Jun Chen from Queensland was today announced as the Fleurieu Art Prize Hardys People's Choice Winner for his work Fertile Fields. Chen's rich and vivid landscape was overwhelmingly the crowd favourite, and he receives a cash prize of $2000.
Fleurieu Art Prize General Manager, Karen Paris said, "Visitors clearly felt that Chen's piece, painted following a trip to McLaren Vale, really captured the essence of the region through the rich colour and textures used in the piece, and reflected the abundant and productive landscape of the Fleurieu Peninsula. This announcement is a fitting end to a wonderful event!"
With a total prize pool of $90,000, The Fleurieu Art Prize is the world's richest Landscape Art Prize, a prize of critical and financial significance, attracting Australia's finest landscape artists and supported by internationally significant judges.
The 2011 Fleurieu Art Prize saw thousands of arts lovers attending the six main exhibitions and auxiliary events, attracted by the very high calibre of artwork in this year's prize.
A highlight of the event was the Gala Dinner, held at Hardy's Winery on 12 November, where Julie Harris from NSW was announced as the winner of the $50,000 Fleurieu Landscape Prize, for her work Pagodas at Newnes, by the 2011 judges; Director of the Art Gallery of South Australia, Nick Mitzevich; internationally acclaimed artist, Janet Laurence; and Chair of the Visual Arts Board of the Australia Council and artist, Ted Snell.
Laura Wills from South Australia won the $10,000 Fleurieu Vistas Prize for her work, Rapid Bay Road. Gladdy Kemarre from Western Australia won the $10,000 Fleurieu Water Prize for her work, Anwekety (Bush Plum). Lynne Boyd from Victoria won the $10,000 Fleurieu Water Prize for her work, Lilac Time, Port Phillip Bay. Alice Blanch from South Australia received the $10,000 Fleurieu Youth Scholarship.
The Fleurieu Art Prize is fittingly centred in McLaren Vale and the Fleurieu Peninsula, a region famous for its striking landscape and extraordinary geological formations, as well as being renowned for its fine food, appreciation of art and as a producer of high quality wine.
The prize celebrates both the local environment, which has long been the home to and a source of inspiration for some of Australia's most important landscape artists; and the local community, who continue to support and embrace the arts.
The next biennial Fleurieu Art Prize will be held in 2013, and a call for entries will go out early that year.
For more information visit www.artprize.com.au
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