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BIBLIO ART PRIZEFINALISTS of 2020Presented by BLARNEY BOOKS & ART of Port FairyINTRODUCING THE 12THANNUAL

Metal Fish, Falling Snowby Linda Weil (Cheltenham, Vic)Inspired by Metal Fish, Falling Snow by Cath MooreMedium: Graphite PencilPrice: 650Size: 32h x 39w (unframed)Metal Fish, Falling Snow is Dylan’s journey of discovery and search for identitythrough both a physical road trip and her growing self-knowledge about race,identity, grief, and family. She takes with her two icons on her travels, a metalfish, and a snow globe. The snow globe is the story of Dylan’s mother. Atreasured gift representing the promised trip to Paris where Dylan dreams herblack skin will not mark her out as different and where she will belong. Like herdream of Paris, the snow globe is shattered when she abandoned by herstepfather with the Guyanese family she has never known, nor wanted toknow. The tiny metal fishing lure she carries with her is the story of her blackfather. Found when she fled from his violence as a small girl, it soothes her andreminds her to breathe. To count the scales until the trauma is past. Tying thetwo together is the flood that washes over her at the end of the novel, forcingher to relinquish her plan of sailing to Paris in a leaky rowboat in favour ofrescuing her young cousin. She is finally grounded when she finds and acceptsher family and learns to be comfortable in her skin.

Preservation 1 and Preservation 2by Joanne Sisson (Ballarat, Vic)Inspired by The Long Shadow by Anne BuistMedium: Paper and BoardPrice: 750 ‘The Long Shadow’ describes the relationships betweenmothers and infants. In the concluding chapters twocentral characters are harassed and pursued. As thewomen flee they become aware they must cross aflooding river. The author alludes to the watchfulpresence of two owls. The owls symbolise a protectingand guiding influence over the women. ‘Preservation I’depicts the river crossing from the perspective of theowls. ‘Preservation II’ depicts the same event from theperspective of the women.

The Witch’s Shackby Quince Frances (Barkers Creek, Vic)Inspired by Euphoria Kidsby Alison EvansMedium: Watercolour and GouacheSize: 40 cm x 40 cmPrice: 395As a non-binary person, It is incredible to read a book with gender non-conforming characters. I chose to paint a very pivotal scene in the book;when the three friends finally find the witch’s house. Evans creates so muchanticipation and fear about what the characters may find, but the house iswelcoming and reveals a very helpful and kind witch. I wanted to convey thewarming glow in the darkness that I experienced when exploring my genderidentity and felt this scene in the book metaphors so beautifully.RAINBOW PRIZE WINNER!!

Mumma Warruno – Murra Wathunoby Peta Lloyd (Coowonga, QLD)Inspired by Sheer Waterby Leah SwannMedium: Tex tile, Mon oprint, Stitchin gSize: VariablePrice: 900The title of my work comes from words found in this novel. These gentle and soothing four words comefrom a lullaby as sung by our First Nations Peoples, it is known as the 'Maronoa Lullaby' from the MaronoaDistrict of North Queensland*. Leah Swann’s book depicts the strength of love between a mother and herchildren. The book is set over three heart-wrenching days. Ava, a strong and capable woman, is desperatelydisentangling herself from a volatile relationship with the children’s father, Lawrence. Ava has planned afresh new beginning for herself and her children, but Lawrence uses his insidious power and violence togain back control of Ava, Max and Teddy, with devastating results. I have used a fabric concertina bookformat. Monoprints of the main characters and the Sheerwater birds have been printed directly onto fabricand paper. The book is stitched using free motion machine stitching and hand stitch, the symbol of a heartis used throughout my book to illustrate the love between mother and children. The sheerwater birds are acontinuous metaphor of life and its fragility, used throughout both Swann’s book and mine. I have housedthe book inside the tipping tray of a Tonka truck. The much loved and used truck appears in the book on anumber of occasions - a symbol of what should be a carefree, safe and loving, childhood for Max and Teddy,as it should be for all children.* Information from: Phyl Lobl, folksinger, songwriter and teacher.HIGHLY COMMENDED

Pear Tree Schoolby Anne-Maree Hunter (Shoal Bay, NSW)Inspired by The Subjectsby Sarah HopkinsMedium: Cyanotypes Collage using Pears PapyrusSize: 52 x 52 cmPrice: 595A set of gifted juvenile delinquents with various talents and potential, aresent to a school; or detention centre; or health retreat; or laboratory: it’snot immediately clear. Darkly, are they part of a larger experiment or simplybeing given the opportunity to be set right and improve their lives? A PearTree, specifically and expressly grown, has been planted in the courtyard. Itbecomes a central point of shared respite and learning to The Subjects. Bythinly slicing Beurre Bosc and Packham Pears horizontally and vertically tocreate Pears Papyrus, the internal structures of the fruits are revealed.When this is used to expose Cyanotypes to the glare of the sun, theresulting images have the appearance X-rays. The Subjects of Hopkins’ bookare aware of both overtly and covertly being surveilled and examined asclosely as a doctor diagnosing an X-ray.

After the Sea Rises, Parts I & IIby Dianne Jacono (Sebastopol, Vic)Inspired by The Glad Shoutby Alice RobinsonMedium: Mixed Media – Found Objects, Acrylic on CanvasSize: 54 cm x 45 cm + 41 cm x 61 cmPrice: 1800 (in all)3D diorama installation and painting about The Glad Shout, where ayoung mother and small child are trying to survive a cataclysmicclimate change event. Rising sea levels have flooded Melbourne,forcing survivors into a crowded makeshift camp.Part I as a group $1300Camp Survivors $500Refugees $500Double Deluge $100Nest $100Lifeboat $100Part II :Bass Strait Crossing $500STORYTELLER’S PRIZE WINNER!

The Steadfast Sailsby Athenie Leckey (Brighton, Vic)Inspired by The Trespassersby Meg MundellMedium: Book Page Collage with AcrylicsSize: 76 cm x 61 cmPrice: 300‘The Steadfast Sails’ was an exciting challenge. Meg Mundell’s ‘TheTrespassers’ audiobook started the journey developing the visual outline forthis piece. The comparison of travelling through the novel with the real timeCOVID crisis was startling and shocking. Meg Mundell’s novel was publishedin 2019, her futuristic premonition was surprisingly relatable. ‘The SteadfastSails’ is inspired by – and painted on – pages of ‘The Trespassers’ (2 copieswere purchased – one to sacrifice and the other to keep). The Steadfastvessel is sailing to its destination surrounded by imagery that was importantin my reading of the novel, from the red slash of paint in the water thatscared Cleary in the opening of the novel, to the jellyfish bloom, to musicalinstruments and Billie’s singing, and to the momentous job of containing thevirus on board the ship. Meg Mundell’s ‘The Trespassers’ was an interestingand topical read. There was great enjoyment in trying to conquer thisartistic challenge.

Jane in Love – the Musicalby Patsy Bush (Barwon Heads, Vic)Inspired by Jane in Loveby Rachel GivneyMedium: 4-layer tunnel book, etchings, linocuts, LED lights and card.Price: 380A bemused Jane appears in the middle of a rehearsal for awhimsical production of Jane Austin’s “Persuasion”. Thestage is lit from above and below. There are cameras, filmequipment and a background etching of Bath’s PumpRoom. Actors, some in period costume, are playing aromantic or comedic role. Jane is certainly in for awonderful experience.

The Mask of Normalityby Jo Dixey (Helensville, NZ)Inspired by In The Clearingby JP PomareMedium: EmbroiderySize: 23 cm x 31 cmPrice: 350The main character in the book spends her life trying to be 'Normal' so people do not find outabout her past, You can only hide for so long before that mask slips.

Palindromeby Dianna Heeps (Port Fairy, Vic)Inspired by The Vanishing Deepby Astrid ScholteMedium: Mixed MediaSize: 42 cm x 52 cm (framed)Price: 250This painting tries to depict adventure, human strength, endeavour, sacrifice, and love,together with the strong bond which exists between two sisters. The setting: an ocean worldwhere cities lie at its depths (the ‘great waves’ buried cities long ago) and a rare living tree (thetops of the world’s highest mountains provide the only natural land source).A palindrome: life, death, life.

Dinner for Eightby Sian Burman (Port Fairy, Vic)Inspired by Smart Ovens for Lonely Peopleby Elizabeth TanMedium: Giclee PrintSize: 49 cm x 58 cmPrice: 140In response to Elizabeth Tan’s short story ‘Our Sleeping LungsOpened to the Cold’, these eight mermaids spin languidly, aninterminable circular octet. They swirl within the confines of theplate, which represents the closed aquarium and the restaurant,bestowing entertainment and dinner upon its affluent clientele. Themermaids remain trapped like the fish they swim with, but whichwill eventually become their prey. They are graceful, lustrous,gleaming, but there are just small signs of scales creeping up theirwaists. They will transform, freed from their man-made restraint,evolving into quite another creature, not quite fish, not quitemermaid.

