
Photographer: Jasna Spiranovic
West, Vote Now
View Digital Artwork Artist: Renee Yates
Artist Location: East Ipswich
Medium: Mixed media animation, 2021
Dimensions: 0 x 0 x 0 cm
Artist Statement:
West is a moving-image landscape that captures a familiar scene west of the city: the coal trains rumbling through the Queensland countryside as an afternoon storm rolls in down the range. As an artist who works in the Lockyer Valley, I see coal trains as both living relics exisiting on borrowed time and as a symbol of Queensland’s city-country connection. This connection is evident with the economic function of the coal industry (mining in Western Queensland provides city workers and the economy with the expendable income that allows them to figuratively “paint the town”) and with the juxtaposition of the colourful stylised urban street art that adorns the trains with the natural palette of the countryside. West was created with mixed media craft processes (graphite drawings and painted paper collage) that were digitised and brought to life with animation and audio field recordings and footage.
Photographer: Renee Yates
Liberation, Vote Now
Artist: Liz Celegato
Artist Location: Eatons Hill
Medium: Acrylic on Canvas, 2020
Dimensions: 91 x 4 x 91 cm
Artist Statement:
As an artist, utilising bright, exciting colours definately evoke feelings within me of enjoyment, euphoria, contentment, optimism, and celebration. They often conjure a sense of pure and utmost joy! I have attempted to combine free flowing bright colour along with stylised, patterned birds in order to seek the true meaning of the title of this work, ‘Liberation’. Liberation is the action of setting someone or something free – it is a release – and that is what I felt when I created this artwork during this new era of Covid. Our modern world, right now, can often feel so negative, strange and daunting but we all need to keep the positivity happening. Everyone should be encouraged to ‘paint the town’……however they see fit. To live in the moment and appreciate the good things that life still has to offer. To be reminded of feelings of happiness, joy & contentment. To feel liberated and to be thankful…..
Photographer: Liz Celegato
Reflecting on Family, Vote Now
Artist: Colleen Helmore
Artist Location: Burnett Heads
Medium: Watercolour, 2021
Dimensions: 54 x 0 x 34 cm
Artist Statement:
Covid has interrupted many family gatherings and when your only granddaughter who lives in Perth comes to visit for the first time in nearly two years the joy is indescribable. My ‘Paint the Town’ moment comes with a quiet reflection on the joy of having nurtured a family who want to visit us and share the joy of their family. Every single moment with them is a celebration and when they leave and go back to their own lives, I can quietly glance at this painting and smile at the memories.
Photographer: Colleen Helmore
Granite Country
Artist: Jennifer Redmond
Artist Location: Highvale
Medium: Acrylic on board, 2021
Dimensions: 70 x 100 cm
Artist Statement:
The Tablelands and the Granite Belt portray a ‘sense of silence’ a ‘sense of beauty’ and a ‘sense of place’ where the trees and boulders stand before you reaching for the sky.
There is an essence which is magic.
Photographer: Jennifer Redmond
The Royal
Artist: LeAnne Vincent
Artist Location: Sadliers Crossing
Medium: Pigment print on Photo Rag, 2021
Dimensions: 52 x 0.2 x 75 cm
Artist Statement:
The outback town of Winton asserts a festive atmosphere ideal for celebration, with a main street lined with carnival lights, lively hotels, and The Royal theatre, Australia’s most iconic open-air cinema, and one of only two still operating.
Constructed in 1938 and still standing triumphantly, this building has largely escaped graffiti, bar a solitary, roughly painted face, aptly reminiscent of the Greek theatre masks of comedy and tragedy. The simple architecture of this shed-like structure of corrugated iron walls without a roof, adds to the quirky ambiance that serves to recreate the excitement of the silver screen era in the outback.
A chance moment led me to this experience on a recent road trip from Ipswich to Winton. On a cold evening, with freshly cooked popcorn in hand, I celebrated being in the outback, with John Wayne in The Desert Trail, set against the Winton evening sky.
