Local art exhibitions are an excellent way to stimulate individual and community interest in the visual arts.  The City of Gosnells and Kenwick Rotary Club's art competition held at Metro Maddington Shopping Centre is a good example of this happening in a local community.  The sponsors are to be congratulated for putting up the prize money for the winning entries.

Competence is demonstrated not only in the overall standard of entries but in the high standard of judging as well.  A lot of damage can be done to exhibitors at these local shows if there is a poor standard of judging.  Such is not the case here.  The judges have shown a consistent grasp of aesthetic qualities in there choice of winners.

In the Oil/Acrylic Section, Derrick Carroll achieves a national standard with Jilted, a very memorable portrait using excellent technique and design quality.  Two others who show promise are Brian Pipes and Brigitta Nowlands.

In the Watercolour/Gouache Section, two outstanding paintings are Christine Hunt's Old McDonald Had a Farm with its powerful primary colours and Chelinay Gates Tasman Blue with its surging blue sea.  The winner of this section, Janice Walsh achieves a freshness and simplicity in South West coast, a conventional but extremely competent watercolour.

Inside Jake's Corner by David Rich provides the winner in the Section called 'The International Year of the Ocean'.  In the Works on Paper Section, Julie Podstolski's The Reflective Garden surprises with its complexity of tones and texture.  The many other sections provide further evidence for an enjoyable show well worth visiting.

Any artist entering this exhibition has a unique opportunity to see their work alongside many outstanding exhibits, thus making an overall impression of an educational and visual delight.