Rewinding back about six months, I was given the opportunity to take part in Queensland's Sunny Coast's local art scene. Selected as one of 40 finalists, I was fortunate enough to submit my artwork into the Caloundra Regional Gallery's Local Artists - Local Content Art Prize 2021.
The exhibition was displayed from 19 March to 2 May, and unveiled a collection of artworks influenced by the beautiful coastal and hinterland environments, man-made landmarks of the region and a broadly expressed representation of the Sunshine Coast's community. The pieces were delivered across a diverse range of mediums from the more traditional artistic styles of charcoal, earth and rock pigments and gouache; through to reduction linocuts, aerosol, and the artform of today's modern world, digital illustration.
New to the field of digital art and with only a couple of days left to create something, I went ahead with the mindset of 'what's to lose? (apart from an application fee)', but it definitely paid off. Not in terms of 'winning the prize' but in the way of gaining some approval and experience as an Artist. The decision to put my art out there for judgment, actually got me on the wall next to other Artists, and that to me was all I needed to accomplish. It was a learning curve navigating my way through the submission process, and an insightful experience observing how an exhibition is curated. It was also great to be there representing the digital art genre. I am truly grateful (and surprised!) that I'd been given this chance to stand among 39 amazing creative talents from the Sunshine Coast region, this place oozes inspiration and is a vibrant, creative community!
Karina x
