I love visiting the Art Gallery of New South Wales which is situated in Sydney. It was an easy walk from the Hotel Ibis where I was staying on Darling Harbour, over the Pyrmont Bridge, up Market Street, through Hyde Park and along Art Gallery Road. When I arrived there were about 100 people waiting quietly outside, keen to view the Archibald Prize exhibition. At 10 am the door was opened and in we all went, bought our tickets and headed in to view the work on display. At 10.05 the line-up of patrons was enormous and I was glad I arrived at opening time.
This is a wonderful, busy gallery with host of exhibitions, a superb bookshop and a first-class cafe that serves great coffee. I recommend the spotted cow cookies!
I love the Gallery’s collection of Australian paintings, in particular the work of Hans Heysen, Geoffery Smart and Sir Arthur Streeton, to name but a few. I have included a photo of a beautiful Streeton painting, courtesy of Media Officer Susanne Briggs. What a wonderful light this painting has!
This gallery is a must-see when you are visiting Sydney.
Richard
Earlier in the year I visited “Cheshunt”, a delightful farming property about an hour’s drive west of my home in Tasmania. I had a great morning taking numerous photos, some of which I have already posted on this blog. There was one object that particularly took my attention, a mug. This old, enamel mug was lying on the ground next to a farm building. I wondered how old it was, when had it been used last and by whom? This mug has a story to tell!
Where would the art industry be without sponsorship? As I said in yesterday’s post, prizes offer tremendous incentives to artists, but prizes need sponsors. In Tasmania we have a number of private companies and organisations that support art and this is tremendous. It is however, an increasingly difficult task to find new sponsors in our present economic climate. On occasions over the years I have been charged with the task of finding new sponsors for various groups and organisations. One thing I am acutely aware of is the need to offer something to the prospective sponsor in return for their support. Sponsors need to know that they are getting value for their money.
Not everyone is in favour of art prizes for a number of reasons. I am a supporter because they give you a challenge and often force you out of your comfort zone. Working for a prize can introduce new ideas and you are more likely to experiment with your work than you usually do. You may also see an improvement in your technique as being aware that someone will be critically evaluating your work, you will try just that little bit harder.
My eldest daughter Hannah, suggested that I “remove” the main subject from some of my coloured pencil drawings and offer them as T shirt designs. Today’s featured work is from a drawing I did last year titled, “Fish Trap”. You can see the results on http://www.redbubble.com/people/artkleko
The Sulman Prize is given for the best subject painting, genre painting or mural project by an Australian artist and was first awarded in 1936.
The Wynne Prize, first awarded in 1897, is given to what the judges consider to be the best example of Australian landscape painting in oils or watercolours, or for the best example of figure sculpture by an Australian artist. This is a very interesting collection of work. I have featured a photo of Lionel Bawden’s winning work. 
The Art Gallery of New South Wales is my favourite Sydney gallery and I especially enjoy its collection of Australian paintings. I have never visited the Archibald Prize exhibition before, so my trip to Sydney was an opportunity too good to miss.
