Minnawarra Art Award 2021
1 - 16 May, 2021
Armadale District Hall | Armadale, WA
Exhibitions | Minnawarra Art Award 2021
The new and improved Minnawarra Art Awards showcases some of Western Australia’s best artists. As the centrepiece of the Armadale Arts Festival, the Art Awards offers an exciting public program including floor talks, Positive Ageing High Teas and Music in the Hall ensuring that it’s not just the arts lovers that are able to revel in this creative visual feast!
Featured Artworks
ODE TO MAY
May Gibbs is one of my favourite Australian artists. As a child I was completely captivated by her stories and illustrations, always searching for her elusive gum-nut babies. As an adult that adoration has only grown with a deeper understanding and appreciation of the humour and heritage in her work.
Upon reading a biography of May’s life I discovered she spent a couple of her childhood years in Harvey WA. In her 90’s she described her time in Harvey as ‘the two happiest years’ of her life, spent frolicking on the banks of the Harvey River exploring the bush and swimming in river pools with her siblings during the hot summer months.
It’s believed that May drew much of her inspiration for work from her experience in Harvey, igniting my own personal passion to explore the place that left such a life long impression on her.
Technically the river pool portrayed in ‘Ode to May’ doesn’t exist. The Harvey river and surrounding landscape has changed a lot over the last 135 years, but through my research of the Harvey River I have re imagined what one of the river pools the Gibbs siblings enjoyed swimming in may have looked like.
Upon reading a biography of May’s life I discovered she spent a couple of her childhood years in Harvey WA. In her 90’s she described her time in Harvey as ‘the two happiest years’ of her life, spent frolicking on the banks of the Harvey River exploring the bush and swimming in river pools with her siblings during the hot summer months.
It’s believed that May drew much of her inspiration for work from her experience in Harvey, igniting my own personal passion to explore the place that left such a life long impression on her.
Technically the river pool portrayed in ‘Ode to May’ doesn’t exist. The Harvey river and surrounding landscape has changed a lot over the last 135 years, but through my research of the Harvey River I have re imagined what one of the river pools the Gibbs siblings enjoyed swimming in may have looked like.