Home Was Family Tooby Carolyn Vickers (Ringwood, Vic)Inspired by The Old Lieby Claire G ColemanMedium: Linocut and Oil PaintSize: 40.6 cm x 40.6 cmPrice: 350There are so many stories entwined throughout Claire G Coleman's book The Old Liethat could inspire many art pieces but one that I kept coming back to was a characterWilliam who had been wrongly incarcerated in prison for years and the description ofhis connection to country that kept him going. I loved the description that his homeof the forest of tall trees, ocean and dunes was family too. I tried to convey a feelingof country protecting him in this piece.

Jurkoby Jane Farnan (Brunswick, Vic)Inspired by The Labyrinthby Amanda LohreyMedium: Paper CollageSize: 35 cm x 50 cmPrice: 400The book's narrator, Erica, quotes a favourite maxim of her father: "The cure for many ills, notedJung, is to build something". Jurko is the fugitive Albanian stonemason who helps Erica build herlabyrinth.

Leaps and Plungesby Lee Bethel (Bundeena, NSW)Inspired by A Lonely Girl is a Dangerous Thingby Jessie TuMedium: Watercolour and Ink on Handcut Paper AssemblageSize: 50 x 34 x 12 cmPrice: 1250Jessie Tu’s novel A Lonely Girl is a Dangerous Thingis provocative in its telling of women’s sexuallearning; challenging society’s expectations butnormalising the actualities of how womennegotiate self and power and the politics of theirsexual lives. I have made a white violin with brokenstrings. It can be repaired, and this parallels thehopeful tone of the novel; Lena will be repaired;she will become comfortable within herself, forherself. Keeping the artwork white reflects theconstrictions of the white male dominated canonof literature, music and art; breaking through theviolin is a red vagina demanding attention butprotected by the violin’s bridge.

Missingby Judith Sharrock (Warrnambool, Vic)Inspired by The Bluffsby Kyle PerryMedium: Australian TimberSize: 39 x 23 x 35 cmPrice: 225In the wilds of the Tasmanian wilderness four teenage school friends gomissing whilst on a school camp. An intense search is organised. Foulplay is suspected, and the prime suspect is the father of one of the girls.Some decades earlier, five other girls disappeared in the same area thiscaused rise of the legend of the ‘Hungry Man’. My sculpture depicts thespirits of the four missing girls.

Pearlescent Mirageby Isabel Szabo (Williamstown North, Vic)Inspired by Mother of Pearlby Angela SavageMedium: EmbroiderySize: Small hoop 14 cm, Large hoop 17.5 cmPrice: 250My artwork involves two embroidered hoops that hang sideby side to form my reflections upon reading this book. Thewoman is focused on a pearl in a clam shall, whiledisregarding all the material wealth she has available to heralready. One of the main characters in the book, Meg, lives aperfect life except for her desire to have a child. I embodiedthis important goal for her in the form of a pearl, while thematerial wealth represented in the second hoop rests on apatchwork of fabrics held together by thin threads,emphasising on the precarious nature of material wealthitself and the limited amount of happiness it can bring. Thesethemes of longing and dreaming for more, despite alreadyleading a seemingly flawless life are things I picked up onthrough my reading and I wanted to create a piece thatreflects this in broader terms. For Meg, her goal in life thatoutweighs all she has already achieved is to have her ownchild, but this can just as easily symbolise all those othersimpler wishes and dreams in life that we the viewers haven'tachieved despite seeming like we have it all.

Rowan Caswellby Karen Shum (Torquay, Vic)Inspired by The Silk Houseby Kayte NunnMedium: Mixed MediaSize: 60 x 60 cmPrice: 400Roman Caswell, a central protagonist, in the novel The Silk House, by KayteNunn, leaves her village to work in the home of an English silk merchant.Depicted in this mixed media and acrylic art work, her knowledge of herbs andflowers, and healing, soon attracts attention, as does her unusual white hair.

Homage to Maryby David Rossiter (Bellbrae, Vic)Inspired by The Salt Madonnaby Catherine NoskeMedium: Oil and acrylic paint, pencil, paper and salt on boardSize: 60 x 45 cmPrice: 700The small-minded community of Chesil Island, despairing as grape crops continued to decline,hoped for and began to witness miracles. One of these was the wooden statue of the VirginMary on the point turning a radiant white after a storm. I have portrayed this but pay homageto 14-year-old Mary, a sadly victimised school girl.

Monumentsby Gail Stiffe (Glen Iris, Vic)Inspired by Monumentsby Will KostakisMedium: Handmade artist bookSize: 22 x 24 x 6 cmPrice: 220No statement submitted.

A Better Fitby Barb Adams (Box Hill North, Vic)Inspired by The Dickens Boyby Tom KeneallyMedium: Handmade paperSize: 80 x 60 x 26 cmPrice: 310The fibres of my handmadepaper shape the English coatwhich now supports the newmap of the Dickens boy’s lifein Australia. A better life. Abetter fit.

The Watermanby Anne Miller (Penola, SA)Inspired by Wolfe Islandby Lucy TreloarMedium: Ink on Watercolour PaperSize: 70 x 50 cmPrice: 450The Waterman refers to people working in the fishingindustry in Chesapeake Bay. They are disappearing as arethe islands in the Bay. Kitty Hawke the protagonist builtthem out of old tin cans as a warning to the people comingto Wolfe Island and is an allegory for the change of themoral fabric of the country. The storm clouds signify thedanger and violence that she and her granddaughter haveto experience while travelling to find safety in the North.The writing around the painting is a copied paragraphabout having to face oneself and taking responsibility foryour actions or not.GRAND PRIZE WINNER!

You Get What You Giveby Shannon Bowen (Brighton East, Vic)Inspired by Taking Down Evelyn Taitby Poppy NwosuMedium: Acrylic on PlywoodSize: 59.5 x 59.5 cmPrice: 600There is a crucial turning point in the narrative where the protagonist begins to gifttomato plants, that she has cultivated in tomato tins, to significant people in her life.In doing so, she learns that ‘you get what you give’. From this point she startstreating others with kindness and empathy and her prospects are illuminated. Thecolour palette was chosen with this enlightenment in mind.

The Pillars Inside Meby Nancy Lehet (Brunswick, Vic)Inspired by The Pillarsby Peter PolitesMedium: Mixed Media, AssemblageSize: 30 x 45 x 5 cmPrice: 625“Rainbow flags will always trump the emerald green!,”starts The Pillars by Peter Polites. This book is aboutPano, a Greek man straddling his past, the future,culture, religion. A few of the themes I incorporatedinto my work: Pano’s Greek family history (WW2, post-apocalyptic life skills, dementia, psihiki igia/‘soul health’,hording, the evil eye), Pano’s gay community (yasqueens, masc jocks, scruffs, ye olde outlaws, ‘where canI be gay in public?’, house parties), suburbia (Bankstownmelting pot, repeat repeat repeat, the mosque, anglo-adjacent), survival (insensitive IT consultant roommate,getting jumped by kids, ‘turning into a ball while thekicks came down’, Basil and his gold cross, PrEP HIVmeds), the wollemi pine (a rare species found only inthe Blue Mountains now found in manicured pots onshow in suburbia, outside so many perfect familyhomes). Is life happening to Pano or can he happen tolife?

It’s Sort of Complicatedby Caroline Healey (Warrnambool, Vic)Inspired by Cherry Beachby Laura McPhee-BrowneMedium: Acrylic on CanvasSize: 91 x 122 cmPrice: 2750Two girls’ existences are forever entwined. While one swimsthrough life, the other flounders and then they switch. Neverare they both on top, always one struggles. Cherry Beach isabout the relationship young women who have been friendssince early childhood can occasionally find themselves in.Sometimes close, sometimes distant, always emotional, oftendifficult. Identity can get confused, reflected. Water is a keytheme of Cherry Beach. Every chapter is named after ageographical water feature and water analogies flow thick andfast. Many of the scenes take place near water – Lake Ontario,an Australian dam, Yarra River and, of course, Cherry Beach.One of the girls is a water-baby, almost obsessed by water.Ultimately, she becomes submerged. Author Laura McPhee-Browne has created a beautiful book that has a peaceful,ethereal feel to it despite the fast-paced drama of the story.

