Waverley Art Prize Results

Well, I didn't win the Open Prize for this competition. Nor did I win one of the 7 $1000 prizes. Nor did I get one of the 10 Highly Commendeds. Or even a Commended. My work was in the same room as the winning works... I knew I wouldn't be winning anything, because they phone the winners during the day to see if they'll be at the opening or not. They also have all the winning works on the wall that faces the door in the main exhibition room (even though they don't announce the winners for an hour into the opening). Mine was on the same wall as the door. I went to the opening anyway to see what the competition was like.

There was some really great work there, but also a lot of what looks like Sunday painter art. No images of this year's winners yet, but have a look at last year's winners and see what I mean. The winner of the Open prize this year wasn't much better than the top one from last year. It looked like a drawing from an art class where the teacher has arranged a still life and this student has drawn it quickly and roughly. I just don't get the judges' decision. I'm not saying I should have won (I'm also not saying I shouldn't have won!), but there were at least 25 works there that were better executed, more imaginative, and more aesthetically pleasing in almost every way! Maybe I'm just really out of touch with contemporary taste. Or are my grapes, as they say, sour?