The 33rd Beverley Art Prize Exhibition this Easter is a well supported event covering a wide range of artistic standards. Due to the large number (229) of entries hung in a somewhat restricted space, it was difficult to get an overall feel of the exhibition. And I would suggest fewer pieces would also keep the standards higher.

The Pastel Section has a strong selection of works by mainly well known artists. They are vibrant and lively with mostly a strong use of colour, despite the subject matter being landscapes and still life. The winning piece Seagull Sentinels by Linda O'Brien is a superb manipulation of the medium, from the sleek feathers of the gulls down to the viscous fluidity of the tide. It's a humorous piece, capturing that solid strength both of the setting and of the gulls' ownership of it.

I was not as impressed by the Watercolour Section, deservedly won by Drewfus Gates' Chook Pen Drama.

The Oils and Acrylics Section is strong with a varied range of styles from traditional to abstract. I would guess the judges chose Greg Tothill's Burning Vine Cuttings  mainly for his expert handling of the medium and attention to detail. This is a perfectly rendered landscape of very traditional application and style. It reminds me somewhat of a Constable, with the wonderful afternoon glow more reminiscent of English rather than Australian light.

Also in this section, my attention was drawn to Maureen Wells' 3 Cockies, an equally well done piece with attention to detail and clarity of the Australian light. This work combines the stillness of the bush and the sense that the three Cockies have just flown into the picture plane capturing a strong but fleeting movement. I was also taken with Shane Moad's Telstra Hill, Beverley, an abstract work that moves on from his previous style into a more geometric break down of the landscape from an aerial viewpoint. And Lyn Franke's Pelican Brief, another bird study with a lot of character and a loose geometric break down of the landscape into large areas of colour with a great impact and strength.

The Local Artist winner was chosen from this section and is a curiously heavily tinted landscape Minnawarra Park by Pat Lane. It is another realist work, with lots of detail but not a lot of tonal variation. I would be interested to know which country this work is based on as the light is quite cold.

In the Contemporary Oil section, Jeanette Dyson's Beverley to York is the winning piece. This is a glowing, strong, expressionistic landscape in blues and golds, very Australian colours, applied in a free and powerful way.

An interesting sculptural work in this section is First Light by Peter Usher. This white on white work is a geometric, grid-like breakdown of the picture plane, with white tree trunks subtly superimposed so as not to separate from the grid. The piece is worked on a raised segment of curved canvas, bringing to mind the longitude/latitude grid of the planet.

The Small Paintings category was won by Nellie Crawford with a traditional Still Life with Figs. Mecah White's Aloes, a lovely little botanical water colour with good contrast between textures, tones and colour, was awarded a Highly
Commended.

This exhibition closes on 16th April but I would suggest it's worth the trip to Beverley every year, as a venue to see not only the work of established but, more importantly, emerging artists.