Storylines to Belongingby Jill Edwards (Port Fairy, Vic)Inspired by The Yieldby Tara June WinchMedium: Coptic bound book, photographic images, graphite, watercolour pencil, eco-dyed paper & linen thread.Size: 29 x 19 x 3 cmPrice: 425August returns to the banks of the Murrumby after a long absence. Her grandfather has died, a mining companythreatens the land of her kin and the disappearance of her sibling, Jedda, still haunts her. Never before has the need tobelong and to know the truth been this imperative. Storylines start to emerge, interwoven and stitched across the pages,to slowly reveal all that she is looking for. Albert Gondwindi, through his ancestors, is compiling a dictionary. He finds allthe words on the wind. It is through language, he tells, and in the speaking of language, that country can be reached andmountains sung into existence. Reverend Greenleaf's story of the mission days and his need to put on record all themistakes that were made, to let them be known, is his way to make amends, to make well. And August's own story, hersearch for belonging and truth, is caught up in her fight with the mines. The destruction of the land of her kin is imminent.The final proof of belonging is the dictionary of language of this country. Slowly the tragic truth about Jedda is revealed.But according to the ancestors, a person exists beyond the living and the dead, in the places where the gods roam. AndAugust sees now that the spirit of Jedda lives on in the dance of the brolga. All the stories, from the ancestors to now,need to be told and remembered, with truth and wisdom, for they are the storylines to belonging. It has been my time inthe bush, particularly in Hattah Kulkyne NP , where I photographed the images I have used in the illustration of this book. Iread Yield whilst in this country, making deep connections with the story, gaining an understanding of the meanings of thedictionary, and finding my own sense of belonging in this place and time, beyond the now.KAREN FOSTER’S WOMEN’S PRIZE WINNER!

Goodbye, F-minorby Warren Bonett (Parkville, Vic)Inspired by Act of Graceby Anna KrienMedium: Acrylic PaintSize: 76 x 60 cmPrice: 2500There were many challenges in making an artwork from the remarkablebook, Act of Grace. I worked on several ideas at once until one floated tothe top. "Goodbye, F-minor" refers to a moment when one of the leadprotagonists, an Iraqi woman called Nasim, is brutally assaulted. As thishappens she sees her assailants smash her piano apart, and she watchesthe keys flying from it. Despite the violence, the sequence is almost silentand dreamlike, as it forms the moment the character says goodbye to thelife that led to this, to escape it and become somebody else. Nasim is asurvivor.HIGHLY COMMENDED

River Crossingby Margaret Christianson (Coburg, Vic)Inspired by Act of Graceby Anna KrienMedium: Acrylic Size: 61 x 91 cmPrice: 680Act of Grace is a beautifully written, but tragic anddark story telling how the four protagonists areaffected by their traumatic life experiences. I havedepicted them as four living trees, whoseintertwined branches and roots reflect their crossedpaths and interconnected encounters. Each treecarries symbols telling of key events in thecharacters' lives - look closely and the identity ofeach becomes clear. In order to heal all four mustcross the swirling river of life.

Self-Discovery Trialsby Barbara Roe Hebb (Jan Juc, Vic)Inspired by Return Ticketby Jon DoustMedium: Tapestry WeavingSize: 38 x 30 cmPrice: 250Jack is on a journey to self-discovery. The title, ‘Return Ticket’ couldwell apply to Jack returning to his true path in life. He learns abouthimself through; • Rewarding, hard physical work (particularly washingdishes) OR • Risky activities such as drug taking, criminal associationand challenging apartheid. He is positioned in front of the globebetween Genoralup, WA and South Africa, with Israel sitting near hisshoulder. In one hand he holds aloft a dripping plate, the other a newlylit joint.

The Variable Heartby Diana White (Bermagui, NSW)Inspired by The Question of Loveby Hugh MackayMedium: Lithograph on BFK RivesSize: 65 x 57 cmPrice: 360‘The Variable Heart’ is a visual response to Mackay’s The Question of Love, the heart shape being the universal symbol of love and the novel’s focus. Drawings of pathology lab cardiac specimens are heavily abstracted representing the novel’s dissection and examination of a marriage.Fragmented violin imagery refers to Freya’s musical passion and Richard’s lack of appreciation.Readable and mirrored torn tracts of the Goldberg Variations (Bach being ‘the exemplar of the form’) reference seemingly repetitive chapters with variations subtly shifting as they reflect and reveal more complexities with the protagonist’s relationship, while a central red trace refers to these tensions.

A Perilous Pathby Anne Langdon (Smythesdale, Vic)Inspired by The Lost Summers of Driftwoodby Vanessa McCauslandMedium: Acrylics, Silkscreen & CollageSize: 48 x 50 cmPrice: 925I was pleased by the flower exploration I could embarkon. I let my idea develop after reading the book butbeing careful to let the ideas slide into the image. I workintuitively and like the feeling that things are not set instone! I re read sections of the book and the white cranejumped out at me!

What If?by Barb VennInspired by Ghost Speciesby James BradleyMedium: Wax Paper, Acrylic Paint on BoardSize: 120 x 45 cmPrice: 1600In the concern to protect ourenvironment my work is anexploration of connection anddisconnection. Using threads,smokey wax and collage creates asense of planetary trauma yetreflects a deep love andunderstanding of the natural world.A female peering over appears tobe curious yet cautious to theclimate change. The age-old craft ofstitch connects generations ofmotherhood found woventhroughout the book. Poetic birdsponder the Australian landscape.

Persistenceby Helen Braun (East Bentleigh, Vic)Inspired by The Pillarsby Peter PolitesMedium: Paper, Acrylic, InkSize: 20 x 20 x 30 cmPrice: 355Global proliferation of botanical plant life hasspread seeds of lushness, put down struggleroots to survive, flourish, and branch out inforeign environs with chance and slogpersistence. Using this metaphor of nature Ihave rendered a narrative of loose floralemblems and patterns, printed and reprinted,cut and joined to form a sculptural concertinabook. A small topography alluding to life as alandscape gained against greed, menace andbewildering wonders, through myriad odds,tenacity and often, mutual stickiness.

Turning Pagesby Robert Gatt (Port Fairy, Vic)Inspired by The Octopus and Iby Erin HortleMedium: Steel, Aluminium and Digital PaintingSize: 17 x 22 x 22 cmPrice: 280“....I taste a flash of shock and the fearon her skin and I do not let go of herand I am with her.” An octopus is ashape shifter. Rotating the 2 images inmy sculpture merges the image of theoctopus with that of the woman. Lucy(the main character in this book) isalso “shape shifting” physically andemotionally with her connections withthe octopus.WARRNAMBOOL ART GALLERY 2ND PRIZE WINNER

On the Landscapeby Sandra Batten (Barwon Downs, Vic)Inspired by The Sunken Roadby Garry DisherMedium: Monoprint with Collage on Brown Rice PaperSize: 40 x 25 cm (Framed)Price: 400The Sunken Road by Garry Disher set in mid-north South Australia captures the harshness ofliving in this part of the country while sharing the story of the wild and rebellious Anna Tolleythroughout her long life. As an artist there was much to respond to. The uncomplicatedenduring love of a young Anna Tolley to her father and the uncertainty and harshness thatcomes with this life resonated with me. A simple technique to create this monoprint with useof colour and collage seemed important in my response.This work has been intuitively created with my untrained eye and sits somewhat roughly andwith a fragility in the strong frame. It has a deliberate rawness about it using a simplemonoprint and handcut collage technique on found brown rice paper.Thank you to Garry Disher, the Australian author of The Sunken Road, who got me readingagain and for writing such an inspiring novel.NB: Please keep out of direct sunlight, the paper is sensitive. The ripple in the paper isdeliberate in the framing of this work.

Between Two Landsby Aileen Hubbard (Rockhampton, QLD)Inspired by The House of Youssefby Yumna KassabMedium: Paper and Artist BookSize: 21 x 16 cm Price: 600My artist book, Between Two Lands, is a blurred,rippling reflection of Yumna Kassab's novel The Houseof Youssef. This artist book is my response shown in astructured form. The artist book is made up of twobooks joined and separated by a concertina,representing the push and pull of hearts and minds ofpeople belonging to two countries, Lebanon andAustralia. I have used some of the sentences fromKassab's novel as focus points throughout the bookand have then broadened on them by using my ownthoughts and words that have come to me whilereading her novel and creating the artist book. I wasinspired by the underlining minimalist style of Kassab'snovel and kept a similar theme throughout creatingthis book. I have kept the book very minimalist, as isKassab's novel, with the intent of sparking the viewer’scuriosity and appetite for further understanding ofwhat people may face when they endeavour to find ahome in another country …

On a Barbarous Coast – Cover Designby Paul Burman (Port Fairy, Vic)Inspired by On A Barbarous Coastby Craig Cormick & Harold LudwickMedium: Giclee PrintSize: 33.5 x 46 cm Price: 150On A Barbarous Coast is a fascinating read. I liked the way itdrew on historical accounts of Captain Cook’s 1770 voyage tosupport its fiction and, particularly, that a significant portionwas told from the perspective of the Guugu Yimidhirr peopleof north-east Australia. However, apart from the blurb, I didn’tthink the book’s cover did it justice, so I’ve redesigned it aslimited edition giclée print. My design features Cook’s 1770navigation chart, words from the journal of botanicalillustrator Sydney Parkinson, the rainbow serpent who formedthe land, and the white cockatoo of the Guugu Yimidhirrpeople.

