CONTEMPLATION - A MAGNIFICENT AUSTRALIAN ETCHING + A SUPERB ORIGINAL PENCIL AND 24KT GOLD DRAWING

HI EVERYONE.  MARY AND I HAVE STARTED OUR WORLD TRIP AND FIRST PORT OF CALL IS HONG KONG.  FOR A BIT OF FUN I THOUGHT I WOULD TRY SELLING SOME PIECES ON EBAY.  WHILST IN HONG KONG I DISCOVERED THESE BEAUTIFULLY MADE CALLIGRAPHY BOARDS AND DECIDED TO DO A FEW DRAWINGS ON THEM.  ONE OF THEM, AN EMU IS A BONUS WITH THIS "CONTEMPLATION" ETCHING.  THE ARTWORKS WILL BE SENT VERY WELL PACKAGED FROM HONG KONG. THE POST OFFICE IS JUST ACROSS THE ROAD FROM OUR HOTEL IN KOWLOON,  NEAR WHERE THE STREET PHOTO WAS TAKEN.  POSTAGE TO AUSTRALIA WILL TAKE 6 TO 8 DAYS.  A FEW WEEKS AGO I WAS LUCKY ENOUGH TO WIN THE KIMBERLEY ART PRIZE IN THE DRAWING SECTION AGAIN.  I THINK ITS THE 11TH TIME THAT I HAVE WON IT.  THAT IN ITSELF MAKES THIS DRAWING QUITE VALUABLE PROBABLY AROUND THE $1000 MARK.

Mark Norval is a very well known Kimberley Artist and Art teacher.  He has worked in the Kimberley since 1981 and has worked with thousands of Indigenous people in the Arts area. He was recently awarded the Centenary of Federation Medal for his work in this area.

A multi talented artist he has won over 40 prizes in all facets of fine art and is a 5 time winner of the Kimberley Art Prize and also a winner of the Shinju Matsuri Art Award,  the major Art competition in Broome.

The Kimberley Art Prize is one of Australia's longest running art competitions.  This prestigious award has been judged by the likes of Betty Churcher (Director National Gallery of Australia),  Paula Latos Valier (Director,  Art Gallery of Western Australia),  Arthur Russell  (Art Gallery of Western Australia),  Elizabeth Durack ( famous Australian artist) and Robert Juniper (Western Australia's most prominent artist).  This years award was judged by Australian art critic David Bromfield who awarded Mark Norval the prize for drawing.  This is the 10th time that Norval has taken out this award. 

As an investment, the work of Mark Norval has proven to be very good. In the late 1970's the artist was happy to sell his etchings for less than $50.  In the 1980's he best etchings sold for $150.  His average price for unframed etchings in the late 1990's was around the $300 mark.  Galleries are now selling his etchings in the $900 to $2000 region.  In the area of painting Mark's works have also risen dramatically.  In 1997 his highest price was $7,000 for a painting purchased by David Smorgan of Smorgan Steel.  His works are now regularly fetching over the $10,000 mark with a painting entitled "1967" selling for $15,000 at the Broome 6 Gallery in September 2007.  Prices are again expected to rise when his new book is launched later this year.

Title-   CONTEMPLATION

Story- One of Mark Norval's most famous and evocative etchings.  Part of the politically motivated " Contemplation Series" in which the artist constantly produced artworks which featured the same iconic image of a young indigenous youth's face.  Produced throughout the 1990's and 2000's these images force the viewer to consider their own personal stance on issues such as, mandatory sentencing, youth suicide, substance abuse and land rights, which confont all young aboriginal people today.  The model for these works was Kelvin Kelly.  A young Ngarinyin boy who was an art student of Mark's at Derby District High School during the late 1980's.  Kelvin now lives on the border of his Ngarinyin, Wunumbal country near the awe inspiring Mitchell Falls.  In the portrait Kelvin's face is illuminated by a nearby campfire just before his initiation ceremony.  The moment captures his inner thoughts as he contemplates his own immediate future and the future of his people and their ancient culture.

Size- 270 mm x 170 mm approx.     A photo featured here shows the artist holding another etching of this series so that the size of the print can be better understood. 

Technique-  Open bite and line etching on Zinc plate bitten with nitric acid.  Editioned onto 535 gram acid free Bockingford paper from St Cuthberts Mill England. Inked by the artist using Graphic Chemicals Inks.  Hand coloured with watercolours by the artist. 

Normal gallery price-    $1200 framed  $1000 unframed

ART AWARDS

Kimberley Art Prize (Outright Winner) - 1984,1994,1995,1998,2000

Kimberley Art Prize (Painting) – 1993, 1995, 1998, 2003

Kimberley Art Prize (Drawing) – 1984, 1985, 1986, 1990, 1991,1997, 1998, 2000, 2002, 2007

Kimberley Art Prize (Watercolour)  - 1982, 1984, 1996, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2004

Kimberley Art Prize (Mixed Media) – 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1996, 1997

Kimberley Art Prize (Sculpture) – 1994

Shinju Matsuri (Outright Winner) – 1996

Shinju Matsuri (Painting) – 1985, 1987, 1989

Shinju Matsuri (Drawing) – 1987

Shinju Matsuri  (Printmaking) – 1985, 1987, 1988, 1990,1999

Australia Day Artist (WA) – 1996

Australia Day Artist (NSW) – 2003

Centenary of Federation Medal -  2002 (contribution to the arts)

A new 150 page full colour book featuring the work Mark Norval will be launched in May this year.