Photographer: LeAnne Vincent
David Invited a Few Friends Over (after lockdown ended), Vote Now
Artist: Marlies Oakley
Artist Location: BUNDABERG
Medium: 3D Hancut Collage, 2020
Dimensions: 82 x 4 x 62 cm
Artist Statement:
How we dream of flying to Europe to party with our overseas friends and families, but we know the reality. Parties and celebrations have been planned, rearranged and cancelled, all at short notice. Social responsibility is the mantra of the new normal, as we try to do the right thing, with its confusing and sometimes conflicting messages.
It started as a quite get together as David invited a few of his fellow artistic friends over (after lockdown had ended of course), but things got a bit out of hand when JD was invited, which was hardly a big surprise.
You can see for yourself where it ended up, but I guess these things can happen to those who have remained still and silent for a few hundred years.
I just hope we’re free again soon and David invites us to his next “get together”.
Photographer: Marlies Oakley
When hippies choose the colour scheme, Vote Now
Artist: Caralyn Wiles
Artist Location: Welcome Creek
Medium: Acrylic on canvas board, 2021
Dimensions: 25 x 0.5 x 51 cm
Artist Statement:
Celebrating to me revolves around colour. We dress up in colour and adorn ourselves with colourful pieces. This piece takes the viewer to the extreme of celbrating by painting the town vibrant colours
Photographer: Caralyn Wiles
Bushwalk
Artist: Jasna Spiranovic
Artist Location: Hollywell
Medium: Oil on canvas, 2021
Dimensions: 93 x 4 x 77 cm
Artist Statement:
I celebrate the little things in life by going for walks in nature.
This painting depicts a walk I did one morning where I felt I was walking in clouds one moment and then the forest the next moments. These Spaces of nature not only calm my mind but make me feel appreciate nature .
Photographer: Jasna Spiranovic
Celebration of the bridge, Vote Now
Artist: Tarja Ahokas
Artist Location: Ninderry
Medium: Acrylic on canvas, 2021
Dimensions: 45.200000000000003 x 3.7000000000000002 x 45.700000000000003 cm
Artist Statement:
Artwork is often projected onto bridges for various celebrations.
My new bridge, built over a ditch, leading to my studio is not as grand as the Brisbane Story Bridge but it also has its own story and I wanted to “paint the town” by celebrating my bridge with my own colours and imagery.
Photographer: Tarja Ahokas
Wallum 3
Artist: Joolie Gibbs
Artist Location: Gympie
Medium: Local botanical inks on Arches paper, 2021
Dimensions: 76 x 0 x 56.5 cm
Artist Statement:
A sign of the times, or a sign of my age, means I have revisited what I would term ‘painting the town red’. These days I celebrate more and more my local/regional environment, which gives me bigger thrills than a night on the town.
I can thoroughly feel fulfilled with a day walking, listening and observing nature, in particular the Wallum heathlands. Sighting the new wildflowers each season gives much joy, and the fact that brave women before me, advocated to save the Cooloola National Park from destruction from mining and logging in the 1960’s gives me cause for celebration.
In respecting this fragile but impermanent environment, constantly in a state of transience, I choose to only use botanical inks I have made from my property. Luscious, sepia red colours from Gympie Messmate, Iron Bark, Eucalyptus, Bunya and golden yellow from the Red Kamala, compound my love of my environment.
Photographer: Joolie Gibbs
The Sacred Tree (Araucaria bidwillii), Vote Now
Artist: Leisa Gunton
Artist Location: Cambroon
Medium: 500m of natural fibre, 4000 knots, handmade porcelain pieces embedded with Bunya, cats claw hoops, strung onto Bunya heartwood, hand shaped and sealed with fire, and 100% biodegradable., 2021
Dimensions: 100 x 2 x 100 cm
Artist Statement:
The sacred tree is better known as the Bunya Pine. Bunyas dominated the landscape of the great subcontinent Gondwanda, 200million years ago. It was lore to never harm these sacred trees, but as early settlers logged the giants of yesteryear, the local indigenous still mourn for their loss.
