Create What Makes You Happy
by Shane Sody
Have you ever wondered what it takes to create a top-shelf prize-winning art work?
Dan Withey was the $20,000 first prize-winner of the 2020-21 Adelaide Park Lands Art Prize, with this masterpiece: "The Park Lands and the Hungry Developer".
Artist Dan Withey in 2021 with his $20,000 first prize-winning painting
As time runs out to lodge entries for the 2023 Adelaide Park Lands Art Prize, our chair, Nataliya Dikovskaya chatted to Dan Withey about his body of work as an artist, and sought his advice for anyone who's contemplating an entry before entries close at the end of this month.
Dan Withey said his $20,000 first prize success in 2021 was partly due to his experiences with a previous entry in the 2016 Adelaide Park Lands Art Prize. His earlier entry the "Three Rivers painting" won a minor prize, being "highly commended" by the 2016 judging panel.
Left: Dan Withey’s 2016 entry (The Three Rivers Painting) and Right: “The Park Lands and the Hungry Developer”:
But in preparation for 2020-21 Park Lands Art Prize, he spent a long time "thinking about what to paint, in the first place."
His winning entry combined a serious topic with splashings of humour. The black humour emerges as you peer closely at the small figures either using the Park Lands or making decisions seated behind brick walls.
Within days of being named the winner in March 2021, his painting was snapped up by a buyer in Queensland.
Dan Withey's advice to others aspiring to emulate his success in this year's Park Lands Art Prize is to "think about the place [your Park Lands] and the experiences that you and others have in this area."
And, he says, "create what makes you happy"
The theme for the 2023 Adelaide Park Lands Art Prize is a simple one: "Inspire".
Our panel of five judges will be looking for works that indicate the artist was inspired by your Adelaide Park Lands, or works that have the capacity to inspire viewers.
Entries close at 8pm on Tuesday 31 January.
Read the terms and conditions and lodge your entry at www.parklandsart.com
Dan's chat with Nataliya was live on Instagram but you can watch it here: https://www.instagram.com/tv/Cm-47QUoOYr/?igshid=YWJhMjlhZTc%3D
(You will probably need to un-mute the sound)
There are 16 prizes on offer with a total prize pool of $50,000.
Apart from the $20,000 overall winner, the other prizes on offer are:
Young Artist (u25): $2,000
School Student: $2,000
Digital Category Prize: $2,000
Emerging Artist: $2,000
People’s Choice: $2,000
Photography Prize: $2,000
First Nations Artist: $2,000
Judges Commendations: eight prizes of $2,000 each