Geelong artist Amanda Blake-Sutterby has won the inaugural WAMA Art Prize People’s Choice Award for her botanic painting of a cape gooseberry.
Titled ‘Cape gooseberry’, Blake-Sutterby’s life-size drawing was one of the 40 finalist works within the art and nature themed online art exhibition.
Blake-Sutterby accepted the award recentlyk during a live ‘Meet the Artists’ Zoom event alongside the other award winners and said she was “incredibly honoured and genuinely overwhelmed”.
Her winning artwork was inspired by the gooseberry bushes her parents had grown on their organic farm at Bellellen near the Grampians National Park.
“My parents were certified organic farmers passionate about the environment and ethical farming practices, and my only sibling Adam works for Trust for Nature,” she said.
“Conservation of the natural world is clearly important to me.”
Blake-Sutterby said raising awareness of the region’s flora and the importance of environmental conservation were the driving force behind her work.
“I have a deep desire to draw people’s attention to the lesser known flora species, especially those from my home region and particularly if they are indeed listed as threatened or endangered,” she said.
“Unfortunately, most people would walk straight past these plants, but I want to celebrate all of them [and] give them their own unique stage in the form of a botanical art painting.
“Hopefully then, via this exhibition platform, people can gain greater insight and grow their appreciation of what wonders exist all around us.”
WAMA Foundation arts advisory council chairwoman Jacqueline Healy said almost 1500 votes were received for the People’s Choice Award, with Blake-Sutterby’s work resonating with the voters.
“The People’s Choice Award is very important as it gives the public an opportunity to have their say on which artwork resonates with them most,” she said.
“I would like to congratulate Amanda on receiving the People’s Choice award, people were clearly touched by the delicate beauty of this intricate watercolour so skilfully evoking this fragile fruit and its papery husk.”
The WAMA Art Prize is a biennial national award for nature-inspired art created with or on paper.
The prize was developed to celebrate art’s connection with nature and raise awareness of the importance of conserving the unique Australian environment.
The WAMA Art Prize exhibition of finalists can be viewed online at wama.net.au.
