Peter Smeeth – 2016 Black Swan Finalist

The Black Swan Prize is one of Australia’s richest Portraiture Prizes, featuring the $50,000 Lester Group Prize, the $7,500 Amana Living People’s Choice Prize; and the recent addition of the $10,000 Tony Fini Foundation Artist Prize.

It’s a tough competition with an outstanding calibre of Australian entrants and I am pleased to announce that KAB Gallery artist, Peter Smeeth, is a 2016 finalist. He painted James A Pitts, a rehabilitated American gangster known as Diamond Jim (Detriot drug dealer & user c.1970’s) currently residing in Sydney. Read more about James A Pitt

The adult finalist portraiture works, including Peter Smeeth’s portrait of James A Pitt, will be on public display at WA’s State Art Gallery. The Black Swan Prize for Portraiture will be the signature event of AGWA’s Portraiture Month from Saturday 8 – Monday 31 October 2016. The prize attracts a broad audience of art lovers and general public alike.

Of course as a winner and regular finalist in most of Australia’s top prizes this is just another feather in Peter Smeeth’s cap. I am however very excited to find out if this particularly amazing painting is a winner on 14th October. The painting is a superb example of his artistic skill and in my opinion certainly deserves to win. I spoke to Peter today regarding the prize and he was as humble as ever focusing on his current studio work.