Ben Howe with his winning portrait “Cartagena Library”. Photo: supplied.
Esperance’s art enthusiasts will have the opportunity to engage with one of Australia’s top portrait painters at the Cannery Arts Centre next week.
The Cannery is hosting the 2024 Lester Prize winner, Ben Howe, as an artist in residence from June 16-23 as part of the exhibitions regional WA tour.
During his visit he will be holding workshops and visiting students at the Esperance Senior High School and Esperance Anglican Community School.
Cannery Arts Centre general manager Katie Witt said they were thrilled to have Howe come to the arts centre.
“We can’t believe that Ben the winner wants to come from Ballarat all the way to little old Esperance but he wants to travel and we are very excited to have him come here,” Ms Witt said.
Howe will be running a community workshop “The Essence of Form: Tonal Portraiture” on Saturday June 21.
Workshop participants will learn the art of oil painting with a limited greyscale palette to create a realism without relying on fine details or heavy blending.
Ms Witt said the workshop cost $10 and locals could book on the Cannery website under the “workshops” tab.
“Ben uses realism without relying on fine details so it’s more like realism from afar,” she said.
“[The workshop] is actually very different to his prize-winning portrait which is all about colour.
“It’s using oil paints – black and white – and he’ll be teaching you that less is more,”
Howe is a regional artist and said he valued the opportunity to share his passion with the Esperance audience.
“Sometimes being an artist can be a fairly isolated experience, particularly outside of the major cities, where it’s easy to feel like you’re creating in a bit of a vacuum,” Howe said.
“Since recently relocating to Ballarat, I’ve experienced a little of that myself.
“The Lester Prize regional tour seems to me to be a fantastic opportunity for local artists to see all the portraits, be inspired, introduced to the practices of other artists from around Australia and perhaps realise that we are more connected than we might think.”
Esperance can see Howe’s winning oil painting “Cartagena Library” at the Cannery alongside other Lester Portrait Prize paintings until July 20.
The free exhibition was opened on June 6 and entry includes guided tours.
Ms Witt said the Lester Prize exhibition has been made possible with generous support from the Mt Burdett Foundation and in partnership with The Lester Prize, with additional support for the residency from the Esperance Ag Fund.
