Artist draws winning reaction

A PASTEL celebrating the love between a young girl and her mother has won the Launceston Art Society's 2012 Holy Trinity Celebrating Life competition.

Clare Holder's Girl in White resonated with judges through its ``richness of mark-making and the use of light and dark to create a true glow''.

``It is a work wrought by a highly competent hand,'' said judge Eva Mehegan, of the work selected from 86 entries.

On learning that Girl in White had won, Holder paid tribute to her art teacher Leoni Duff, who had organised a recent workshop with leading Melbourne pastelist Judy Drew.

``We worked with live models and Judy just showed how by building on layers the medium of pastel can just make a work glow,'' Holder said.

Her work wins $1000 in prizemoney.

Mehegan and co-judge Trudy Humphries were also called on to select a winner for the $350 Greg Waddle Memorial Prize.

Margaret Coombes's work Blue and Gold - Little Blue Lake was the eventual winner.

Annabel Johnson's painting of poppies, entitled Nan's Garden, was awarded the under-16 prize, with Hollyhocks by Emily Hirst being highly commended.

The annual competition also includes a $500 acquisitive Religious Art Award, sponsored by the Holy Trinity Church, which was won by Richard Klekociuk for his pencil drawing The Modern Tree of Life.

``We liked this work of Richard's because it encourages the viewer to interpret it according to their own beliefs about life and religion,'' Mehegan said.

``It's layered with symbolism.''

The Holy Trinity art competition and exhibition is held annually and 12 finalist works are selected each year to feature in a Capital Chemist calender.

Holy Trinity will hold a special service for artists tomorrow at 10.30am, at which Klekociuk will give a short talk to the congregation about his painting. All welcome.

The Celebrating Life exhibition is open to the public daily, 10am to 4pm, until Friday, August 10.