WESTERN District Employment Access (WDEA) business manager Jack Melican’s passion for all abilities to be included came to the fore at the announcement of this year’s popular Warrnibald art competition.
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In announcing the People’s Choice award, Mr Melican said all competition entries were displayed when he originally set the competition up and he hoped it would return to that format.
Only 16 of the 25 entries in the competition were displayed this year.
The controversy delighted many in the big crowd that attended the announcement that the judges award this year was going to two winners, Megan Cheyne and Madeleine Peters.
Ms Peters won this year’s with her portrait of Kirra DiConza, a marine biology student at Deakin’s Warrnambool campus.
Ms Peters said the artwork was also a tribute to the many people associated with the university campus that had influenced her life.
She also won last year’s Warrnibald competition with her portrait of The Standard journalist Matt Neal.
Ms Cheyne’s portrait of Warrnambool art teacher Ollie Morgan was titled “Goddess Ollie,” which borrowed from the light-hearted title given to Mrs Morgan by her husband Glenn.
Ms Cheyne said Mrs Morgan was a giving person, much loved in Warrnambool arts scene. She said the portrait was done in the Klint style whose detail she admired.
The People’s Choice award was won by Liz Gannon for her portrait of musician Cooper Lower. She said she wanted to capture Cooper as a soulful person.
