2026 Calleen Art Award - Finalist

I’m pleased to announce that my painting The Keystone has been selected as a finalist in the Calleen Art Award 2026 at Cowra Regional Art Gallery.

Established in 1977 by Mrs Patricia Fagan OAM, the Calleen Art Award is an annual national acquisitive painting prize recognising contemporary Australian painting across all styles, subjects and approaches. This year’s major prize is $30,000, with the winning work entering the Calleen Collection at Cowra Regional Art Gallery.

The Keystone takes the Roman aqueduct at Segovia as its starting point, using its architecture to consider the hidden dependencies that allow larger structures and systems to endure.

In an arch, the keystone is the point at which opposing forces are transformed into stability. The same principle appears in nature, where a keystone species can exert an influence on an ecosystem far greater than its size might suggest.

The painting considers these often unnoticed dependencies: the apparently minor elements upon which much larger systems rely, and the vulnerability that becomes apparent when one of them is compromised.

It asks what happens when the thing carrying the greatest burden is also the most fragile.

The Keystone
Oil on Italian linen 130 × 130 cm 2025

The Calleen Art Award 2026 is on at Cowra Regional Art Gallery
77 Darling Street, Cowra NSW 2794
Exhibition dates: 06/09 to 18/10/2026

The John Leslie Prize 2026 - Finalist

I’m so very pleased to be a finalist in the John Leslie Art Prize Gippsland Art Gallery, with my painting "You Have Arrived"

Once upon a time, the cautionary fairy tales of Little Red Riding Hood and Hansel & Gretel were used as warnings about the mysteries lurking beyond the known surroundings.

Not any more. The “Tech Bros” are endeavouring to map, scour, document, and conquer every inch of the planet. Now, satellites, GPS, and endless data assure us that we’ve arrived. But… have we really? The remoteness of the location calls into question both the technology and the motives behind it. And perhaps poses the question that answers we seek are not to be found in an algorithm.

📍 John Leslie Prize
📅 Exhibition Dates: Sep 4 - Nov 22 2026
📍 Venue: Gippsland Art Gallery, Sale, VIC

Perfect Enough selected for the 2026 Fisher’s Ghost Art Award

I’m pleased to announce that my painting Perfect Enough, from the Monumental Nobodies series, has been selected as a finalist in the 64th Fisher’s Ghost Art Award at Campbelltown Arts Centre.

The Fisher’s Ghost Art Award is one of Australia’s long-running art prizes, with more than $60,000 in prize money across its categories. The major Open Award is valued at $50,000 and is acquisitive to the Campbelltown City Council Art Collection. Previous recipients include Elisabeth Cummings, Suzanne Archer, Marion Borgelt, Raquel Ormella, Khaled Sabsabi, Michael Cook and Angela Tiatia.

Perfect Enough takes Emilio Fiaschi’s marble nymph as its starting point, bringing the classical ideal of physical perfection into contact with contemporary ideas of self-image and modification. An embroidered tattoo has been stitched directly over the surface of the oil painting, introducing a deliberately physical intervention into the painted image.

The work considers our compulsion to alter, personalise and improve what is already regarded as beautiful. In an age of filters, cosmetic enhancement and carefully managed identities, the tattoo becomes both decoration and intrusion — a mark of individuality placed where none is required.

It asks a simple question: when perfection is apparently still not enough, what exactly are we trying to improve?

Perfect Enough
Oil and embroidery on canvas  120 × 100 cm 2025
This work was also previously selected as a finalist in The Naked and Nude Art Prize 2025.

The 2026 Fisher’s Ghost Art Award is on at the Campbelltown Arts Centre, 1 Art Gallery Road, 2560
26/09 to 04/12/2026

Tattersall’s Landscape Prize - Finalist

I’m pleased to announce that my painting You Have Arrived was selected as a finalist in the 2026 Tattersall’s Landscape Art Prize.

Established in 1990, the Tattersall’s Club Art Prize has a long history of recognising Australian art. Returning in 2026 in partnership with Lethbridge Gallery, the prize carried a $30,000 major award and invited artists to interpret the Australian landscape in its broadest sense, from traditional landscape painting to less conventional ideas of place, environment and territory.
You Have Arrived considers how our relationship with the unknown has changed. Once, cautionary stories such as Little Red Riding Hood and Hansel and Gretel warned of what might be waiting beyond the limits of the familiar. Today, technology increasingly promises the opposite: that almost nowhere remains unknown.
Satellites, GPS, mapping systems and vast stores of data suggest that the world can be located, measured and understood. But knowing exactly where we are is not necessarily the same as knowing where we have arrived.
The painting questions the faith we place in technology to provide certainty, and the impulse behind our desire to map, document and conquer every remaining blank space. Perhaps some of the answers we are looking for cannot be found in an algorithm.
I was also very pleased to have the work included alongside so many Australian artists whose work I respect, including a number I’m fortunate to call friends.

