Lori Pensini has been awarded the $ 50,000 Collie Art Prize for her evocative painting Bare Earth. The Collie Art Prize is a biannual opportunity for Australian artists whose works explore the theme of identity.
"This is my response to enduring the driest spell on record in the South West, Western Australia. The struggle was all consuming for landscape, animals and people. It was mentally oppressive going out into the paddocks everyday giving it your all knowing it still wasn’t enough to save every thing in need. Kirsten here, holding an orphaned lamb advocates for the tenacity & resilience of rural women. It is a testimony to the fabric of bush communities - putting the well-being of other sentients before our own, to try and make a difference." - Lori Pensini
Bare Earth, 2024, oil on linen, 120x110cm, Collie Art Collection
Judges Comments:
"The monochromatic palette, steady gaze, and stoic stance embracing the fragility of life set in no particular time inform the viewer of hardship, resilience and care.
Devoid of a visual reference to landscape, but implied through the texture and space of the background, the figures in this artwork exist within the dry ambiguity of the picture plane. While there are no objects to give the viewer the clues of scale and distance it is clear that three dimensional space is understood with the minimum of information.
Neither overstated, or understated, this work treads a fine line between painterly reality, imagined reality, and a sense of nostalgia, while anchored in the strength of an identity defined by endurance and resolve.
Technique, touch and a sensitivity to the subject matter and materials within this image demonstrate the high level of skill and consideration possessed by the artist to execute this work. It is clear a mastery of practice is at play and the confident, yet restrained application of paint and intimate observation of the subjects have created an evocative work to be considered and reflected upon."
The finalist's exhibition run from March 4 to April 27, 2025 at the Collie Art Gallery in WA.