Artist Linda Judge has been awarded the $25,000 Bayside Painting Prize for her acrylic painting, Self portrait as my mother (2023).
Announced at the opening of the finalist exhibition, the artist was selected from a group of 46 finalists drawn from more than 600 entries across Australia.
This year’s judges included Dr Rebecca Coates, Director, Monash University Museum of Art (MUMA) and artist Stieg Persson.
Judges Dr Rebecca Coates and Stieg Persson said, “There is a deep sense of humanity to this portrait by Linda Judge. She is thinking about the passage of time in relation to herself and her mother’s life. Technically exquisite, the work comprises a magnificent contrast of techniques and methods. Beyond the technical mastery of the work, we come back to the artist’s philosophical reflection on aging and what remains of one’s life.
The work demands you to look, and to look again. It’s a contemporary positioning of universal ideas that enables us to see something very familiar in a new light. Like the best paintings, it gives language and space to a profoundly human experience.”
The opening of the exhibition also saw David Ralph take out the $10,000 acquisitive Beckett Local Prize for his painting, Jeanie (2024).
Judges Dr Rebecca Coates and Stieg Persson said, “At first glance, Ralph’s Jeanie looks rough and ready, but this is a superbly crafted painting. The artist’s technique is superbly controlled – nothing is forced or extraneous and there are moments of sheer beauty to discover.
“While it has a cerebral quality, there is heart here. We don’t see everything at first glance, instead the work reveals itself slowly and holds the eye. Ralph achieves what good painting should – he invites us to engage with the work on our own terms in our own time.”
The Bayside Painting Prize is a celebration of contemporary Australian painting. It is the only annual prize for painting in Victoria. The finalist exhibition brings together a broad range of artists, both established and lesser known, whose varied approaches to the painted medium conveys the breadth and diversity of painting in Australia today.
Bayside Mayor, Cr Fiona Stitfold said Council is privileged to be able to support creativity and artistic innovation through this nationally recognised painting prize.
“This exhibition is important to the local arts community and I’m proud of Council supporting artists overall,” said Cr Stitfold.
“Congratulations to this year’s winners for their magnificent paintings.”
This year the prize money was elevated with a Major Prize of $25,000 and $10,000 acquisitive Beckett Local Prize.
The finalist exhibition is on display at Bayside Gallery until Sunday 23 June.
Visitors to the exhibition can vote for their favourite painting to be recognised with a $1,000 People’s Choice Award, which will be announced upon the closing of the exhibition.
