Free Range Canberra Art Competition - Results

Congratulations to Helen Hopcroft for her entry "A battery farm chicken has her fortune told".

Helen's image will appear on Avant Cards sometime soon.

Congratulations also to the other entrants and especially to the finalists whose entries are displayed below.

The Winner

Artist Name: Helen Hopcroft

A battery farm chicken has her fortune told
Painting (ink and watercolour on paper)
Approx. 50 cm x 40 cm unframed

(Fortune teller is saying: "I see a short, shit life. You will be deprived of liberty for most of your life. Squashed in a cage with your fellow chickens; you will be unable to stretch, scratch or spread your wings. You will never have children...)


Artist's Statement:

My grandfather introduced me to the hobby of poultry keeping. One of my most treasured child hood books was David Kay’s ‘Poultry keeping for beginners’. It’s a great read; I thoroughly recommend it to anyone considering keeping chickens.

After you have kept chickens for a few years you realize what intelligent, personable and warm creatures they are. You realize how much they appreciate dust baths, the opportunity to scratch and preen, and decent nesting boxes. My chickens would play a form of touch rugby where they would chase each other round the backyard trying to get a bacon rind off one another. I think they thought it was a particularly delicious worm.

The Other Finalists

Artist Name: Helen Hopcroft

A battery farm chicken is not a battery operated chicken
Painting (ink and watercolour on paper)
Approx. 50 cm x 40 cm unframed

Artist Name: Judith Fuller

De Profundus - The Caged Bird Sings
Graphite and crayon on paper
20cm wdt x 25.5cm ht

De Profundus - Flying Home
Graphite and crayon on paper
20cm wdt x 25.5cm ht

Artist Name: Bren Weatherstone

Can the Hen... ?
Painting on canvas board
49cm wdt x 76cm ht