Not Even a Penguinby Freya Marriott (Port Fairy, Vic)Inspired by Dental Tourismby Mark O’FlynnMedium: GlassSize: 16 x 16 x 23 cm Price: 250I based my work on ‘White to the End of theWorld’ one of the short stories included inDental Touri sm by Mark O’Flynn. It is thestory of a teenage girl who is given “the tripof a lifetime”, a flight over Antarctica. She isreluctant to go, the idea holds no magic forher, but does so to please her grandfatherwho has given his ticket to her. She looksthrough the plane window at the ice whichstretches into the distance becoming whiterand whiter - and is bored. A penguin mighthave been interesting but there is not evena penguin. For this piece I used exaggeratedperspective to show the landscapebecoming more homogeneously white andfeatureless in the distance. I used glass toseparate and contain the view, preventingengagement.

The Last Wordby Catherine Ward (Geelong, Vic)Inspired by The Girl She Wasby Rebecca FreebornMedium: Hand built ceramic stoneware, hand-painted underglaze details, glaze.Size: 31.5cm x 22.5 cm x 22.5 cmPrice: 610A simple, innocent, continuous line drawing reflectsthe beginning of a life’s journey, with the ripples inthe neck of the piece hinting as to the devastatingeffect of the volatile and controlling relationshipthat 17-year-old Layla had with her married boss,even 20 years later. The story of that disastrousrelationship and the impact on self-worth is able tobe told using just using the last word from eachchapter in the book. These few words conjure inour minds the concepts of consent, intimidation,power imbalance and abuse that go hand in handwith such a manipulative relationship.HIGHLY COMMENDED

Red is for Roseby Marion Matthews (Port Fairy, Vic)Inspired by The Blue Roseby Kate ForsythMedium: Patchwork. printed and hand dyed cotton fabrics, quilted with hand dyed Perle 8 thread. Size: 1.4 metres squaredPrice: 850What is the perfect red for a perfect red rose?This piece tells the story of the search for theperfect red. Although love is tested by classdifference, revolution, and long separation,their shared passion for the perfect red rosehold their vision for the future.

Charlotteby Elly Smits (Drysdale, Vic)Inspired by Preservationby Jock SerongMedium: Oil on CanvasSize: 76 x 50 cmPrice: 250Charlotte escapes to the bush that she loves so dearly, feeling safe butuninhibited, she removes her boots and stockings to pad around in thesoft wet earth and wallow in the warm sunshine streaming through thecanopy.

Mikaela’s Solaceby Rachel Grose (Ballarat East, Vic)Inspired by The Orchardist’s Daughterby Karen ViggersMedium: Recycled Sterling Silver featuring a triangular cabochon of Natural LabradoriteSize: 5 cm diameter for the round centre pendantPrice: 485I have responded to one of my favourite chapters of Karen Viggers novel The Orchardist's Daughter. A youngisolated woman spends a lonely 18th birthday alone in the Tasmanian forest. Here she is able to take solace,comfort and inspiration by spending time watching a newly fledged eagle and its parents. "Miki saw them aloftagainst the grey clouds, their finger-tipped wings spread wide, wedge-shaped tails like rudders driving the ark oftheir spirals on the wind. Free. She was euphoric. The eagles were the best birthday present ever."

Gabriel Foxby James Chapman (Port Fairy, Vic)Inspired by A Treacherous Countryby K M KruiminkMedium: Acrylic on CanvasSize: 60 cm x 60 cmPrice: 500Gabriel Fox bumbles across 19th century Van Diemen's Land as he seeks a path to love on aSeinfeldian quest to nothing. Gabriel's travels see him in deep conversation with a faux-cannibaland exchanging in unwanted negotiation over the sale of a whaling station all whilst wrestling withfears of constant perusal by the mysterious Tiger Wolf. This piece of 19th century / Frida Kahloinspired portraiture captures Katherine Kruimink’s story of love and nothingness which evokesmemories of Melville's Moby Dick, Seinfeld's The Parking Garage and Martel's Life of Pi, a strangerecipe producing an exceptional novel.

Recognitionby Tania Green (Coomoora, Vic)Inspired by The Returnsby Philip SalomMedium: Ceramics - stoneware, porcelain, feathers and hemp.Size: 45 cm x 25 cmPrice: 350This sculpture depicts the two main charactersfrom the book, Trevor and Elizabeth and the otherelements, the tattoo designs, the octopus arms, theporcelain heart in a nest- express some of theissues so beautifully written about in the book.There was so much to explore and ponder in thisbeautiful book- but the themes I felt deeply whichguided my work were this cycle of recognition andrenewal, eccentricities that make us who we areand the small triumphs we enjoy as we grow andchange.

Max: Going Into Loveby Pat Scholz (Ballarat, Vic)Inspired by Sheer Waterby Leah SwannMedium: Woven tapestrySize: 41 cm x 46 cmPrice: 780My book is a gripping, intriguing and powerful story of love and loss. Thenovel’s tensions gradually build to its tragic conclusion. I have woven atapestry primarily aimed at conveying the shifting moods and emotionsthrough my choice of colour and textures. Embedded within my depiction ofthe south-west Victorian coastal landscape are symbols referencing thestory’s characters and events. Falling away from the forefront of the tapestryis Max’s loved but abandoned Tonka truck, hinting at the boy’s own eventualfate. His voice resonated with me most strongly.

Adriftby Alison McIntosh (Colac, Vic)Inspired by The Coconut Childrenby Vivian PhamMedium: Acrylic and Oil Paint on CanvasSize: 75 x 55 cmPrice: 2500This is a painting of Sonny with her little dog, Happy. The boatreferences her family’s trauma surviving the horrific ordeal asboat people. As described in the book, it was an episode intheir life that was never discussed but sat as a weight in thefamily. Sonny was also trying to navigate her way throughadolescence. Long periods alone with her Happy, her little dogwho seemed to live a miserable existence.HIGHLY COMMENDED

Passageby Alison McIntosh (Colac, Vic)Inspired by The Coconut Childrenby Vivian PhamMedium: Acrylic and Oil Paint on CanvasSize: 75 x 55 cmPrice: 2500In this work I have painted Sonny (the main character) as an innocent. She is a vulnerable,young girl, floating through her life with her sad little dog, paradoxically called Happy. As herfamily have never recovered from their ordeal as boat people, I have included a boat shapebehind her, a reference of her family’s past that they can never rid themselves of.

How Came I To A Place Like This?by Grenville Montgomery (Warrnambool, Vic)Inspired by A Treacherous Countryby K M KruiminkMedium: AcrylicSize: 36 x 24 inchPrice: 1000The second day in Tasmania for a young Englishman, 1840.

Starling’s Seasonby Brodie Fairall (Buninyong, Vic)Inspired by The Autumn Murdersby Robert GottMedium: Mixed MediaSize: 11.5 x 11.5 cmPrice: 180My artwork is an artists' book which follows the journey George Starling takes throughout 'The Autumn Murders'. I visually represent the places he goes and and horrific things he does through a range of media and techniques, including realistic pencil drawings, watercolour, ink, stitching, as well as the incorporation of found and created three-dimensional objects.HIGHLY COMMENDED

Peaceby Mika Nakamura-Mather (Brisbane, Qld)Inspired by Peaceby Garry DisherMedium: Japanese indigenous timber, transparency photo sheets, natural pigments.Size: 15 x 40 x 10 cmPrice: 1200The artwork is based on traditional Japanese folding screens knownas byobu. While many such screens are purely decorative there is also along history of using each individual panel to depict the passage oftime or individual scenes in a bigger story. I liked the way that GarryDisher built his story fragment by fragment, clue by clue, and I tried toreflect this by selecting phrases and incidents from the novel that allowthe viewer momentary glimpses of the feelings of unease, isolation andmounting dread that finally come together to reveal the truth.

