JENNA PICKERING: WINS PRESTIGIOUS ART PRIZES FOR INNOVATIVE WORK ‘TOGETHER AS ONE’

Jenna Pickering’s potrait of Brendon Cook

BY ASAD KHAN AND MARION CHEEDY

Jenna Pickering, a prominent artist from Jundamanah, has recently been awarded the $20,000 Tony Fini Foundation Artist Prize and the $5,000 Ashurst Emerging Artist Prize for her striking piece, "Together as One." This achievement highlights Pickering's remarkable talent and innovative approach to art.

In an exclusive interview, Ms Pickering shared insights into the creation of her award-winning work.

"The artwork is actually one of the smallest pieces I've ever done,

"The portrait itself measures only about nine centimeters, with a bit of extra space for the box. The portrait is literally tiny—his face is about the size of a ten-cent piece," she said.

The subject of the portrait is Elder Brendon Cook, whom Ms Pickering had the opportunity to photograph and paint.

Jenna Pickering PC: JennaPickerin/Facebook

"I was fortunate enough to take some photos and paint Brendan, which was an incredible experience,"

"I live in the Tom Price area, where I organize events and programs, and I met him through that work. When I saw him, I was struck by how cool he looked. Painting him was just amazing. It took him a moment to relax, but once he did, he was the coolest dude."

Ms Pickering's choice of materials for the portrait was also distinctive. She opted to use paperback instead of a traditional canvas.

"I chose paperback because it requires a lot of material to create a large canvas," Pickering noted. "It was my first time painting on something other than a standard canvas. Drawing on it was quite delicate; every line I made with a pencil would indent the paper, so it was hard to make mistakes."

The artist's decision to use paperback was driven by her desire to capture the unique essence of her subject.

"Brendon is such a unique and awesome figure that I felt a standard canvas wouldn't do him justice," she said.

"I was in front of my house, where I found a piece of paperback tree. I did a few test pieces and decided to give it a shot. I never imagined that it would win such prestigious prizes."

Jenna Pickering's innovative approach and exceptional skill have earned her well-deserved recognition in the art world. Her work, "Together as One," not only showcases her talent but also her ability to push the boundaries of traditional artistic mediums.

Listen to Marion Cheedy speak with Artist Jenna Pickering: