Just Quickly

Last Friday night my daughter AJ and I went to the Rockhampton Art Gallery to attend the opening of the Gold Award which is an award  for invited artist from around Australia. There were 8 artist in total. I gather that the winner of this award won x amount of money and then on top of that the Gallery purchased the art work. On the same night there was the Bayton Award which was for Central Queensland artist only. This "award" had a pre- selection process where you sent in your entries via CD's and you were then notified if you were selected.
Firstly the Gold Award..... I was so excited to go as it is not often that you can see great Australian art right on your door step...and I do LOVE to look at great art .  When I go to an art gallery I walk until something stops me in my tracks, I may slow down to have a quick look at something but I'm really looking for some thing to jump out at me. Well I rushed into the part of the Gallery where these paintings were hanging and it was very crowded but nothing will stop me when I want to see good art. So I walked and I walked and as I walked my heart sunk. I don't know how to say this in a nice way but the paintings were uninspiring to say the least. I then walked  into the other part of the gallery away from most of the crowd and BANG there was a painting that DID pull me up in my tracks...it was a large painting by Ben Quility. I just loved his Archibald winning painting of Margaret Ollie and this was just magnificent !! I stood and looked and looked and was so happy to be able to see such a painting in my home town. It didn't win but that didn't matter, what won was so bloody awful that I have really nothing to say about it other than the older I get the less I understand....enough said.
Secondly The Bayton Award.  To view these painting you had to go up to the second floor of the gallery. AJ and I went up to look at these local artist work, well what can I say... they, the judges seemed to have selected the paintings so that they all hung nicely as they all looked to share the same color tones which was all browns and nothing I mean nothing jumped out at you. I really think that art should have impact it should make you stop look and ponder and wonder and try and work out how that artist went about creating that work, where he or she was coming from and what  they was trying to say....I'm sorry but they were just boring.

The winner of the Bayton Award

The winner of the Gold Award

I have probably said too much and been too critical but really the people running the Rockhampton Gallery need to get down off their high horses and try to be a little less predictable !!!