Misogynists Rule, OK?by Helen Fitzhardinge (Woodford, Vic)Inspired by The Bass Rockby Evie WyldMedium: Mixed mediaSize: 16 x 65 x 18 cmPrice: 150Set in Scotland, The Bass Rock describes violence inflictedon women through the ages. On the other side of theworld Julia Gillard's "Misogyny" speech called out thesexist behaviour of the then Leader of the Opposition,Tony Abbot. Both women illustrate how women's choicesare circumscribed by men - in ways big and small.Misogyny justifies horrendous male behaviour. It is NOTOK.

The Loudness Insideby Stacey Dowie (Port Fairy, Vic)Inspired by The Loudness of Unsaid Thingsby Hilde HintonMedium: Ink on PaperSize: 60 x 84 cmPrice: 400My artwork explores the loudness generated inside a mind whenoverwhelmed by the influences of the outside world.

Wordless in a Strange Landby Liz Powell (Tenterfield, NSW)Inspired by Shepherdby Catherine JinksMedium: etching, mono printing, drawing, collage, carousel book construction of 5 segmentsSize: Range: H23.5 x 24 cm (50cm variable when open)Price: 380The story is about a lad transported to NSW for poaching. In Englandhe knew his landscape, knew the names for things within it, knewhow to behave and survive it. Australia in 1840 was radically different,completely alien and potentially deadly for the ignorant and alone,where the settlers and convicts did not know the names. Myinterpretation focuses on that ‘otherness’ of a place where endlesseucalypts and granite vistas were apparently empty, strange animalsleft stranger tracks, where insects can be huge and dangerous,different birds called warning, where the landscape is compelling.HIGHLY COMMENDED

Shadow Behind the Flameby Catherine Ratcliffe (Cargerie, Vic)Inspired by Sticks and Stonesby Katherine FirkinMedium: Oil on CanvasSize: Range: 101.5 cm x 91.5cmPrice: 2000'Shadow behind the Flame' is inspired by a significant scene in KatherineFirkin’s book, Sticks and Stones. It's a crucial scene where the readerbegins to develop and create a detailed mould of the dark side of aparticular character’s nature. You catch a glimpse of the character’sdisturbing template, a chiselled childhood that ultimately guides youdown the calculated path of a killer.

What Lies Beneathby Craig Midford (East St Kilda, Vic)Inspired by Preservationby Jock SerongMedium: Mixed MediaSize: Range: 21 x 30 cmPrice: 550Clouded in a sand-storm of mystery and misfortune, Preservation depictsa tale of weary castaways on a perilous journey that is do or die.Unravelling some resemblance of truth about this misadventure is adangerous operation. Telling my own visual story, I take a nod from pagedimensions of a journal which features heavily in the story. Like the book,this work is fragmented, layered and distorted, offering clues andperhaps leaves more questions than answers. The shipwrecked ’SydneyCove’ casts a wide shadow, enveloping those that mistreated her under aveil of darkness, concealing a patchwork of scars and fracturedrelationships.

Ghost Bird by James Wallace (Portland, Vic)Inspired by Ghost Birdby Lisa FullerMedium: Pen and Pencil Drawing Size: Range: 14.5 x 16.5 cmPrice: 275I made an artist book of drawings of important ideas from each chapter. The ghost bird is theTawny Frogmouth spirit of the central character's grandmother. The Tawny Frogmouth seems toshadow and protect young Stacey throughout her adventures.

The Water Tankby Avalyn Doyle (Porepunkah, Vic)Inspired by A Constant Humby Alice BishopMedium: Watercolour and acrylicSize: 98 x 76 cmPrice: 1200Living in fire country in the hills on the outskirts of Melbourne, at one time, particularly, I felt fearwith fires close. Should I go? Is it time to get the kids and put the dog in the car? These storiesdescribe fire in those locations. Also, there's an uncertainty evocative in the books prose, whichreflected my 50s childhood: living with my mother in an isolated area when my Father was awayworking in the city. Mum wasn't a country girl and was very unhappy and fearful. Arising also,feelings of Mother gone, since my birth-mother was an Aboriginal woman, a family secret. And Ispent a lot of time out in the bush on my own, same as a child character in the story, and Iwished to convey a universal vulnerability and innocence in this work.HIGHLY COMMENDED

In Mary Gulliver’s Gardenby Karen Neal (Croydon North, Vic)Inspired by Gulliver’s Wifeby Lauren ChaterMedium: Artist Flag book construction using Linocut with Chine colle and watercolourSize: Closed 14.5 x 25cm, Fully open 111.8x25cmPrice: 280Mary is a nurturer, a mother, a midwife, a herbalist and her garden is her happyplace. She seeks solace during trying times and, in this book, she needs to carryon all her roles while dealing with the unexpected return of Gulliver and hisrambling, disjointed tales. I have used book page fragments from Gulliver'sTravels for the Chine colle. Mary used herbs including poppies to make hertinctures and the tulips are a late addition acquired by Mary's daughter Bessfrom a young returned sailor friend.

Survival Cloakby Carmel Wallace (Portland, Vic)Inspired by Small Merciesby Richard AndersonMedium: Newspapers, thread, gouache, collageSize: w90 x h120 xd60cm Price: 1950This book centred around the trials of a couple in the midstof successive droughts, coping with the many challenges offarming life and a long-term relationship. At the novel’s coreis a questioning of how we live on the land: as custodians orexploiters? As the latter dominate, increasing extremes inweather events follow heralding climate change. Manyforms of loss are dealt with. First Peoples’ knowledge of theland is discussed when a Bearded Dragon is observedchanging colour to yellow as a sign of stress and a NankeenKestrel watches from a distance. Destructive invadingspecies (including large investor landholders) areencapsulated in descriptions of Mynahs as ‘cane toads ofthe sky’. I decided to create a nurturing 'Survival Cloak' thatcould symbolically enfold the distressed characters and landwhilst expressing the above concepts.

Lucky Ticketby Nicole Robertson (Reservoir, Vic)Inspired by Lucky Ticketby Joey BuiMedium: LinocutSize: 25 x 19 cmPrice: 50Lucky Ticket is a collection of short stories about characters on the other side of a threshold,sometimes figuring out life after immigration. In "Mekong Love", young and unsure newlywedsfinally connect while catching quails. They catch so many quails that some are released. I wantedto make a humorous piece where a freed quail leaves this dimension and crosses into theunknown.

Up and Down and Around We Goby Cross My Heart (Port Fairy)Inspired by The Surprising Power of a Good Dumplingby Wai ChimMedium: Cotton on Aida ClothSize: 20 x 20 cm (unframed)Price: 700This book by Wai Chim explores hard-hitting topics, with a prevalent theme beingmental illness and its impact on both the individual, and those surrounding theindividual. It also beautifully explores love, culture, the origins of food and how itconnects us, family and of course, mental health. This piece uses bold colour tospeak about the topics within the novel, and the topics themselves are boldenough to warrant their own title. Through the tight constraints of family and thecultural identities that are held within the family unit, the topics are explored inbold and fascinating ways. Each topic explored related to a piece of cross stitchwithin the word, using bold statements and colours, whilst reflecting underlyingthemes of the book via the use of muted backstitch illustrations. This piece alsoused pharmaceutical packaging to depict the struggles of mental illness, as well asphrases surrounding the topic. Overall, the book is strengthened by the lovebetween the characters, led by the protagonist Anna Chiu. This piece depicts theworld through her eyes, and the topics that bring people together.

Revengeby Eleanor Jane Robinson (Redhead, NSW)Inspired by Revengeby S L LimMedium: Polyester thread, linen, canvas, pinsSize: 51 x 65 x 5.5 cm Price: 1000Due to her gender and culture, highly intelligent protagonist Yannie is trapped in domesticityand what the author has referred to as a ‘black vortex of obligation’. Her life is one of unsatisfieddesire and limitation. The book is full of references to disappearing, of ‘youth flaking off’, andbeing ‘stripped of selfhood’. Yanni says that there is a part of her which others don’t see, and‘it’s like turning a stone on the ground and finding crawling things underneath.’ She has a lot tobe bitter about. Yanni declares in the end that she will no longer give up or forsake one thing,‘not one form of pleasure or of beauty’. I have portrayed her in a cage, but the cage door isopen. Her face is incomplete in reference to the way she has been disappeared. The spider andhornet are symbolic of the ‘crawling things’ and the sting in her tail/tale. The flowers on herhead are the red ixora flowers referenced in the book, and those before the cage represent thebeauty and creativity she is pursuing.