The great Bunya gathering was an annual tradition that united indigenous peoples of this land, and many would make the pilgrimage to celebrate the abundance that the Bunyi/Bonyi would bring. Due to covid19, the gathering was unable to happen, so I created this 100% biodegradable wall hanging in recognition of The Kabi Kabi people and celebrate the Bunya.
Photographer: Richard Muldoon
Going in Cycles, Vote Now
Artist: Glen Smith
Artist Location: Bundamba
Medium: Mix Media, 2021
Dimensions: 66 x 4 x 50 cm
Artist Statement:
For me the joy I get from being involved with our art community gives me a sense of belonging and fulfilment. One of the ways I achieve this is by hosting or partaking in workshops. As a member of a local art group we come together to share ideas, food, good company, the love of art and a little gossip. Our workshops are simple affairs that all are welcome regards of skills and abilities and we get to take home a little memento of the day. In this small way we are painting a town that is inclusive, accepting, joyous and known as an artist hub. I have created this piece of mini artworks showcasing some of the many workshops I have attended or tutored, from book folding, drawing, painting, eco dying to felting just to name a few.
Photographer: Glen Smith
Family Colour, Vote Now
Artist: Tricia Reust
Artist Location: Clontarf
Medium: Mixed Media on Canvas, 2021
Dimensions: 76 x 3 x 76 cm
Artist Statement:
Artist Statement – Tricia Reust
FAMILY COLOUR
Mixed Media on Canvas
76 sq cms
Joy and undaunted application abound every time we create together – how better to celebrate being an artist than to share art with my grandchildren? They bring me closer to the primary reasons I draw each day.
Here, a portrait of Nanna (me!), a portrait of Rudolph and an ice cream melting in the sun – all gifts – are collaged around my jar drawing, full to the brim with rediscovery of my life work.
When we make art together we “paint the town” in family colour.
Photographer: mark Lutz
To the Citizens of Paradise
View Digital Artwork Artist: Bianca Tainsh
Artist Location: WEYBA DOWNS
Medium: Digital print on Hahnemühle Bamboo paper, graphite, frame made from sustainable timber, wood chips from land cleared for a shopping mall expansion, online video 1:46min., 2021
Dimensions: 65 x 3.5 x 58 cm
Artist Statement:
With a practice grounded in social change, open-disciplinary artist Bianca Tainsh generates spaces for reflection on social dilemma, with suggestive cues to self-evolve. Her work To the Citizens of Paradise was conceptualised as a response to the exodus of urban inhabitants to idyllic rural locations, in the wake of COVID-19. As towns swell, commercial development is accelerated. And this multidimensional work is an entreaty to these new neighbours to discard urban penchants for convenient consumerism and celebrate a life elevated by locality – our beautiful biosphere and village culture. As a development of her own recent return to ‘paradise’ Tainsh’s more current works seek to reframe the magnificence of the wilderness. At the same time, she avoids romantic and empirical approaches, and comes from a place where primal connections become fundamental for the individual to identify with our true nature, as part of the whole.
Photographer: Bianca Tainsh
Kickin Up Ya Heels, Vote Now
Artist: Donna Rivers
Artist Location: Jundah
Medium: Acrylic on canvas, 2021
Dimensions: 60 x 3.5 x 60 cm
Artist Statement:
My preference is to explore with acrylic mediums and textures in a free style to bring my art pieces to life.
Kicking Up Ya Heels has been created with bold colours, textures and evolving brush strokes. With feelings that bring joy of having fun, a connection to country, family and friends and elevates life in our town.
My artwork captures the sense of excitement of the ‘paint the town’ theme as it represents the atmosphere, culture and people of my town, Jundah, during times of celebration. It has a strong visual appetite for colours in my outback surrounding at festive times.
Photographer: Donna Rivers
Off The Wall, Vote Now
Artist: Cathy Condon
Artist Location: Gympie
Medium: mixed media on plasterboard, 2021
Dimensions: 94 x 3 x 90 cm
Artist Statement:
I created a temporary walk-in canvas in a former office space the owners gave me for three months. The permission to paint on the walls, gave me the freedom to develop an immersive canvas experience. I installed 12 large stretched blank canvases, then worked right to left, painting the entire room stenciling with vintage lace and using paint. The canvases were included as part of the wall. These works sat immersed in the space yet remained individual works. There was no frame, there was no single look, just complete immersion. It was a pure celebration of painting.
