Open Art Competition 2010

Thirty shortlisted artists from the Art of Giving Competition exhibited at the Saatchi Gallery 7th -9th October with a host of famous artists to raise money for charity through the sale of art. Comedian Vic Reeves, Photographer Terry O’Neill and Artist Christian Furr judged the competition, which was split into three categories: Painting and Drawing, Sculpture and Photography.

Winner of the sculpture category and overall winner is self-proclaimed Crochetdermist Shauna Richardson. 

Shauna sculpts life-like animals using crochet hook and wool. Using one simple stitch and one colour Shauna employs her own unique crochet freestyle technique to highlight the anatomy of the animal. Each piece takes months to complete, five months in the case of one 6.5ft brown bear.

Tilla Crowne was awarded first prize in the Painting and Drawing category.

Tilla, 23, studied Fine Art at Cambridge School of Art and primarily works with living material. Her work entered in the competition consisted of live snails, with their shells painted in the image of rooms in her childhood home. She says “I relish the dynamism and constant change that living elements lend to my work. My installations change over the time they are exhibited, so each viewing is unique.”

Edward Bowman was awarded first prize in the Photography category.

Edward, who graduated from the University of Derby with an MA in Photography, and from the University of Westminster with an MA in Design and Media Arts get’s his inspiration from the past, “My work is entirely about the past. A search for what has been lost - around the theme absence.” He has taken photographs in India, China and Egypt. He currently lives in London.

The winners all received cash prizes and art supplies generously donated by Winsor & Newton.