Cigarettes and Alcoholby Alissa Duke (East Melbourne, Vic)Inspired by The Silenceby Susan AllottMedium: Watercolour pencil on book pagesSize: 77 x 25 cm Price: 125The Sile nce is told over two time periods. It is a novel addressingserious issues: family secrets, the Stolen Generation, dysfunctionalfamilies, family violence, women's and men's place in society. I readthe book twice. The second time I was searching for descriptions ofimages. I kept coming back to consistent and regular references allthrough the book to cigarettes and alcohol. They are part ofeveryday life in the book. They are commonplace, althoughsometimes identified as a problem. Cigarettes and alcohol are usedby men and women, over both time periods. From there I have takenmy inspiration, choosing a few of the pages where those referencesoccur to draw those cigarettes and alcohol on in watercolour pencil.

Crazy Geniusby Jodi Wiley (Bundoora, Vic)Inspired by We Were Never Friendsby Margaret BearmanMedium: Watercolour and pencil on paperSize: 23 x 18 cm Price: 190Lotti is 12 and her father, George Coates, is a celebrated Australian painter. He is a complicatedcharacter - brilliant but dysfunctional and willing to hold art above all else, including his family.Feeling angry with him after an emotional outburst, Lotti makes a sign: ‘Do not disturb! Crazy geniusat work!’ and pins it to his studio door. The next day, it's gone.

Fearless Destinyby Marian Anderson (Glenisla, Vic)Inspired by Wild Fearless Chests by Mandy BeaumontMedium: A collection of printmaking techniquesSize: 60 x 95 cmPrice: 375This book is a collection of short stories about women, theirlives, their tribulations and their destiny. One un-named girlin the story that takes the book title is forsaken by her grief -ridden parents and is coaxed to leave having received amysterious box containing a bunch of long-stemmed roses"always her favourite" and a fistful of $50 notes. The rose, asymbol of love, the reminder to the girl who had had ashitty life, a life full of shame and a life full of loss. My worktakes that awfulness and beauty that is the theme runningthrough these stories. The very qualities of printmaking alsohave the opposites, the reverse image and the repeating ofpatterns. Mandy uses a quote from The Second Sex bySimone de Beauvoir about destiny.... here it is!

The Monstrous Heart Trilogyby Linda McLaughlan (Elsternwick, Vic)Inspired by Monstrous Heartby Claire McKennaMedium: WatercolourSize: 60 x 40 cmPrice: 545This gothic, gas-lamp fantasy is the first of a trilogydivided into three parts. It is filled with imaginings of asea teeming with magical monsters, secrets, asuffocating caste system based on hereditary ‘blood-magic’, and the sensual attraction for the dangerous. Iwanted to create a trilogy of images to reflect thesecentral themes: The dangerous hunter of leviathans,the dark waters with colossal ancient beasts and themain protagonist, Arden, with her coin for allowing herblood to run freely.

Turn Left At Venusby Avril Makula (Leichhardt, NSW)Inspired by Turn Left at Venusby Inez BaranayMedium: Artist book and printSize: Book 11 cm w x 12.5 cm h x 4 cm d; Print is 42 x 42 cmPrice: $650 for the book, $550 for the print, $1000 for both. $400 unframed print.I was taken with the title itself, especially as I have a dilettente’s interest in the solar system.So Planet Venus, and the notion of travelling through space (and time), became theinspiration. My imagery (for both book and print) is drawn from the idea of orbits, rotation,the enhanced colour of Hubble photographs, and the brightness of Venus in the night sky.The book’s central gatefold features the surface of Venus: travel towards it and everything iscolourful, turn left and the colours become muted. The print uses the same imagery in a gridpattern, a kind of astronomical calendar of planetary phases.

Hangby Gypsy Spelling (Warrnambool, Vic)Inspired by Invisible Boysby Holden SheppardMedium: Pencil on TimberSize: 90 x 65 x 10 cmPrice: 675What an intriguing read and no pages more poignant than 308where there is brief consideration for the young man that took hislife by hanging. Invisible Boys could be referenced by thephilosophy "If a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hearit, does it make a sound?" Life is not about our individual thoughtsof self, but the relevance of community opinion of ourselves.

Who Else?by Caterina Leone (Flemington, Vic)Inspired by Our Shadowsby Gail JonesMedium: Metalpoint (23K gold) on wood panel with acrylic markerSize: 30 x 22 cmPrice: 750When reading 'Our Shadows' I couldn't get the imagery of the daffodils out of my head; theyseemed such a beautiful metaphor for the themes of the book: loss, love, family, life and death.And as I usually work in metalpoint but preference .99 silver, of course I needed to use only goldto create this work- literally using as my medium, the gold mining that the book also takes assubject. My grandmother had Alzheimer's, so the passages in Else's own voice, notably thedisjointed fragments playing with her own name, were haunting and symbolic.

Complexion of Country : Cobalt Brillianceby Kathryn Jeanes (Wingham, NSW)Inspired by Song of the Crocodileby Nardi SimpsonMedium: Artist book, 12 black & white landscape images, cobalt blue hand tintingSize: 60 cm circlePrice: 800Page 6 ... Sky becomes land, water and earth merge, and all thingsshimmer in cobalt brilliance. The complexion of country is the rarestof colours, the dreams of the plains are blue. Simpson’s passion forcountry is inspiring. I read and reread this text and could see myartist book materialize.

Stand Tallby Lisa Graham (Port Fairy, Vic)Inspired by The Deceptionsby Suzanne LealMedium: Mixed media collageSize: 76 x 45 cmPrice: 100The Deceptions is a compelling novel with central themes of truth and consequence. All the characters inthe story face challenges as they navigate their way through moral dilemmas which can result in lies orsuppressed truths. But for me, it’s Hana’s journey that was the most captivating. As with so manythroughout the holocaust, she is unwillingly taken on an horrific journey. She is forced to make decisionsno one should ever have to, simply to survive. These decisions not only affect her but also generations tocome. But it’s her absolute resilience and endurance that is to be admired. She was dragged through helland yet somehow though everything, Hana managed to stand tall, even when she felt small andfrightened.HIGHLY COMMENDED

A Life Rescued at Bancooraby Peta Tranquille (Doncaster, Vic)Inspired by The Secret Life of Shirley Sullivanby Lisa IrelandMedium: Acrylic on CanvasSize: 61 x 91 cmPrice: 950From nearly drowning, to being rescued by her future husband tobe, this is the beach where Shirley and Frank would meet for thefirst time. Inspired by 'The Secret Life of Shirley Sullivan, acharming book written by Victorian Author, Lisa Ireland.

Hotel Deucalionby Jasmine Phillips (Koroit, Vic)Inspired by Hollowpoxby Jessica TownsendMedium: Mixed - Cardboard, modelling clay, acrylic paint, paper, trees, dirt, wood, ceramic, sequins.Size: 39 x 31 x 33.5 cmPrice: 300I chose to do the lobby in the Hotel Deucalion because it’s a magicalplace and it has a mind of its own. Also it’s a very important part of thebook.UNDER 18 ENTRYYOUTH AWARD WINNER

Discoveryby Jenny Phillips (Koroit, Vic)Inspired by Loner by Georgina YoungMedium: Acrylics on CanvasSize: 50 x 76 cmPrice: 800I loved reading the book Loner which may not have been my first choice. It was a reminder of whatlife was like for my friends and myself as we stepped out of high school and into Uni combined withboys, friends, socialising, driving, responsibilities and so on. The writer chose the camera as Loner’scrutch, an instrument which tells the truth in its raw unmanipulated images. Thus, allowing her tosearch inside and out, through the lens of the camera while attempting to solve the puzzle of herlife. The use of jagged lines along with moments of smoothness represents the unpredictability oflife as she travels the road of self-exploration. I have reflected the choices and the related decisionsLoner was faced with through YES, NO, MAYBE, I DON’T KNOW as she entered the cavern of self-discovery. The inconsistency of light on different subjects and the direction of fragments representsthe many pathways she was faced with and how it all connected. The use of primary colourssymbolises the beginning as she searches for the right answer, combined with the use of natural andflat black communicating that life is not “black and white” so to speak. In conclusion I loved creatingthis painting as I reminisced the joyous and cringe-worthy moments combined with the belief that Ihad it together - or did I?Ah, if only I knew then what I know now …

Smuggleby Diane Quick (Queens Park, NSW)Inspired by Second Sight by Aoife CliffordMedium: Mixed media sculptureSize: 40 x 17 x 5 cmPrice: 670I abandoned my initial half-completed concept for Second Sight for a very different idea. Initially observingthe principle of recycle/renew/reduce, I responded to the book's themes in a light-hearted way and foragedin my garage (which was something like a lucky-dip) for second-hand materials and improvised usingwhatever was in clear sight, my insight being to not purchase anything new for the making of this pieceduring Covid lockdown. I was able to observe my self-imposed restriction ... up until the very end when, in asplit second, I glimpsed a vision that required a retake on my rules and my line of insight altered again when Irealised the need to spend $2 on an LED light.

