The artist Clare Woods has been named as the winner of the 2014 Wakelin Award. As part of the prize her work will be purchased for the permanent collection at Glynn Vivian Art Gallery, Swansea.
With a background in sculpture, Woods has developed her practice as a painter, drawing on inspiration from her local landscape in Wales. Her work usually involves large-scale gloss and enamel paint on canvas although more recently she has been pursuing smaller, quieter works using oil on aluminium.
Selector Amanda Farr, director of Oriel Davies Gallery, Newtown said: ”In working with Clare Woods for the exhibition at Oriel Davies, I realised that there was a whole body of remarkable watercolours which would really work well in the context of Glynn Vivian Art Gallery’s collection, which includes such a long tradition of outstanding Welsh landscapes from the 18th century onwards.
“To add contemporary work from the 21st century seemed to offer great richness and relevance for future generations to enjoy. I love the watercolours for their play with light and shade, for their colour and vibrancy, and the excitement of working in such a fluid and dynamic way on a large scale.”
Woods said: “The watercolours which will be on display were inspired by the time I spent exploring the Welsh landscape in recent years, so I am delighted that my work will be joining a major public collection in Swansea.”
Contemporary collection
The Wakelin Award is administered by the Friends of the Glynn Vivian Art Gallery in memory of Richard and Rosemary Wakelin, themselves artists and active supporters of the arts in Swansea. Their son, Dr Peter Wakelin, said: “‘It is important for both artists and museums that current works are added to the collections of the future. People are always astonished when they find out how small the purchasing budgets are for public galleries in Wales, which need all the help they can get to represent current Welsh art in their collections.”
Previous winners of the Wakelin Award include: Robert Harding, David Tress, Pete Davis, Craig Wood, David Garner, Tim Davies, Dick Chappell, Brendan Stuart Burns, Anthony Shapland, Catrin Webster, Jonathan Anderson, Meri Wells, David Cushway and Helen Sear.
