Open exhibition winners praised for artistic skill and originality

TALENTED artists brushed aside tough competition to take the honours at the long-awaited Harrogate Open Exhibition 2010 at the Mercer Art Gallery.
By The Newsroom
Published 5th Aug 2010, 10:43 BST
Updated 5th Aug 2010, 10:43 BST

This year, the winner of the 200 top prize was Adam King with his mixed media work Scape Goat, with the second prize 100 going to Balbinder Olak for High Windows.

Six artists won special commendations of 50 each including Kathy Barton for her watercolour portrait Reverie, and Kim Coley for her pastel drawing Someone Else's Coat. The others were Clive Day for Big Pink, pastel drawing, Tim Frankland for his egg tempera painting My Mother In Our 1960s Kitchen, Daren Higham for his oil painting Open Edgeland, and Zara Worth for her mixed media work, On Longing.

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One of the judges Jane Sellars, curator of art for Harrogate Council, said: "The standard of work this year is higher than ever, but the winners all stood out for their skill and originality."

Altogether, artists in all media entered 517 works of art for the Harrogate Open, from which the panel selected 187 works by 122 artists for exhibition.

Last year the Mercer Art Gallery introduced the Harrogate Open People's Prize. Visitors to the exhibition, which runs until September, will have the chance to vote for the work they like the best in the show, and help it to win a prize of 100.