Finalist in the 2025 Calleen Art Award

I’m delighted to announce that my painting #singlelife has been selected as a finalist in the prestigious 2025 Calleen Art Award at Cowra Regional Art Gallery.

This work is from my highly collected series Five Minutes To Famous, inspired by some of the most banal yet popular social media hashtags. In it, I hold up a mirror to our obsession with curated digital personas by reimagining classical stone figures. Renaissance-inspired realism collides with surrealist twists, as sculptural muses are overlaid with the silliest Instagram and Snapchat filters. These figures parody our relentless drive to capture an idealised life while often missing the essence of carpe diem.

Being selected for this prize again carries special meaning for me. After many years since my last inclusion—and several unsuccessful attempts in between—it is both a relief and a source of pride to be recognised once more.

The Calleen Art Award exhibition runs from 14 September to 3 November 2025 at Cowra Regional Art Gallery. 

The Sorrento Art Prize 2025 - Finalist

My painting "You Have Arrived" has been selected as a finalist in the $125,000 Sorrento Art Prize! 🎉

Once upon a time, the cautionary fairy tales of Little Red Riding Hood and Hansel & Gretel were used as warnings about the mysteries lurking beyond the known surroundings.

Not any more. The “Tech Bros” are endeavouring to map, scour, document, and conquer every inch of the planet. Now, satellites, GPS, and endless data assure us that we’ve arrived. But… have we really? The remoteness of the location calls into question both the technology and the motives behind it. And perhaps poses the question that answers we seek are not to be found in an algorithm.

I’m beyond honoured to have my work featured alongside some of Australia’s most compelling contemporary artists, many of whom I’m lucky to call friends.

📍 Sorrento Art Prize
📅 Exhibition Dates: 28 June - 31 August 2025
📍 Venue: & Gallery, Sorrento, VIC
🔗 More info: andgalleryaustralia.net

I’m Honored to Be a Finalist in the STILL: National Still Life Award 2025

I’m thrilled to share that my work has been selected as a finalist for STILL: National Still Life Award 2025, Yarrila Arts and Museum’s prestigious biennial prize celebrating contemporary still life.

My piece features an Adonis statue surrounded by Instagram-style heart emojis - a playful yet sharp take on how modern celebrity culture mirrors ancient idolatry. It’s part of my Five Minutes To Famous series, where classical figures strike absurd, hashtag-inspired poses, blending Renaissance art with surreal humor. The intention is to explore the contradictions of our digital age - how we chase validation through curated personas while missing the real moments. This work is a cheeky nudge to laugh at ourselves and maybe rethink what truly matters.

The exhibition opens Saturday, 6 September, with winners announced that evening. Huge thanks to Yarrila Arts and Museum for this incredible opportunity, and congrats to all the talented finalists!

STILL 2025 runs from 6 September – 16 November. Hope to see you there!

The Naked and The Nude Art Prize - Finalist

Thrilled to be named a finalist once again in the Naked & Nude Art Prize — a significant biennial celebration of the human form and artistic expression.

Honoured to be included among such talented artists for the second consecutive time!

Exhibition opens 31 August at the Manning Regional Art Gallery.

The Dean Cogle Art Prize 2025 - Finalist

I'm thrilled to share that my painting #ourlittlemiracle has been selected as a finalist in the 2024 Dean Cogle Art Prize.

This work is part of my ongoing Five Minutes to Famous series, which draws from the most overused and sentimental hashtags on social media—here, unpicking the idea that every child is the world’s most perfect and miraculous being.

By reimagining a classical stone child sculpture with a modern Instagram face filter, #ourlittlemiracle blends Renaissance-inspired realism with absurd digital veneers. It holds a mirror to our obsession with curated digital identities and the often performative nature of how we record our lives online.

Opening Night Details
Date: 12th July - 5th August 2025
Venue: Dust Temple Gallery
Address: 54  Currumbin  Creek  Rd, Currumbin  Waters, QLD  4223

The BAMM Biennale Portrait Prize 2025

I’m pleased to share that my work #atonement has been selected as a finalist in the BAMM Biennale Portrait Prize.

My portrait responds to the legacy of abuse and mismanagement in the church - specifically the institutional efforts to obscure and rebrand that history. A deliberately silly Instagram face filter was painted on a bust of one of the more corrupt cardinals, to highlight the dissonance between the seriousness of the Church’s abuses and the superficial attempts to rehabilitate their public image.

The exhibition opens 6 June at Bank Art Museum Moree and runs until 19 July.

Stanthorpe Art Prize 2024 - Finalist

I'm pleased to share that I was selected as a finalist in the 2024 Stanthorpe Art Prize, one of Queensland’s most respected regional art awards. The exhibition ran from 23 March to 18 November at the Stanthorpe Regional Art Gallery, showcasing works from artists across Australia.

