The Fox Art Exhibition

A Guernsey based artist has taken the top prize of £1000 at this years Fox Art Open Competition, while the award for U18 prize has been won by Victoria College student Sam Lawrence.

Overall Guernsey based winner Jean-Luc Almond studied Fine Art at City and Guilds of London Art School and has won various awards, including the Cass Art Commission at the National Open Art Competition, Somerset House and best painting prize at the Injustice Open Art Competition, La Galleria, Pall Mall. He has been featured as “one to watch” in the 20 Emerging Artists to Buy Now Collection on Saatchi Art.

His picture Shadow was described by judge Mick Armson as: “Small and intimate, yet monumental in its presence”. He added: “I was immediately drawn into this  extraordinary painting. For me, the essence of this work lies in the skill to paint what isn’t there – hidden in shadow.”

Sam Lawrence secured the £500 student award, offered in memory of former JJ Fox International managing director Jock Russell, for Windrush Ship, a painting from an A-level project on refugees capturing, in the words of the judge, “the solidarity and vastness of this ship, whilst at the same time managing to convey a poignant sense of its fragility”.

“When I had selected this piece, I was absolutely delighted to then discover that this was a  student entry and was able to give it the accolade it deserves,” Mr Armson said.

The two winning entries were among 230 reduced to a final exhibition of 35 pieces on show in the Arts Centre’s Berni Gallery until 9 November when the collection moves to Guernsey’s George Crossan Gallery for a week’s run between 18 and 23 November. Five other artists – Sonny Reid, Mick Humpage, Joe Howes, Lillie Mangematin and Guernsey based artist Natasha K He – received £100 each for their “highly commended” paintings. After a number of years when separate competitions were run in Jersey and Guernsey, the event reverted to its original form of a single event across the Channel Islands last year.

All the prizes were presented at the official exhibition opening in Jersey earlier this month by Stuart Fox, current managing director of JJ Fox International, who congratulated participants and those supporting the event – now in its 42nd year – at the Jersey Arts Centre and Guernsey Arts.

Commenting on this year’s event, the judge said that he had been confronted by “a truly fantastic collection of works to select from, making the process of keeping the exhibited works to only 35 extremely difficult.” He added: “But I was really pleased to find that my final selection seemed naturally to cover a wonderful range of genres, techniques, scale and subject matter.

“I was not informed which were student entries – or of any other artist details, of course – until after my selection was complete. I was absolutely delighted to then find out how many fabulous works had been submitted in this category.

“There is clearly a very high standard of art education on the Channel Islands which is exciting, reassuring and something I feel is worthy of a special mention.

“I sincerely hope that these young artists will take great encouragement from being shown here and give other students the confidence to enter their work in future Fox Open Art Competitions,” Mr Armson said.