- News archive -

Maryanne's painting Rush (shown above) was included in a group exhibition at The Australian Galleries.

The exhibition was a celebration of our renewed freedoms and ability to reconnect with the world, friends and family. It is inspired by the quote “I felt my lungs inflate with the onrush of scenery—air, mountains, trees, people. I thought, "This is what it is to be happy.” – Sylvia Plath, The Bell Jar

From the 27th June 2018 and the 26th June 2019, I took weekly Polaroids of a tree that stands at the heart of the National Art School, where I work. To me, this tree feels like the heart of the school; a central gathering place, a place for collecting the sun or enduring the wind, watching and waiting. By recording the changes of this tree over the space of a year, this work aims to encapsulate a sense of endurance in that change. It is presented here as both the sequence of original Polaroids and a spatial layering of those times.

Artists: Steven Cavanagh, Skelton&Conway, Maryanne Coutts, Ben Denham, Euan Heng, Paul Higgs, Gabriella Hirst, Lisa Jones, Alex Karakonji, Ken Smith.

Above are two details from a work by Maryanne from the Electricity exhibition. The work is titled Mirror Image, 2016-2019 Timber, mirror, animated drawing and fabric 160 x 57 cm

Maryanne was delighted to find herself among the finalists of The Dobell Drawing Prize with her 1min 45sec animation The Last Breath. Pictured above is a still from the animation.

The Dobell Drawing Prize is a new biennial prize and exhibition presented by the National Art School in association with the Sir William Dobell Art Foundation. The Prize is an open call to all artists and aims to explore the enduring importance of drawing and the breadth and dynamism of contemporary approaches to drawing.
The exhibition showcases the finalists’ artworks across a broad range of media that acknowledges the foundational principals of drawing, while also encouraging challenging and expansive approaches to drawing. Submissions are invited for artworks on paper, but may also include wall drawings and larger-scale works and works utilising electronic media.
National Art School envisions the Prize as a platform for the celebration and examination of current drawing practices. The Prize builds on the energy of both emerging artists who make art through drawing, while also celebrating innovation and technical skill of experienced artists.
A drawing symposium, workshops and a range of artist talks will be held in conjunction with the Prize and exhibition, positioning the National Art School and Sydney at the core of contemporary drawing, research and the exploration of ideas. Drawing continues to be central to the National Art School’s curriculum, and the opportunity to present and reflect the many facets of contemporary drawing offers artists another forum to explore the dynamic medium of drawing.
The new Dobell Drawing Prize is an acquisitive art award that runs in alternative years to the Dobell Australian Drawing Biennial at the Art Gallery of New South Wales, affirming the Dobell Foundation’s commitment to continuing the development of drawing as a medium in its own right, and a fundamental element of the visual arts.