Untitledby Mem Capp (Coburg, Vic)Inspired by The House of Youssefby Yumna KassabMedium: Lino and mixed media (gold leaf, red bole and thread)Size: 127 x 60 cmPrice: 450The House of Youssef is a collection of short stories about the Lebanese Australian experience. Family is at itscentre; the desire to start a new life, the promise of opportunity, the sense of hope, the importance of faithalong with fear of difference and a sense of dislocation are rich themes to explore through a work of art.Combining English and Arabic, adorning with gold leaf and thread - the colours representative of the twonations - I wanted to capture something of a faith-like reverence for the new country along with the power oftradition.

A Mother’s Loveby Jenni Ivins (Pakenham, Vic)Inspired by The Drover’s Wifeby Leah PurcellMedium: eco-dyed natural materials, fascinating foraged foliage, decomposing cardboard & moreSize: 1.5 m x 1.2 mPrice: 750My sculpture is patched and joined, much as the author has connected stories from variousdemographics as they intersect through common themes of women's rights, domestic abuse,invasion and poor treatment in integrating societies - and a mother's love for her children. I'made do' with what I had - as Molly (the drover's wife) would have done, and due to ourrestrictions of COVID days. The wreaths are made from an invasive vine, pretty enough whenwelcomed to our home, but it constantly spreads, sending out root systems that have norespect for life nor regard for established systems in this garden. I used footprints to representthe different stations in life. It is said a decent man has boots on his feet, but the actionsportrayed belie this statement.

The Cogby Eliza Munro (Lancefield, Vic)Inspired by Ordinary Matterby Laura ElveryMedium: CeramicSize: 36 x 10.5 cmPrice: 1800The Cog borrows stylistic cues from brutalist architecture in orderto represent the impenetrable male institution of the scientificNobel prize. When reading the book, one common theme thatsurfaced through all 20 short stories was the tenacity anddetermination of the women who had achieved the nearimpossible; being recognised for their scientific work with theNobel prize.

Reading Between the Linesby Sally Hikaka (New Plymouth, NZ)Inspired by Inheritance of Secretsby Sonya BatesMedium: Paper ephemera, cardboard, gesso,acrylic paint, acrylic inkSize: 3 x 24 x 15.5cmPrice: 325My book is my artwork. When I received my book I was really thrilled to havebeen given a murder mystery set in parts of Adelaide I am familiar with andwhich also has a post WWII immigration story underpinning it. At one stage Ihad two copies of the book, the library’s & my own, which made me thinkabout how much fun it would be to discover an altered library book. Notdramatically altered so that it’s immediately obvious that it’s been tamperedwith but strategically embellished - so that’s what I did. I chose my twelvefavourite scenes & have interpreted them on the relevant pages. Interestingly,as I read the book all the historic scenes came to me in black & white - like anold war movie, so that’s what I’ve done in the book. My favourite parts are theLancaster bomber silhouettes pg 20, the niche, which hides a key & a pawnticket, cut into pg 116 and the letter to Grete written in German, as it wouldhave been, on pg 403. Perhaps I shouldn’t admit to having had so much fun‘torturing’ my book.

The Gravitational Pull of Wordsby Leanne Poole (Glen Iris, Vic)Inspired by The Dictionary of Lost Wordsby Pip WilliamsMedium: Handmade and dyed paperSize: 39 x 48 cmPrice: 450I love paper and I adore handmade books, so it was tootempting to create a miniature book representing the ideaof the Dictionary of Lost Words. It is beckoning its desiredwords, those previously not given the notice or love theydeserve, from the scriptorium, the marketplace, and widerenvirons. The backing sheet, made in one piece from dyedpaper pulp (created from recycled mat board) representsthe Oxford countryside and the setting of the book.

Drip Drop, Tik Tokby Holly Richardson (Port Fairy, Vic)Inspired by Six Minutesby Petronella McGovernMedium: Watercolour, acrylic paint, penSize: A4Price: 150I tried to capture the suspense and mystery of the crime novel Six Minutes by portraying a surreallandscape. The clock lamp both spotlights the woman and ticks loudly in time with the sound of hertears dropping into an infinite pool, to represent the pressure she is under to be perfect and theunnecessary shame she feels for taking off that mask, now naked and exposed. The suspendedfigures represent one of the main themes in the book being the taboo and conflicting side ofmotherhood. Each main character tells of jealousy, depicting their friends as 'perfect' or superiormothers and women. However, they all also have their own battles and insecurities that they hidewhen out in society. I depict a mother clasping a removed mask showing her true distraught andexhausted self and a love that is so intense it hurts and incites fear for their child. The child isportrayed happily resting, angelic and innocent to the drama around her. I chose to include images ofroses as a symbolic notion to motherhood being that they have both beautiful petals as well assharp, ugly thorns. I also included a backdrop of symbolic mountains to give place to the story whichin the novel is set in a town nestled in the Brindabella Mountains of NSW.

Intention of Luckby Taylor Wilson (Samford, QLD)Inspired by Lucky Ticketby Joey BuiMedium: CeramicsSize: 90 x 90 x 120 cmPrice: 280Twisting in and out of surreal, funny, mundane and existential, Lu c ky Ticket is awindow into a myriad of worlds and lives. Questioning. What makes ourchoices, fates and fortunes different? Or maybe it’s all the same.

How to Unlock Happinessby Maryann Owen (Warrnambool, Vic)Inspired by The Things She Ownedby Katherine Tamiko ArguileMedium: Mixed media - acrylic paint, gold leaf, polymer clay, MDF and glassSize: 285 x 215 x 75.Price: 675This novel deals with the unresolved emotionsErika has after the death of her abusive mother. Inher home is a collection of her mother’sbelongings. Through the process of revisiting thestory behind these items and taking a journey toheal, Erika is finally able to release her lockedaway demons and find inner piece.

Secretsby Eileen Curd (Port Fairy, Vic)Inspired by How To Grow A Family Treeby Eliza Henry JonesMedium: Acrylic on CanvasSize: 101 x 76 cmPrice: 400When your life falls apart when your only seventeen Anger, Worry, and shame. What willpeople say? SECRETS formed. Feeling betrayed. How can you explain. Then, a letter arrives, youare in shock. You knew you were adopted, You were told from the start. Will I open it? Whatwill it say? HOW CAN I TELL MY MOTHER? I cannot betray. Confusion arises, what will I say?SECRETS FORMED AND SECRETS KEPT. I would like to know who my birth mother is. Do I havefamily? I don’t know? Who do I look like my mum or my dad? Oh, I feel a little sad. I put theletter away for another day. Enough going on in my life in every other way. Keeping my Secretsto myself for now. I’ll carry on as normal, if I know how. Secrets of living in the Caravan park,where society says the losers all live. They say It is dangerous living down there. You cannot goout after dark. All these people have a story to tell. Down on their luck as well. We arewelcomed into their world with open arms & Together we live, Us against the world. Acommunity of love is found in the strangest of places. Our eyes are opened to ourdiscriminations. Everyone has a story to tell, A life worth living, though it may feel like hell.Everyone has a gift to share, I found that out living here. I am not the only person with Secretsto tell. BOTH MY MOTHERS HAVE SECRETS AS WELL. Things kept hidden, Hiding the TRUTHEveryone has secrets, not wanting to tell. HEART IS WHERE THE HOME IS, AS YOU CAN SEE.THIS IS WHERE YOU GROW YOUR FAMILY TREE. Amongst people who care and love youunconditionally. Family does not care whether you are Rich or poor, Family is choice. Family isbonds made, Family is connection and love, This is where you put your Soul And PLANT YOURFamily Tree. This is where you can be free.

Exhibit Extraordinaire: The Telling Bonesby Helen Bunyon (Hawkesdale, Vic)Inspired by Mammothby Chris FlynnMedium: Found object assemblage and mixed mediaSize: 58cm w x 14cm h x 10cm dPrice: 550I loved Mammoth by Chris Flynn - from the stunning front cover to the end of this unique novel which inspired my art piece ‘Exhibit Extraordinaire: The Telling Bones’.Natural History Auction, New York, 24 March 2007, where prized bones of prehistoric creatures are for sale. Brilliant storytelling takes place here on the eve of theauction, merging fact and fiction. The narrator is the fossilized remains of a 13,000-year-old Mammut Americanum or ‘Mammut’ who recounts his life, his death, his re-emergence as a fossil travelling the globe and the impact of Hominids on the environment and natural world… luckily all recorded by Chris Flynn.WARRNAMBOOL ART GALLERY 1ST PRIZE WINNER!