While the major prize went to Melanie Sinclair for The Bogan’s Ballet, I’m honoured to be in the company of such accomplished artists and grateful to the gallery and judges for the opportunity to be part of this year’s exhibition.

Congratulations to all the winners and fellow finalists.

Prizes: The Tatiara Art Prize

This painting "La Preca - Jacquemus", one of three from the La Preca triptych, has been selected as a finalist in the Tatiara Art Prize. 

Judging is by Lauren Mustillo, Visual Art Manager at Country Arts SA, Rebecca Evans, Curator of Decorative Arts and Design at the Art Gallery of South Australia and Joshua White, Director of the Hamilton Art Gallery. It's on at the Walkway Gallery and runs from 16 September until 11 November. 

Prizes: The Sunshine Coast Art Prize

My work "La Preca - Louis Vuitton" has been selected as a finalist in the Sunshine Coast Art Prize. Out of an extensive pool of submissions from all over the nation, only a prestigious group of 40 exceptional pieces secured their place as finalists, including the works of esteemed luminaries such as Fiona Lowry, Esther Erlich, Dagmar Cryulla, and Michael Simms.

The Sunshine Coast Art Prize exhibition is currently being showcased at the Caloundra Regional Gallery, at 22 Omrah Avenue, Caloundra, QLD 4551.

Art enthusiasts and connoisseurs alike have the opportunity to appreciate and engage with the exceptional offering from the 18th of August until the 15th of October.

Finialist EMSLA

The Eutick Memorial Still Life Award opens at 6pm on Friday the 8th November 2019 at Project Contemporary Art Space, 255 Keira St, Wollongong.

A Fine Romance - Gippsland Regional Gallery

I am absolutely thrilled to be a part of this new museum exhibition. Quality conceptual realism has been something of a phenomenon in Australia, remarkable for a number of reasons: firstly the quality of the paintings by all the artists have been extraordinary, and the fact that thought-provoking painting has re-emerged again after years of being “unfashionable” with curators.

While recognised by the commercial galleries, this is the first museum show what moves towards recognising this phenomenon. A Fine Romance' is an exhibition about beauty and deceit. Featuring hyper-real paintings and sculptures by a range of contemporary artists, it is as seductive as it is awe-inspiring.

Drawing on the Gallery’s collection, together with dazzling artworks sourced from behind the closed doors of private collectors, A Fine Romance is an experience not to be missed!

The line-up represents a who’s-who of Australian realism, including Natasha Bieniek, Robin Eley, Louise Feneley, Juan Ford, Sam Jinks, Sam Leach, Matt Martin, Shannon Smiley, Heidi Yardley, and Michael Zavros.

Exhibition is on st the Gippsland Art Gallery, 70 Foster Street, Sale 2850
And it opens 8 December 2018 and ends 17 February 2019

Fisher's Ghost Art Prize

The painting The Rules Of Engagement has been selected as a finalist for Fisher’s Ghost Art Prize.

Past winners include some of Australia’s most respected Contemporary artists including Elisabeth Cummings, Khaled Sabsabi, Justene Williams, David Bromley, Marion Borgelt, Raquel Ormella and Philip Wolfhagen.

Its on at the Campbelltown Arts Centre, 1 Art Gallery Rd, Campbelltown, NSW 2560
And is showing daily Saturday 3 November – Thursday 13 December 2018

EMSLA

The painting The Bare Necessities has been selected as a finalist for this year’s Eutick memorial Still Life Award.
EMSLA celebrates excellence in still life painting and welcomes the influences of impressionism, abstraction, realism and hyperrealism (indeed all the isms) in all their permutations

Exhibition is on at Project Contemporary Art Space, 255 Keira St, Wollongong NSW 2500 and runs from Friday 9th November to December 1st 2018 at

Mosman Art Prize

The painting Utmost Respect has been selected as a finalist for this year’s Mosman Art Prize.
It will be on display at the Mosman Art gallery From the 26 September to 18 November.

The Kennedy Art Prize

The painting Acceptance and Hope has been selected by the jurors as a finalist submitted work has been selected as a finalist for the 2018 Kennedy Prize.

The exhibition is at the Royal South Australian Society of Arts
Level One, corner North Terrace & Kintore Avenue, Adelaide SA
and it runs from Friday, 7 September to Saturday, 23 September

Vincent Art Prize

Thrilled to have one of my most important paintings, Utmost Respect, selected for the inaugural Vincent Art Prize alongside fellow Nanda/Hobbs artists James Drinkwater and Paul Ryan. 

Run by Artvango and judged by painter Alan Jones, the prize opened earlier this evening at duckrabbit, 138 Little Eveleigh Street, Chippendale Sydney. 

Image: Matthew Quick \ Utmost Respect \ 2016 \ Oil on Italian linen \ 120x100cm