Off The Wall is a piece of the wall that was cut down when the three months ended.
“There is a beautiful freedom and a joy to express yourself as an artist in the entirety of a room. I absolutely loved the scale of this project and celebrated it by painting my heart out.”
Photographer: Cathy Condon
Celebration of colour, Vote Now
Artist: Jeanie MacNamara
Artist Location: Benaraby
Medium: Acrylic on canvas, 2021
Dimensions: 60 x 3.2999999999999998 x 80 cm
Artist Statement:
Border closures, lock-downs and social distancing were terms found in science fiction novels until COVID hit. My joy until then was to go out into this beautiful world that we share and paint it in all its glory, especially when I was able to do so with my friend Gayle – another passionate artist, who showed me the joy of painting landscapes. To my delight, in between lockdowns, my friend and I stole an afternoon at Newstead House when the Poincianna trees were in riotous flower. While this painting most certainly celebrates the vivid colours of the river and the trees, what it celebrates more is the time I managed to spend with Gayle. When artists come together to paint the wonders of this glorious land, either in silent contemplation or joyous laughter, the world is a better place.
Photographer: Jeanie MacNamara
Millennium Esplanade, Vote Now
Artist: Wendy Bache
Artist Location: Tannum Sands
Medium: Oil on canvas, 2021
Dimensions: 90 x 3.5 x 120 cm
Artist Statement:
The beach here in Tannum Sands is just the most gorgeous place. I love to hang out around here. The gardens are lush and tropical, there are so many places for picnics and bbq’s. How lucky we are, to have this in our back yard. I think the Highlight of Tannum Sands is definitely this place, if you haven’t been here, then you haven’t been to Tannum.
Photographer: Wendy Bache
Seeds of creativity, Vote Now
Artist: Shelley Pisani
Artist Location: Avenell Heights
Medium: gel plate printing, screen printing, hand stitching, acrylic and gold leaf on paper, 2021
Dimensions: 56 x 0 x 38 cm
Artist Statement:
Over the last 2 years I have been delivering a project across Central Queensland that has been building the capacity of visual artists, encouraging new ways of thinking. As I travelled for this project I saw the seed pods of the Illawarra Flame Tree regularly and to me it became a symbol of the fertile collaborations being created. I started drawing the pods in March 2020 at a residency near Baralaba and have continued to explore their shapes through printmaking.
As this project nears its end, I have been reflecting on the joy that the moments of seeing artists thrive has given me. The 7 seed pods represent the 7 regions in Central Queensland where I have been working. They are stitched together embodying the bonds created between artists and regions. Glints of golden moments that have seeded new work, new collaborations and inspiration – a cause for celebration.
Photographer: Shelley Pisani
Flaming Trolley, Vote Now
Artist: Julie Purcell
Artist Location: Kippa-Ring
Medium: Oil on salvaged board, 2020
Dimensions: 42 x 0.29999999999999999 x 47.5 cm
Artist Statement:
My family celebrate by burning things. Most days spent working on our Beebo property south-west of Brisbane conclude with a fire in our ready-made brazier. We warm our feet on “foot rocks” pulled up from the stone ringed cacti garden nearby, crack a bottle or two of home brew and yarn till the stars come out. With the idiosyncrasy of our pastime flickering formally in my plein air brushwork, this painting presents the bush as a backdrop for contemporary family life.
Photographer: Julie Purcell
Happiness
Artist: Vicki Buttrose
Artist Location: Warwick
Medium: Acrylic, 2021
Dimensions: 40 x 3 x 50 cm
Artist Statement:
Using colour rather than painting the town, I have painted the emotion you feel when you celebrate. The happy glow with bubbles of excitement and whisps of freedom that you experience in those moments of elation and celebration.
Photographer: Vicki Buttrose
