The Searle Travel Art Award --The Peoples Choice

During the National Art Exhibition (ARTEX) the viewing public has the opportunity to choose their favourite artist and be in the draw to win a Luxury Weekend at Taupo. Patrons are invited to fill in a form, which is in the catalogue, identifying their favourite artist. At the end of the event the entries are tabulated and the artist with the most votes is awarded the Searle Travel Art Award. This prestigious monetary award to the artist who is “The Peoples Choice” is a reflection of the most popular paintings on display.

Those who submit their forms for the Peoples Choice go into a draw for the Searle Travel Luxury Weekend in Taupo. Generously donated by our Sponsor, Searle Travel, the weekend includes two night’s accommodation for two and a cruise on Lake Taupo.

The list of Peoples Choice contains many well known artists have won this award.

In 2010 it was Ross Lee of Whakatane, renowned for his stunningly realistic landscapes of New Zealand. A professional artist with 25 years experience, he has a Fine Arts Diploma and paints landscapes in oils, showing exquisitely fine detail, emphasizing light and depicting breathtaking NZ scenery. He exhibited three paintings, “Tasman Valley”, “Doubtful Sound” and “Kaikoura”.

Waiheke Island artist, Wayne Sinclair was the recipient for 2009. Wayne travels extensively which often provides his subject matter as he has been painting for over forty years. He has a varied approach to his work.  The subject dictates the style, the concept sometimes being colour, light or detail. He exhibited three paintings “Quiet Morning”, “Morning Stillness” and “Venice Stroll”.

Susan Higginson from Waipukurau was the Peoples Choice in both 2006 and 2008. Born in Western Australia she emigrated to NZ in 1987. She was living in Dannevirke, working as a signwriter then moved to live in Central Hawke’s Bay in 2004. She has been painting for 23 years and began painting in oils in 1985 and more recently has been working in acrylics. 2006 was a double coup for Susan- winning the Searle Travel Art Award the first time she had exhibited and she also sold all her paintings. She primarily paints beach scenes, birdlife and animals.  Local paintings she exhibited in 2007 were “Aramoana”, “Cape Kidnappers” and “Ruahine Ranges”.

Peter Wallers from Taupo took the award in 2006. Peter is an exhibiting member of the NZ Academy of fine Arts and is a dedicated traditional artist. Painting mainly in oils but enjoying working in pencil, chalk pastel and gouache as well, he specialises in landscape and coastal scenes. He exhibited “Dusk towards the Mountains, Taupo”, “Te Mata Peak, from River Road” and ”Fishing the Mohaka”.

Well known artist, Ben Ho was the Peoples Choice in 2005. A graduate of the Canton Fine Arts School, Ben has exhibited widely throughout New Zealand since 1991 and in 1992 he became a working member of the New Zealand Fellowship of Artists Inc.  He has won numerous prestigious art awards and in 1999 was chosen as one of five artists to represent New Zealand Art in the World-Wide Millennium painting competition in London. He exhibited “Sparrows”, “Figure Study” and “Fishing Boat”.

Jill Perrot from Auckland studied at Elam under Colin McCahon and other notables. Since her first exhibition in 1997 she has won awards and exhibited nationwide using unconventional techniques to capture the beauty of landscapes. She was Peoples Choice for 2004 exhibiting “The Tuki Tuki and Beyond”, “Waimarama and Bare Island”, “Cape Kidnappers, walking back” and “Cape’s End”.
Brian Baxter has been painting for more than thirty years. While he has been exhibiting in this Exhibition for several years, 2003 was the first time he was able to attend the Opening which was timely as he won the Peoples Choice Award. While many of his paintings, in traditional representational style, are in water colours and acrylics, his paintings this year were all oils. “Polperro, Cornwall”, “Streets Cafes, Florence” and “Rural Australia”.

Our thanks go to Searle Travel for making this Award possible.