With entries rolling in for the Mary Valley Art Festival, organisers have announced the judges for the annual event.
The event, hosted by Mary Valley Artslink at Imbil from July 20 to July 23, will offer $13,000 in prize money.
Sunshine Coast artists Llew Brennan and Ian Gunn will join Tony Gill on the judging panel.
So there’s a lot riding on the decisions made by Llew, Ian and Tony, but they are well equipped to meet the challenge.
Llew Brennan says he was born an artist, painting and drawing from the day he could hold a pencil, and selling art by the time he was a teenager.
He has been committed to his own form of realism in his art throughout his 30-year career, reflecting on the rural nature and culture of the region that he lives in.
His work is represented by numerous galleries including Manyung Galleries in Victoria, Arthouse Gallery in Brisbane, Avra Art Gallery in New Jersey and Cross Gate Gallery in Kentucky.
He lives near Cooran and his art reflects the landscape and the people that surround his everyday life, as well as the people and places he visits in his travels.
Also based on the Sunshine Coast, Mr Gunn is a multi-award-winning artist who was born in England and arrived in Australia in 1991.
His art education began at the Cleveland College of Art and Design in the UK and continued for four years in Australia.
He has participated in more than 50 exhibitions, solo and group, since 1996 and was an art educator for 10 years, turning to his art full-time in 2004.
In 2022, he won the Du Reitz Art Prize in Gympie.
He was selected for the final of the Sunshine Coast Art Prize (2022) and also a finalist in the Jacaranda Acquisitive Drawing Award last year, which is touring until mid-2024.
Mr Gill, with his partner Jane Caraffi, were directors of Art on Cairncross, a commercial gallery on the outskirts of Maleny. He has been involved with running commercial galleries on the Sunshine Coast for more than 26 years.
The couple started compiling art gallery trails very early in their business life, seeing the need for a united stand with their fellow galleries to attract visitors and locals to the wealth of art available on the Sunshine Coast.
They have retired from their gallery but still play an active role in the visual arts scene in the region.
Mr Gill has worked with the region’s tourist organisations and was one of the founders of the now prestigious Sunshine Coast Art Prize.
They have travelled extensively and firmly believe that the Sunshine Coast is one the premier art destinations in provincial regions of the country.
It has been said that the Sunshine Coast – and particularly the hinterland – have more artists per capita than any other region in Australia.
Festival entries are being accepted and there is expected to be some great competition for the major prizes.
Sections include: open, three dimensional, landscapes, novice, animalia, still life, human form/portraits, drawing, abstract and aged 12-17.
Festival entries will close on July 10, and can be found at Mary Valley Art Festival.
Local journalists supporting local people. Help keep independent and fair Sunshine Coast news coming by subscribing to our FREE daily news feed. All it requires is your name and email at the bottom of this article.
