Mackay artist Emily Jayne Carroll wins Woollam Art on Show 2022
A hairdresser has taken out the top gong at a prestigious art show, nabbing $3000 for a mysterious Rembrandt-inspired portrait. Read her incredible story and the full list of winners.
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Mackay hairdresser Emily Jayne Carroll has won the 2022 Woollam Art on Show Award and she says exhibiting her acclaimed painting signalled a new phase in her life.
“I just felt like this is what I’m supposed to do,” she said.
She took out the top gong with an enchanting Rembrandt-esque portrait entitled ‘Fredrick’ and she says she drew inspiration from the ‘old masters’ for her work.
“For me, I love Rembrandt,” she said.
“As an artist, nothing compares and I think that is how I tried to paint Frederick as well, very renaissance style.
“I love modern art but I’ve always been drawn to the old masters in the art world and I just think that classic art should be showcased more than what it is.”
The subject of Fredrick is a mystery.
A photographer snapped the man on a train and posted to Instagram.
Mrs Carroll asked the photographer if she could put her own spin on the entrancing image.
“I’m drawn to the stare of Frederick, like everyone else, and that is what I’ve tried to capture,” she said.
“What I was trying to portray in the painting was his anxious stare, which was really obvious to me.”
The large-scale portrait beat out more than 200 other entrants and Mrs Carroll is now transitioning from her hairdressing business to the life of an artist, refitting her hair studio, called Emily Jayne Hair Artistry, into an art studio.
Mrs Carroll had stopped painting for years before taking up the brushes to work on oil paintings.
She spent roughly six months on Fredrick, her third painting after returning to art.
For Mrs Carroll, art provides a “window” into other possibilities.
“Art creates an alternative perspective,” she said.
“That is what art fundamentally does, it provides a window into a different world and takes you away from the current.
“That is ultimately what artists create, in whichever form they choose.”
The 34-year-old woman grew up in Beaconsfield and all of her family are still in the Sugar City, something she cherishes.
She said the Woollam show was “spectacular” and a boon for the local art scene.
“Mackay really needs competitions like this,” she said.
“It really brings all the creatives together.”
For young artists starting out, Mrs Carroll said “perseverance” was everything.
“It is not always easy,” she said.
“It is about overcoming obstacles within your painting.
“But just go for it and be fearless.”
Woollam Art on Show Awards 2022 winners
$3000 Overall Winner – Woollam Art on Show Award 2022
Artist: Emily Jayne Carroll
Title of Work: Fredrick
Section 1 – Easel Painting Award
1st Prize $1000
Artist: Sharon Ruhle
Title of Work: Waiting
Highly Commended $350
Artist: Sybil Rodger
Title of Work: Conversation
Commended $150
Artist: Bradley Short
Title of Work: Tropical North
Section 2 – Dalrymple Bay Coal Terminal Works on Paper Award
1st Prize $1000
Artist: Desma Munro
Title of Work: Abandoned
Highly Commended $350
Artist: Jan Ward
Title of Work: Gentle Chaos
Commended $150
Artist: Douglas Lenton
Title of Work: Granny’s Tooth
Section 3 – 7 Mackay Local News Miniature Award
1st Prize $1000
Artist: It Hao Pheh
Title of Work: Pumpkins
Highly Commended $350
Artist: Lindsay-Jane Conroy
Title of Work: Emu Footprint
Commended $150
Artist: Tina Spira
Title of Work: DS
Section 4 – North Jacklin Emergent Artist Award
1st Prize $500
Artist: Georgia Farlow
Title of Work: Endemic
Highly Commended $250
Artist: Hailey Rodger
Title of Work: Mirror Through Nature
Commended $150
Artist: Hayley Said
Title of Work: Male Portrait
Included in Section 4 – Keith’s Mean Machine Excavations Emergent Artists Arts Practice Award
Prize $500
Artist: Georgia Farlow
Title of Work: Endemic
Section 5 – Artists’ Book Award
1st Prize $1000
Artist: Avril Makula
Title of Work: Bibliolater
Highly Commended $350
Artist: Traci Lietzke
Title of Work: Made by her hands
Commended $150
Artist: Pam Slattery
Title of Work: Children of the Sun #2
Voted by the People of Mackay – MineMech Services Mackay, People’s Choice Award
1st Prize $250
Artist: Rosemary Payne
Title of Work: There Lies a Tale
2nd Place $150
Artist: Mikayla Parrotta
Title of Work: Moments Before Disaster
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