Gosford Art Prize 2023 – KAB Gallery Artist Finalists
-
Kerry-Anne Blanket - 08/09/2023
Every year the Gosford Art Prize is clearly marked on my calendar as a landmark event. As always several of the artists from my KAB Gallery stable have been announced as finalists, and this year I’m overjoyed to announce the following artists are finalists:
Katerina Apale, Jacki Fewtrell-Gobert, Cathryn McEwen, Pete Rush
The Gosford Art Prize is the premier art prize of the Central Coast region, with local and national artists engaging in the competition. The exhibition of finalists showcases work by artists from across the nation, competing for over $25,000 in prizes:
- First Prize – $15,000
- Second Prize – $5,000
- Aboriginal Artist Prize – $2,500
- Gosford Ceramics Prize – $2,000
- Highly Commended – $1,000 (two prizes)
- Viewer’s Choice Award – $500 gift voucher
Prizes are awarded for 2-dimensional artworks (including painting, drawing, printing, and mixed media), photography & digital media, sculpture and ceramics.
With so many artists entering the annual prize, a sense of excitement lingers every year as we await the announcement of the finalists. KAB Gallery is so proud of our artists who have been selected as finalists.
Congratulations to our 2023 FINALISTS
Katerina Apale It will be wonderful to see Katerina’s art at the Gosford Regional Gallery again since her beautiful solo exhibition there a few months ago. Her work is large, vibrant and nostalgic. There is a sense of self and everyday familiarity within all of her works. They ooze feelings of joy and life comforts.
“How About Me?” captures a heartfelt moment featuring two dogs in front of the open fridge. The raw and textured brushstrokes portray a melancholic Basset Hound looking into our eyes, while a sense of disappointment tugs at our hearts as he finds nothing in the fridge, evoking contemplation about unfulfilled desires.
Jacki Fewtrell-Gobert is a repeat Finalist in the Gosford Art Prize. This intimate still life with a unique composition is very engaging. Her approach to this piece is similar to her popular still life artworks, loaded with vibrancy and a painterly style.
“An intimate view into an individual’s life… A bedroom with an open wardrobe which reveals clothing, shoes, handbags, luggage, etc. A little disorganised, but its owner knows where everything is kept.”
Cathryn McEwen‘s unmissable piece this year is a diptych titled “Daylight Savings”.
Cathryn McEwen’s closely cropped compositions investigate the beauty of colour, shape and textural effects distorted in older glass – looking on and through uneven surfaces to reveal enigmatic hints of our past.
Pete Rush is a popular Central Coast artist, known famously for his site-specific sculptures – land art. A repeat finalist in the Gosford Art Prize with a 2D work. In 2022 Pete Rush was a finalist with a similarly titled work, but while the title is similar the work itself is very different.
‘Mr Baboon delivers another horse by moonlight’ was sparked by a sea sponge found on Wamberal beach which resembled a tree. With the help of oils and imagination the little tree became a forest beside a moonlit lagoon where some of Pete’s sculptures have come to life. Hidden in the landscape are faces and monks and a towering primitive mask.
Congratulations to the 2022 Gosford Art Prize Winner, Claire Tozer, for her artwork “Web”:
We look forward to seeing who the winner is for 2023. Announced this evening, 8.9.23
Click here for a full list of Gosford Art Prize Finalists for 2023
Kerry-Anne Blanket
Director & Curator - KAB Gallery
KAB Gallery’s Kerry-Anne Blanket holds a Bachelor of Visual Arts and two Masters degrees (Hons) from the University of Sydney. With an extensive career in art education along with the management of museums and investment art galleries, Kerry-Anne can offer premier art consulting to her clients and source specially requested works.
She has a keen eye for detail, comprehensive art market knowledge and a love of all things beautiful. Kerry-Anne works directly with artists and collectors alike to curate interesting and eclectic exhibitions.
