23 April 2019

Victorian artists light up Jindabyne's Lake Light Sculpture

| Alex Rea
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Matt Hill, winner of the $10,000 Major Award with Mumma & Foal. Photo: ZRS Photography.

Three Victorians are the major winners of the 17th Annual Lake Light Sculpture exhibition, held at Banjo Paterson Park, Jindabyne over the Easter long weekend.

Winner of the Major Award of $10,000 sponsored by Thredbo Resort was sculptor Matt Hill of Rye (VIC) with his entry Mumma and Foal. The two-piece sculpture is of a mare and her foal and is made from Corten steel.

Judge Jimmy Rix said of the piece that it shows that the sculptor has a great command of his skills and that the work captures the viewer’s attention and stirs emotions.

Matt Hill, who is a carpenter by trade and loves to surf and weld, was thrilled with the win.

“The work is the result of hours of work and I’m rapt that I have won this great award,” he said.

‘Gypsy of the Deep’ by Sam Anderson won The Illumination Award. Photo: ZRS Photography.

Sam Anderson of Londrigan in North East Victoria won the second major award, the $5,000 Illumination Award, with his work Gypsy of the Deep. The 7.75m long whale shark is illuminated from within and made from recycled materials and galvanised sheet steel.

“I hope that my whale shark brings joy and magic to those that see it. It took 40 days to make and includes 40m of LED lighting,” said Mr Anderson.

This is the first time that Mr Anderson has exhibited at Lake Light Sculpture, in March he won several awards at Sculpture Bermagui on the Far South Coast.

The third major prize of Lake Light Sculpture is the ANU School of Art & Design Sculpture Workshop Residency Prize was won by Madelaine Last, of Taggerty (VIC) with her artwork The Bush Chandelier.

Ms Last is a diesel mechanic and is now making beautiful sculptures because she wanted to teach herself how to weld.

“I found inspiration for this piece from the way mistletoe falls and hangs from native Australian trees,” she said.

“I love the teardrop effect that looks like a natural chandelier. Each leaf is made from recycled steel and the artwork includes bolts, car parts, fencing and spark plugs.”

Ms Last, who has no formal art training but will be heading to the ANU for a three-week residency in the sculpture school.

A record number of 140 sculptures were included in this years exhibition.

The full Easter moon also adds to the beautiful night-time ambiance of the event. By night the sculptures light up under colourful degrees of illumination.

Winner of the ANU School of Art & Design residency prize, Madeleine Last with ‘Bush Chandelier’. Photo: ZRS Photography.

The indoor Small Sculpture Exhibition, held at Rydges Snowy Mountains, was a new addition to the program.

Artistic Director and local art teacher Ben Eyles said, “These sculptures may be small in stature but will leave a big impression.”

“This has appealed to artists who work in glass, delicate or fragile materials that can’t bear the wear and tear of an outdoor sculpture exhibition.”

This year’s judging panel was made up of Victoria Harris, Jimmy Rix and Dierdre Pearce.

Other award winners were:

  • Environmental Awareness Award Winner: St Patrick’s School (Year 9 students) in Cooma (NSW) with Downstream Decay.
  • Snowy Monaro Environment Award Winner: Melinda Brouwer of Ainslie (ACT) with Sentinels.
  • Small Sculpture Winner: Jesse Graham of Eden (NSW) with his entry called Bronze Torso’s.
  • Waste to Art Award Winner: Peter Colbey of Little Hampton (VIC) with his entry Creatures of the River.
  • Encouragement Award Winner: Jan Owens of Jindabyne (NSW) with Ripple Effect.
  • Youth Award Winner: Amelia Eyles of East Jindabyne with Cardbots (Smalls Exhibition).
  • Schools Award Winner: Jindabyne Central School (Year 8) with The Final Straw.
  • The 2019 Winner of both the People’s Choice Day Award: STARGATE by Myles Naylor.

Explore more of Lake Light Sculpture via Facebook.

STARGATE by Myles Naylor. Photo: ZRS Photography.

Original Article published by Alex Rea on About Regional.

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