Chris Blake

Local Contemporary Art Prize 2026 – Finalist

Image courtesy of the artist.

Chris Blake | Evenings quiet reflections | 2026 | oil on canvas | 76 x 61cm

Like many artists that have come down through time, there has always been the fascination and desire to try and capture natures light and the way it plays on the landscape.

Being of the same mind and following those who have cut through the pathways of art logic, I have tried in this painting to push the light in a contemporary mode and go beyond ones normal bounds of reality. In this case, a quiet stream in Victoria basking in evenings soft light has been made to exploit the colour that was hidden to normal eyes.

Thus, by contemporising the subject we find ourselves enjoying new colours and tones we would normally pass by, the result is we not only find ourselves experiencing nature with a different emotion, but a new conception about art and, maybe something about what the artist is trying to relate to us.