Comments from Judge
Kim Percy
Rialto Gallery Hepburn

Daylesford Art Show

Winner: Still Life
Roger Roberts ‘Still Life with Red Cabbage’
Still life can often be very ‘still’ yet this work has movement and energy. The loose, flowing
brush strokes ask the viewer to consider the painting as an active process. The vibrant
colours transform the humble cabbage into a celebration of life, with the cyan blue
highlights jumping out of the deep, warm hues catching our eye and drawing us further into
the forms.

Winner: Abstract
Marina Chamberlain ‘The Mystique of Blue’
Traditionally abstract invites the viewer to leave the recognisable and to travel into a space
of emotive response. The layering of blues in this work creates a sense of something being
revealed like a dream, possibly only half remembered yet the delicate pencil lines create
pathways for the viewer to follow over and across the surface. This work is both gentle and
poetic.

Winner: Animalia
Geordie ‘Gem’ Williamson ‘Mr Citrus’
Who hasn’t met a rooster who stares us down like Mr Citrus. When gazing at the
articulation of line and tone upon the paper, we could easily forget that the marks were
made by hand. It’s exquisite detail describes long sharp wing feathers against soft downy
belly fluff, all beautifully composed upon white space.
Winner: Central Victoria Landscape
Toby Hudson ‘Into the Woods’
The woods hold mystery and this work asks the viewer to drift down the track to a place
unknown yet so familiar. The trees daintily stretch up reminding us of the Australian Art
Nouveau artist Sidney Long. But it isn’t just the misty landscape that is so strange, there are
marks or letters embedded onto the surface that are discoverable for those who spend the
time to contemplate & dig deeper into the landscape.
Winner: Seascape, Urbanscape, Landscape
Matthew Petrucci ‘Vista Along Tipperary Track’
Bright hues create this abstracted landscape, trees trunks appear almost torn through the
paint rather than placed on top with a brush. The warm tones peer through the sky blue
mountains in the distance. Gold and orange vibrates against purple, against the iridescent
green. This work is a festa of colour and asks the viewer to reconsider the landscape.

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Winner: Portrait
Rodney Edelsten ‘Friday Portrait’
Friday Portrait shares multiple perspectives, telling us a simple story of a man sitting with his
cane . His age is indeterminate as the white hair implies elderly yet his eyes are young. The
use of pastel has a painterly quality which suggests a modernist era.

Winner: Children
Amelia Ruzeu ‘Jedna Hruska’
The beautiful pear leaf curls against the body of the fruit, this work demonstrates technical
craft – a subtle loosening of the brushstroke shows a creative potential to further explore
painting. There is also something intimate about the size of this work, like a heart that can
be held in the hand.
Winner: Emerging
Irma Zimmermann ‘Stolen Pomegranates’
A lovely composition, Stolen Pomegranates tells a simple story that is is familiar and takes
the viewer back to a universal grandparents kitchen full of warmth and security.

Best in Show:
Geordie ‘Gem’ Williamson ‘Sticky Situation’
The moment that Morgan and I saw this work, we knew that it was the standout piece.
Technically, it is wonderfully crafted with the blending of colour to create light and form, yet
it is far more than that. The eyes gaze to the side connecting with something or someone
beyond the canvas, with lips that are slightly pursed as if they are about to speak. The face
has the obvious signs of teen-hood, both fresh and ravished by the hormones that we all
have past through. But it is the addition of the glistening sticky tape wrapping around the
head that asks us to question why. Is it over the face in play or as a barrier or mask to hide
behind? Is it physically across their head or a metaphor for the awkward situations that we
have all experienced when we were young? This painting is eloquent, playful, and
beautifully executed.