Armidale wordsmith, Susan McMichael, has taken out the major poetry prize in the A Brush With Verse – the 2012 Tenterfield Art Prize. Featuring a prize pool of $4,000, this unique competition entails original art inspired by equally original poetry.
Returning for its seventh season, this quirky competition invites works in any medium for a month-long show. All art must be accompanied by a matching verse – either a classic, a song lyric or an (unpublished) original.
It’s an opportunity for artists and poets to team up; something with which creative couples have an advantage, such as Susan and her creative husband, Rex Kearns.
Category winners were announced at the end of March. Entries are currently on display in a popular exhibition at Forest to Furniture Gallery, Tenterfield.
The Poetry Judge was Dr Janie Conway Heron (Southern Cross University) and the artwork was judged by Toowoomba’s Allan Bruce.
“I entered three poems. “Tracks” won the major award. It is about social commentary and our society and social relationships. My husband’s painting (which accompanied “Tracks”) represents anonymity in our society,” Ms McMichael said.
“I am absolutely delighted to win this prize. I have loved writing for years and it’s lovely to be recognised,” she said. “Regional competitions like A Brush with Verse are fabulous. This is a culturally rich and rewarding region for writers and Tenterfield has a special place in it, as the home of Sir Henry Parkes.”
The 2012 A Brush With Verse competition was supported by the following sponsors: Essential Energy, TDG Associates, Ray White Rural, Sexton & Green Motors, Oracles of the Bush, Jennings & Kneipp (Solicitors) and the Tenterfield Shire Council.
Story: Gary Fry
