Top NZ artist wins Aussie cricket art prize

Media release – October 8, 2009

STRICTLY EMBARGOED UNTIL 9PM, 2100HRS, TONIGHT, THURSDAY OCTOBER 8, 2009

Top New Zealand artist Jane Kellahan wins Aussie cricket art award

Leading New Zealand artist Jane Kellahan has tonight won the $A20,000 Australian Cricket Art Prize.

Fourteen Kiwi artists along with 218 Aussie painters submitted works for the inaugural Aussie cricket art prize competition, in which 32 paintings were selected.

Kellahan, from Wellington, was the only New Zealander to make the final and she was announced the winner at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) at a gala function tonight. She received a phone call from the organisers in Sydney earlier today.

``This is just amazing for me, my career, for New Zealand, for New Zealand art and cricket. The Aussies beat us at cricket quite often so it’s great that we can enter their competition and be fairly judged the best.

``My inspiration stems from memories of summer-time cricket at the park and watching the great Sir Richard Hadlee,” Kellahan, a solo mum, said tonight.

Her winning work -- White Wickets -- is an oil on canvas which portrays dream-like figures playing a surreal version of night cricket in merging tinged colours of red, yellow and greens with an interesting texture and finish.

Kellahan’s winning painting and the 31 other finalists will tour Australia over the next four months and can be seen at the SCG, Mackay in Queensland, the Melbourne Cricket Ground and finally at the hallowed Bradman Museum in, Bowral, NSW.

ENDS

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