Solicitors Jennings and Kneipp stumped up the $1000 to acquire the winning work, which is now destined to hang in the offices’ waiting room for the viewing pleasure of its clients.

Jennings and Kneipp principal Kerri Swain was guided  in the selection by the competition’s judges Mary Findlay (Stanthorpe Regional Art Gallery director) and Helen Grant (Dundee-based editor of Australian Artist magazine), and she said she learned a lot about art creation in the process.

“It was a collaborative effort between myself and the judges,” Ms Swain said.

“I was guided by them and their expertise.”

She said the judging was based on a range of criteria, including how well a piece echoed the competition theme Tenterfield Reflections, how it told its story and the skill level required to create it. Ms Swain said she received an education in perspective and techniques and their difficulty levels.

While she is a keen art lover, she said she has never examined artworks to that degree. 

Other prizes announced on the night were $250 to Madeleine Jones for the open 2D prize for her photographic work Reflections on Glen Rock, and $250 to Richard Pfeiffer’s Washpool for the open 3D prize. The viewers’ choice prize of $100 will be determined by public vote at the completion of the exhibition on April 9.

Ms Swain is looking forward to taking ownership after the completion of the exhibition. In the meantime entries are on exhibit at the gallery which is open Wednesday to Friday from 10am to 4pm, and on Saturday and Sunday from 9am to 3pm.

She aims to continue her sponsorship to next year’s event, and hopes to see a lot more entries as the competition gains momentum.