Luciblooms honours young artists
TALENTED young artists were recognised on Australia Day through the Luciblooms Memorial Youth Awards in memory of Lucia Berghella and presented by her mother and painter Anne Forbes.
Lily Dewar-Oldis won with her bright and lively painting Pond-ering Koi, saying afterwards that she is honoured and overwhelmed with joy just like the fish in her painting and will be inspired to enter other art shows.
“I knew I wanted to paint koi fish,” she responded when asked how she chose her subject, with the opportunity to enter the Leongatha Art and Photography Show making it the ideal occasion.
Anne explained why Lily won the $200 first prize.
“Lily, I chose your koi painting because it really stood out from all the other youth artworks; you’ve beautifully captured the gorgeous koi and the way they move through the water,” she said, encouraging her to continue with her art.
Lilah Zun picked up an honourable mention for her work Sunset Lake, earning her a $100 prize, Anne struck by the beautiful and calm place the painting shows.
“I liked the way you used light and dark values to portray the reflections in the water and your painting reminds me of some of the gorgeous sunsets we see in the South Gippsland landscape,” she said.
Kseniia Chechkova’s painting Landscape claimed the other honourable mention.
“It struck me with its use of vivid colour to depict what is a familiar landscape around here; the way the tree was painted and the curve of the hills shows great talent and I was quite surprised that it was done by someone under the age of 13,” Anne said.
Lucia continues to inspire Anne’s choice of award recipients, the pair having enjoyed painting together.
“I’m not just looking at skill but also what reminds me of Lucia; sometimes the subjects remind me of her fun spirit and at other times the colours talk to me.”
Lucia was an intelligent, cheeky bright girl who loved to paint, dance, listen to music, hang out with her mates and play with her two dogs.
While the Luciblooms Awards tie in perfectly with Leongatha Rotary Club’s aim to encourage youth art, there is also the need to raise awareness of the little-known condition that took Lucia’s life at the age of 13, Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy.
