Geoff wins best in show
Nar Nar Goon North artist Geoff Sargeant was excited to take out the best exhibit prize at the 2020 Ficifolia Art Show in Drouin.
In addition to winning $2000 J.H. Cuthbertson Award for best exhibit in show, Geoff’s landscape entry “Earth Burning Kawah Papandayan” also won the Baw Baw Arts Alliance Maery Gabriel Award for best landscape.
Geoff entered his first Ficifolia art show in 1996 when it was located at Drouin Primary School and has continued to enter in all art shows held since. However, this year offered his best result and Geoff said, “I was very excited”.
It was whilst living in Indonesia and working with a British volunteer service that Geoff first visited volcano Kawah Papandayan. Its vivid colours inspired him to create his award-winning drawing of the volcano landscape.
Geoff said the entry, and its inclusion of white ash, seemed quite topical and offered synchronicity to bushfires crisis in East Gippsland where the bushland was reduced to white ash.
Drouin West artist Lisa Kurec’s print “View from the Top of the Track, Drouin West” won the Baw Baw Shire Council Award for best exhibit in any medium by a shire resident. Lisa’s entry also won best print work.
Longwarry artist Lauren Foenander took out the Lyrebird Villages for the Aged Acquisitive Award for entry “The Beginning of the End”.
The BBAA Maery Gabriel Award for best landscape went to Rhonda Grey for “The Artist, The Inside Story”. An honourable mention for this category went to Ben Chilver’s “The Observer”.
Best 3D exhibit was awarded to Steve Buvari’s “Aftermath” and best mixed media went to Renee Bucknall’s “Dance Like No One is Watching”.
Best photography went to Jillian Black’s “Predicaments” with Russell Monson’s “Ring2” awarded second and Laurie Wasson’s “Salmon Rocks, Cape Conran” awarded an honourable mention.
The best still life category was taken out by Margaret Koopman’s entry “Tranquillity” with an honourable mention to Rhonda Grey’s “Vulnerability”.
Halina Tig took out best sporting artwork in any medium with “Sailing in Stormy Seas” whilst Donna Mitchell gained an honourable mention for “Penny to Sell is Her Name”.
Best small work was awarded to Donna Mitchell’s “A Dry Spell” with Bob Hickman’s “The Hare and the Moon” and Graham Duell’s “Anemone” receiving honourable mentions in that category.
In the secondary student category, Scarlett Daly won with “Little Angel Daniel”. The best exhibit by a primary school student was won by Winter Busse’s exhibit “The Powers Above” and Josh Thorne’s “Blue Icypole” gained an honourable mention.