2008 Glover Prize
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FOR A LANDSCAPE PAINTING OF TASMANIA
The winner of the Glover Art Prize 2008:Neil Haddon for his painting Purblind (opiate) high gloss enamel paint on aluminium - 160cm x 150cm 
Neil was born in Epsom, England in 1967 and moved to Tasmania in 1996 from Barcelona, Spain where he had been working as an artist and teacher for six years. His work has been shown in numerous solo and group exhibitions nationally and internationally including recently the Wynne Prize at the Art Gallery of New South Wales in 2008 and the Arthur Guy Memorial Art Prize at Bendigo Art Gallery in 2007.
His work is held in several private and public collections internationally including Artbank, Sydney, the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery, the University of Tasmania and the Gold Coast Arts Centre. In 2002 he was awarded a MFA from the University of Tasmania and since 1999 has lectured in painting, drawing and digital imaging at the school. Neil Haddon is represented by Dianne Tanzer Gallery in Melbourne and Criterion Gallery in Hobart. ARTIST STATEMENT The word ‘purblind’ describes the effect on the eyes when walking into a darkened room form a bright exterior. The momentary loss of vision fades as the eyes become accustomed to the difference in light. It is in this transitory space the work is situated, when the details of half lit shapes are literally glossed over or conversely, almost entirely erased. I think of John Glover, coming here, seeing what he saw and painting what he saw, sending those images back to England. Well received bucolic scenes, sublime maybe, exotic certainly, beautiful we would now say. On my travels around the north of Tasmania I see the production of fifty per cent of the world’s pharmaceutical opiates. I think of pain and dark times. I think of Tasmania’s current exotic status, as an analgesic island, exporting its poppy straw panacea. THE JUDGES Each year “The Glover” is judged by a panel of distinguished artists and other arts industry professionals. The judges for 2008 were: Peter Timms – art critic and author whose publications include the controversial book “What is Wrong with Contemporary Art?” Professor Ian North – artist, writer and Adjunct Professor at the University of Adelaide and University of South Australia and the University of South Australia Kelly Gellatly – Curator of Contemporary Art at the National Gallery of Victoria and publishes extensively on Australian and international art. JUDGES’ COMMENTS NEIL HADDON (WINNER) Purblind (opiate): This painting is distinguished by its dark, moody, almost sinister interpretation of the Tasmanian landscape. While it effectively evokes the natural world of sea sky and clouds, it also metaphorically connects to the Gothic mythology that, in the past, characterised Tasmania in European eyes as a hostile, threatening place. The imagery itself, centred on the opium poppy, and the way in which areas of paint meld into one another, suggest hallucinogenic and ecstatic states of mind. 
MICHAEL MCWILLIAMS (COMMENDED)Landscape with Ostriches acrylic on canvas 122cm x 167cm We enjoyed the playfully interpretation of a vexed and hotly contested political issue. Technically, it is a thoroughly realized work. 
STEPHEN LEES (COMMENDED)Flagging jack Falls – Mt Amos oil on linen 183cm x 183cm This painting presents a powerful sense of connection with, and a deep immersion in, the natural world. The colour is radiant and the paint-handling very carefully considered. THE GREG WADDLE PEOPLES' CHOICE WINNER WAS THE ENTRY BY LISA FALK OF TASMANIA Titled "The Transit of Venus". 
coloured pencil on cotton rag, 43.5cm x 78cmPresentation was made by Pamela Graham representing the Launceston Airport (Gold Sponsor) on Tuesday 11th March 2008 at Falls Park Pavillion, Evandale, Tasmania. Glover Prize Finalists 2008 Email: info@johnglover.com.au The John Glover Society Inc. Phone (03) 6391 8981 PO Box 129 EVANDALE TAS 7212 |