The winner receives a cash prize and the further valuable experience of a solo exhibition in the Fine Arts Whanganui Gallery.
"Art has been a huge part of my daily routine for many years now," says Grace in her artist statement. "Drawing till ridiculous hours of the night 'because I'm in the zone' and constantly hunched over on my desk is definitely my new normal. There is something about it that is so therapeutic. Hours pass by without me noticing.
"When I'm feeling stressed or anxious it's the one thing I come back to as there is something so rewarding in being able to sit down and create.
"Personally, I am a huge fan of graphite and watercolour. I love the control you can get with graphite and the looseness with watercolour. My two favourite artists are Michael Borremans, specifically his coffee and watercolour works, and Miles Johnston for his breathtaking graphite works.
"I have high goals for both my academic and artistic success. I am currently enrolled to do a Bachelor of Arts majoring in psychology. With my degree I really want to help people with the end goal of hopefully becoming a clinical psychologist. In my opinion psychology and visual arts go hand in hand.
"Learning more about psychology has highly influenced the way I approach art. I want to create art that means something, that is my biggest goal."
Judges for the scholarship were Sietske Jansma (Sarjeant Gallery) and Anique Jayasinghe (arts co-ordinator at Whanganui Holdings) Presenting the awards, Sietske Jansma congratulated all the entrants, who she said had achieved a standard of work that provided the highest general quality that had been seen in the Fine Arts Whanganui Young Artist Scholarships to date.
She emphasised the difficulty the judges encountered in selecting an ultimate winner from the top four entries, all of which had achieved a very high standard, both in the artworks displayed and in the folios of work that are submitted as a condition of the entry.
Three Distinction Certificates were awarded to: Ani Latus, an oil painter; Stella Howe, Whanganui Girls College, printmaker, and Zoe Bracegirdle, Whanganui High School, photographer.
During the exhibition, which showed at 17 Taupo Quay from November 14 to December 4, entries were also eligible for a People's Choice Award of $200, sponsored by Renata's Art and Framing.
This award is decided by votes cast by gallery visitors during the exhibition. The portfolios were available for inspection during this period, as well as a framed work by each artist which is on show in the gallery.
The winner of Renata's Art and Framing People's Choice Award was photographer Zoe Bracegirdle.
Zoe was in Australia at the time of the awards evening and so was unable to be present at the presentation. However, courtesy of her two younger sisters who attended, and Facetime, Zoe did hear the entire presentation programme including the remarks of Renata Szarvas, who announced the presentation.
Her pleasure and excitement at receiving the Peoples Choice was clear and heard by all at the presentations and by Renata as she made the announcement.
The 2020 Young Artist Scholarship provided a very successful exhibition and an enjoyable awards evening. The exhibition has been left up in the Fine Arts Whanganui Gallery and is available for a short extended period for those who have missed it.
