CONGRATULATIONS TO Finalists in the 2009 City of Perth Black Swan Prize for Portraiture: Kathrin Longhurst, Nafisa Naomi, Peter Smeeth, Evert Ploeg, Raelene Sharp, Jim Van Geet. When: 25th September – 5th October Where: Perth Town Hall, Cnr Hay Street & Barrack Street Perth, Western Australia. Janis Lander: Finalist in the 2009 Outback Art Prize. Where: Broken Hill Regional Art Gallery, 408 Argent St. Broken Hill. When: 7 August – 13 September. ARTISTS‘ NEWS Neil Liddell: Unveiling of Portrait of Professor Paul Clark Vice Chancellor of Southern Cross University. When: 20 August 2009 Where: Invercauld House Southern Cross University Campus Lismore. If any PAA members are up on the North Coast and would like to attend, please call Neil at his Studio 02 66216778. Jiawei Shen: is working on a commission to paint former Prime Minister John Howard’s portrait for Parliament House, Canberra. Jiawei has returned from his exhibition in China earlier this year and is currently working on a large historical painting featuring figures from Australian history. Louise Beck: Joint Exhibition – Paintings. Where: Sydney Children’s Hospital – Art Space, High St. Randwick. When: 30th July – 4th October. Avril Thomas: Solo Exhibition – 43 Paintings & Drawings – completed during her Artist-in-Residency at the Operating Theatre, Flinders Medical Centre. Where: Promenade Gallery A, Level 2, Flinders Medical Centre. 11 Aug – 27 Sept. Opening: 11 August, 5.30pm, by Hon John Hill Artist’s Talk: Tuesday 18th August, 12-1pm. Paul Newton: has been in the news lately with some high-profile international stories. The chapel of the new Centre for Australian Pilgrims in Rome will feature 35 portraits by Paul “charting the Australian Catholic experience.” Subjects will include Caroline Chisholm, Father Therry, Dame Mary Kate Barlow, Blessed Mary MacKillop and the founder of the Archdiocese of Sydney, Archbishop Polding; as well as international figures Pope John II and Mother Theresa and others with strong ties to Australia. It all began in 2007 when Cardinal Pell commissioned Paul to paint portraits of himself, Bishop Anthony Fisher and Archbishop Polding (who died in 1905), followed by a commission to paint Our Lady of the Southern Cross to celebrate World Youth Day, July 2008. At the same time we noticed that Paul was recently described in an article in the American Portrait Institute publication, The World of Portrait Painting, as “ a leading figure in American portraiture”!! Paul’s recent Australian commissions of the Hon Paul Calvert and Cardinal Clancy were critiqued within an analysis of technique and approach. Paul has been a regular tutor at the annual American Portrait Society conventions for some years, and has executed many American commissions. Paul held the position of Vice-President of Portrait Artists Australia on the PAA committee for the first three years from 2002 until 2005, until his work schedule became way too demanding. Good luck to Paul. REPORT ON THE AGM There was a great turn out for the AGM, thanks to all the artists who were able to make it. Paul Delprat was a gracious host for the occasion and turned over the spacious JAAS painting rooms for the meeting. So nice to meet members and catch up on news. Excellent tucker provided by the artists! Judith Stevens chaired the meeting and gave her report on the financials for the year, followed by Nafisa Naomi and Janis Lander who gave their summaries of PAA achievements and the projects planned for 2010. Kathrin Longhurst gave a brief report on the website. The assembled members (and proxies) then cast their votes for the 12 committee members, and Judith made the count: Committee Members Elected for 2009 Judith Stevens Jules Sevelson Alex Kolozsy Robyn Ross Kathrin Longhurst Nafisa Naomi Janis Lander Jeanette Korduba Constance Farquharson Bob Baird Vivian Falk Judith O’Conal-Prinz Our heartfelt thanks to former committee members Laura Hopkins, Eva Herz-Murray and David Rees for their contribution and enthusiasm over the past few years. The Executive committee will be elected at the first meeting convened by the new committee. UPDATE: UNSUNG HEROES Invitations for the September PAA Exhibition in Canberra will be mailed out asap. A double page AD for the exhibition, and for PAA, can be found in the current edition of Art Collector Magazine pp.36-37. OPENING NIGHT: WEDNESDAY 2ND SEPTEMBER – 6-8pm Letters to out to all exhibiting artists will be sent shortly.