Respected trio to judge Cossack Art Awards

A trio of respected Australian artists and designers will converge on the historic settlement of Cossack to judge the prestigious City of Karratha Cossack Art Awards.

Brisbane based artist De Gillett Cox will be joined by contemporary visual artist Sarah Elson and Fremantle’s Steve Makse will form the judging panel for this year’s awards.

A painter of large, vibrant images, De Gillett Cox captures intensity, optimism and joy while orchestrating highly developed drawing techniques together with a kaleidoscope of colour across her canvases.

Meanwhile Sarah Elson is an artist who has pursued an interest in traditional metalsmithing and its use in contemporary visual arts practice for over 30 years. Her work examines the nature of preciousness and the preciousness of nature.

Steve Makse is a three-time finalist in the Black Swan Prize for Portraiture who works across a diverse range of media including oil painting and digital design.

The three judges have showcased their skills across Australia and the world with Steve participating in two residencies in China, Sarah held her solo exhibition Anigozanthos (eudaimonia hybrid) at Galerie Düsseldorf and De holding several solo exhibitions up and down the east coast.

City of Karratha Mayor Daniel Scott said the Cossack Art Awards continue to attract accomplished artists with diverse backgrounds.

“Our judges use three different and unique mediums and are highly regarded in their fields  and I look forward to seeing each judge bring their artistic perspective to this year’s exhibition,” Cr Scott said.

“I have no doubt this year’s panel will have their work cut out for them as they consider the impressive standard of submissions entered by talented artists both locally and from across Australia.”

The winners of this year’s Cossack Art Awards are to be announced Saturday, 20 July.

The Cossack Art Awards are presented by the City of Karratha with principal partner Rio Tinto.