The Survey highlights region’s best

Northcliffe artist Janet Leigh was awarded the Perkins 2014 Best Overall Award at the opening of The Survey exhibition at the Bunbury Regional Art Galleries on Saturday night.

Her drawing Wish You Were Here I won the annual award, which includes $7000 prize money.

Ms Leigh said it was wonderful to know people understood and appreciated her work.

“I’m absolutely thrilled and I think it’s wonderful that all that thinking went somewhere, ” she said.

“You do a lot of processing and then you put it out there, and it’s a little gobsmacking when somebody gets it, gets whatever it is you wanted to say.”

The BHP Billiton Worsley Alumina Awards Alumina Awards for Excellence of $1500, went to Robert Ewing for The Grand Promenade and Mariana Troitsky for her work Pure Lines Shapely Curves Horizon Surf.

The City of Bunbury Art Collection Acquisition Award was given to Julie Cox for Together Apart; Nicole Mickle for her photograph Ludlow Doorway; and Robert Ewing for The Grand Promenade.

In a speech at the event, Bunbury Regional Arts Management Board chairwoman Beth Ferguson expressed her disappointment in the Bunbury City Council’s withdrawal of funding for the board.

“On February 4 the Bunbury City Council voted to stop funding us and asked us to vacate this lovely pink building by June 30, ” she said.

The Survey awards ceremony was followed by a street party and entertainment by local band The Tonics.

“I’m absolutely thrilled and I think it’s wonderful that all that thinking went somewhere”— Janet Leigh