Michelle Roberts has been awarded first prize at Outside In‘s national open exhibition, Humanity.
“I really wanted to see more of this work and I really thought about is there the body of work to give a one person show to. But I looked at this work and knew that there would be lots of really wonderful work.
I think that if you had been asked to do this, many of you would have made the same choice because it is an absolutely beautiful painting. And so the first prize goes to Michelle Roberts.” Bob and Roberta Smith, Artist and Judge.
The win means a solo show for Michelle Roberts which is expected to open in 2024. Michelle wasn’t there to collect the award but Patricia Finnegan, Artist Development Lead, who works with Michelle every Wednesday was there to receive it on her behalf.
The information that sits with the piece in the exhibition reads:
This painting is about music. Something we can all enjoy together. Michelle said this painting is ‘something I do on my own’ and she’s enjoys listening to ‘nice songs’ Michelle is an artist working with Project Art Works in Hastings. The subjects relate to lived experience such as a holiday, a visit to the ‘Dinosaur World’ exhibition or an Air Show, while others celebrate events such as the Diamond Jubilee, Remembrance Day or films that she’s seen. Photographs are used for reference, but only in passing, as clues or prompts rather than images to be slavishly copied. The drawing is carefully detailed, finely subdividing shapes and forms into patterns and displays fine control without hesitation or correction. The composition is coloured using paint, brush-pens or a combination of these. Colour is used freely with only rare adherence to the local colour of the subject.
See the exhibition at Sotheby’s which is open till 27th January. Find out more here.
Michelle Roberts, Old Bands, 2022
Michelle Roberts, 2022, Project Art Works