It is no papal title but for Melbourne-based artist John Paul being a two-time winner of the Mandorla Art Award is a great achievement.
The 58-year-old artist received $25,000 prize money for his winning painting titled Palm Sunday, in the 2012 Mandorla Art Award, which he also won in 1990.
The exhibit judges said Palm Sunday looks like a medieval stone carving brought to life and demonstrates a great understanding of the exhibit’s theme “born of a woman”.
Mr Paul is originally from Perth and taught himself how to paint at the age of eight.
“I was desperate to do something because I was useless at everything else so I just grabbed my father’s enamel paints and started pushing them around,” he said.
Mr Paul left school aged 15 to work as a clerk, a career that lasted all of six months after his friend urged him to apply for art school because all he would do at his desk was draw in his binder.
Cleaner by day, artist by night, Mr Paul said his passion lies with painting and took about three months to paint Palm Sunday after one month of looking at a blank canvas.
“I just switch off and wait – look at the canvas until I see an image and then I go for it. I can sit there for a month and see nothing then all of a sudden I’ll be working.”
Mr Paul said he plans to spend the money to “get out of town” and continue to pursue his artistic work.
John XXIII Year 10 student Julian Poon won $5,000 in the Mandorla Youth Award category for his painting My Beloved Son.
Julian’s painting of Jesus’ crucifixion with his mother Mary crying at his feet, was selected amongst 20 entries by artists between the ages of 16 and 24.
This is the second year the Youth category has been included in the Mandorla Art Award.
Thelma Cluning’s textile artwork We Honour Our Women and Roddy Darlington’s painting Reverence were highly commended by the judges, each receiving $5,000 prize money.
The four artist’s works were selected from among 65 finalists, 20 youth entries and 45 for the main prize, by the judges Rod Pattenden, Rachael Kohn and Annette Pedersen
The judges said the two winners and the highly commended artists demonstrated a depth of understanding for the theme from St Paul’s letter to the Galatians (4:4): “But when the fullness of time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law”.
Judge Dr Pattensen said the Mandorla Art Award is different to most art prizes because it invites artists to take up the challenge to produce work for a very specific theme and you don’t have to be religious to enjoy the exhibit.
All 65 artworks will be exhibited at the Perth Town Hall until Sunday, August 19 after which a selection of artworks will be displayed at the New Norcia Art Gallery.