Winner of 2007/08 Vickers Fine Art Award
Derbyshire Community Foundation is delighted to announce the winner of the fourth Vickers Fine Art Award—Natalie Dowse.
Natalie is a Portsmouth-based painter who recently returned from a residency in Riga, Latvia. Natalie says ” The work I produced in Riga was essentially about being displaced into a new environment and about how we respond to the confusion of unfamiliar surroundings. It will be fascinating to see how this journey around Derbyshire transpires as this ‘new’ place gradually becomes ‘home’ for a year.”
The Vickers Fine Art Award is a significant art award launched in 2001 to celebrate the late Jonathan Vickers’ lifetime passion for fine arts. This year sees the strengthening of the relationship with the University of Derby who are sponsoring a teaching fellowship which has increased the value of the award to £29,000.
Selection panel member Phil Tregoning of Tregoning Art Gallery in Queen Street, Derby, said “the thing that impressed me most about Natalie was her observational ability when gathering material and the meticulous application of paint to canvas. I particularly liked her portrayal of movement, kids running and urban life on the move.”
Ella Ferris, Vickers Art Co-ordinator said “ I was very impressed by Natalie - not just her art but the way she explained where it came from and what it meant. I am confident that she will create a beautiful collection of work that will be valued by the people of Derbyshire.”
New addition to the Vickers Art Collection
Helena Ben-Zenou, winner of the 2005/06 Award, has donated this painting to the Vickers collection. It joins works donated by previous winners Lewis Noble and Kerry Harker.
“With a cool palette of off-greys and even cooler painterly control, she tackles the grim, unyielding and almost inpenetrable landscapes of industry.” Robert Clark, The Guardian
Read The Guardian review of Helena's Derby exhibition.
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“Dene Quarry (amenalley)” – 183 x 167cms, mixed media on canvas
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Crafts in the Cases

Works donated by 2003 Award winner Kerry Harker are touring Derbyshire libraries between October 2006 and July 2007 as part of the Crafts in the Cases programme.
Five Derbyshire libraries have been provided with a specially commissioned display case by furniture maker Chris Fleming. Each case is different and has been made to suit the space in the individual library. Crafts in the Cases touring exhibitions complement the cases by showing high quality work to new audiences.
Kerry’s work is being shown at these libraries: Melbourne 18 Oct - 15 Dec 2006
Glossop 15 Dec - 8 Feb 2007
Alfreton 8 Feb - 18 April
Long Eaton 18 April - 1 June
Bolsover 1 June -26 July
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