Scholarship winner Mikayla Baldwin reflects on an amazing year of art

Mikayla Baldwin encourages young Whanganui artists to submit their work for the 2018 Young Artist Scholarship. Photo / Stuart Munro

Whanganui artist Mikayla Baldwin has a successful solo exhibition and quite a few sales under her belt although she has not yet finished high school.

As the inaugural winner of the Fine Arts Whanganui Young Artist Scholarship in 2017, Baldwin received a $1000 prize and an exhibition at Whanganui Fine Arts Gallery.

She also won the $200 People's Choice award and her work featured on the cover of the Artists Open Studios guide this year.

"It's been amazing and I tend to work well under pressure so I found the experience of preparing for the exhibition really exciting."

Baldwin's distinctive etchings of animal heads on human bodies clad in vintage clothing proved popular with buyers and she was thrilled with the number of sales she made.

"Selling my work and getting it seen outside of Whanganui has been brilliant.

"I sold all my framed pieces and got orders for some extras as well."

The whimsical images are inspired by the artist's love of animals and she hopes they encourage love and respect for the wild and domestic beasts she portrays.

Baldwin said young artists considering applying for the 2018 scholarship should "go for it".

"There is plenty of help available from the Fine Arts Whanganui artists and they gave me the confidence to push myself.

"You will get so much out of it and I have been able to save the money I made from selling my work to help towards my studies."

Baldwin is sitting her final NCEA exams at Whanganui High School this week and will be off to Wellington to study design at Massey University next year but she is holding another exhibition in Whanganui before she leaves town.

"Luton Gleeson has offered me an exhibition space at his new restaurant, The Vault opening in the old BNZ building in Victoria Ave."

Recipients of the second Fine Arts Whanganui Scholarship and the Furnique People's Choice Award will be announced at Fine Arts Whanganui's third birthday celebrations on Friday, November 23.