What’s Insideby Jodie Honan (Port Fairy, Vic)Inspired by The Tiniest House of Timeby Sreedhevi IyerMedium: Textiles, plant dyeSize: 110 x 75 cmPrice: 250Iyer writes of how members of a family survive seemingly endless cycles of racial violence, andhow their skin colour influences their choices, and fates. I use fabrics, including silk, died with localnative and 'foreign' plants to represent a range of skin-like tones. These are stitched together in'DNA' strips held together by bloodlines of red and white cotton. Fragile sections have beenoverstitched by machine and hand to produce a hanging textile; referencing the door curtains ofseveral Asian countries including Japan and Korea. These curtains hang at thresholds to regulateentry to what is beyond.

The Surprising Power of Preserved Memoriesby Irene Pagram (Colac, Vic)Inspired by The Surprising Power of a Good Dumplingby Wai ChimMedium: Textile soft sculpture - organza, thread, graphiteSize: 10cm x 10cm x 20cm (variable)Price: 160Wai Chim's book is firmly placed in culture, family and time. I thought back to the cultural practices of my childhood: Summer, my aproned mum in the kitchen, with ranks of gleaming bottles, springy clips, shiny lids, red rubber rings all laid out, and a growing pile of peeled and sliced seasonal fragrant fruit, railed to us from her family in Sunraysia. It was a family ritual we all looked forward to, especially when she reached down a bottle of preserved plums, or apricots, or peaches, or apples, or pears to create a warming pudding in the depths of Winter. Overnight, it seems in newly re-opened but surprisingly powerful fifty-year-old memories, this stopped. The cupboards bare, the empty bottles gathering dust. Mum in bed. As in this novel and in the lives of so many families touched by mental illness, Anna's story is also my own.

Bluebirdby Ruth Thompson (Wollstonecraft, NSW)Inspired by Bluebirdby Malcolm KnoxMedium: CyanotypeSize: 28 x 38 cmPrice: 320I wanted to create a washed away, nostalgic feeling to reflect the keyelements of the book: the house on the cliff, the beloved beachbelow, the aloneness of a man suddenly out of sync in his familiarenvironment. And, yes! I used the titular bluebird quite literally :)Other living creatures often provide interesting juxtapositions to keymoments in our lives. And they always live in the present or very nearfuture, even as we look back...

Vanishingby Lisa Lanzi (St Peters, SA)Inspired by The Living Sea of Waking Dreamsby Richard FlanaganMedium: Mixed Media - canvas board, acrylic, ink, pencil, paper, salt, pastel, glueSize: 30.5 x 40.6 cmPrice: 375The power of the 'vanishings' that occur in the story, body parts, animals, flora, and thebackdrop of climate change and extinctions altering our personal and wider world providedpowerful analogies from which to draw inspiration for this artwork. I chose to focus mostly onthe personal as the layers within the narrative were overwhelming, both in the beauty of theprose and the broader, distress-inducing themes.

Stacey’s Fieldworkby Kate Buttery (Footscray, Vic)Inspired by Faunaby Donna MazzaMedium: Water-etched porcelainSize: 40 x 30 x 20 cmPrice: 875A love of archaeology fieldwork, the ache of motherhood, and the need for financial security have led Stacey to agree toan experimental clinical trial. An IVF program modifying the human embryo with neanderthal DNA. But Stacey did notread the terms and conditions very well and finds herself unable to break free of the legal bindings of the LifeBLOOD®company and loses her grasp on herself as ‘mother’. Drawing from images of archeological digs, ‘Stacey’s Fieldwork’ isformed in porcelain, both the weakest and strongest of ceramic materials, and has been allowed to sustain damageunder the strain of the making process, paralleling both the strength Stacey was grasping to hold and the strain on herduring pregnancy and ensuing rearing of her genetically altered child, Asta. Engaging some wordplay with the Lifeblood®motto, ‘Bringing life out of Darkness’, the pubic area, belly, and breasts - usually held strongly in the private realm - havebeen illuminated from within. The belly, ground zero for the experiment, is branded from the inside with the LifeBLOOD®registered trademark; the wireless network logo etched inside the pubic area (from where the PregCam™ internallyinserted camera transmits images of Stacey’s unborn child to the LifeBLOOD® server). The Feed-On-Demand instructionfrom LifeBLOOD® after Asta’s birth is represented in the cracked open nipples flooded with red light. Oft-regardedsymbols of female beauty, sexuality, and motherhood have been transformed to contractually enforceable experimentsites. In Donna Mazza’s cautionary tale, the pregnancy comes to term, but the conditions are dire. *according to theTerms and Conditions of LifeBLOOD®: Bringing Life Out of Darkness

Good Boy, Hogarth!by Julie Scifo (Wentworth Falls, NSW)Inspired by The Shifting Landscapeby Katherine KovacicMedium: Acrylic and ink on woodSize: 61 x 30.5 cmPrice: 450Hogarth the wolfhound is a major character in the shifting landscape. I have used a quote fromthe book alongside an impression of Hogarth as the most amazing wolfhound in the universe.

Take Me With Youby Susan McCormack (Hawthorn, Vic)Inspired by The Last Migrationby Charlotte McConaghyMedium: Acrylic, mixed mediaSize: 30 x 40 cmPrice: 300Franny was tracking Arctic terns, was half bird, half woman,and of the sea. Following the terns, and her own migration tothe Arctic ultimately led her home to herself.

Perfect Imperfectionby Jo-Anne Britt (Wallington, Vic)Inspired by The Labyrinthby Amanda LohreyMedium: Textile Art: Goldwork, Free Machine Embroidery, Hand EmbroiderySize: 445mm x 525mm (includes frame, sits flat)Price: 1375This book brought to mind the Japanese aesthetic of wabi sabi,its complexity and imperfectness, which is reflected in all ourlives. The book explores the elements of strength/resilience andkindness/softness. Labyrinth speaks to: How we care for others;How we respond to adversity; How we accept the imperfectionof human nature. The artwork started with a base of natural silk,strong yet soft. I painted the colours of sea and sky and usedfrottage to simulate the grey gravel of the zen garden. Therepetitive hand stitching is a meditation on the labyrinth, themetal of goldwork the strength that holds us all together. Thetwisted tree, reminiscent of my beach walks, represents thecomplexity of family relationships and the chairs the warmth andbelonging of community. A labyrinth is the opportunity tomeditate on the perfect imperfection of life and living.

Bruny #1by Trevor Liddell (Fitzroy, Vic)Inspired by Brunyby Heather RoseMedium: Pencil on paperSize: 29 x 42 cmPrice: 1200A contemplation on the complexity and fragility of relationships between people and nature.

Their Songby Gabrielle Niemeyer (Reservoir, Vic)Inspired by The Lost Love Songby Minnie DarkeMedium: Watercolour on 300gsm cold press paperSize: 210 x 297 mmPrice: 200The pair here represent two of the characters in the book - Arie and Diana. Arie is seen herelooking at one hand as if questioning what he is doing with his life after the lose of Diana (bluelady). He is reaching backwards in an unconscious effort to hold onto Diana, whereas Diana isbeing lifted up through the winds of music that surround them both. This music is a gift andcirculates around them as it circulates through many others lives.

“In a dream, I see the Mother. This is her land.”by Kylie Sirett (Hurtsbridge, Vic)Inspired by The House of Youssefby Yumna KassabMedium: Oil on linenSize: 50.5 x 50.5 cmPrice: 790Memories of a distant land, The fallen leaves, Clinging to traditions. Cracks of darkness, Seeds of hope,The chaos within. Using the symbology of a pomegranate I’m drawn to the connections of thelife left behind and the new life created in a country on the other side of theworld. Not from here and not really from there, the space in between.

Our Ladyby Wendy Leason (Carlton, Vic)Inspired by Doloresby Lauren Aimee-CurtisMedium: Artist Book: Woodblock printing, mono-printing, collageSize: 35 x 25 cmPrice: 350In this book, Curtis explores the misappropriated worship of the Madonna in asociety that forbids sex education and birth control, abandoning women whenthey are in need. Who will take responsibility for Dolores' situation? Who will carefor this Madonna? Only the Nuns help Dolores, offering her shelter. And now theBishop has an heir.

Conversations with a Hungry Ghostby Julie Keating (Timboon, Vic)Inspired by Stone Sky Gold Mountainby Mirandi RiwoeMedium: Oil on linenSize: 35.5 x 25.5 cmPrice: 1800Shan, my Hungry Ghost, drowned in a flood before she could be married to Lai Yue. Herspirit remained unsettled and she has followed him to Australia. She appears only to him,usually at night, and they converse. She is another of his unwanted burdens but he mustcarry her with him wherever he goes.

Under Seas I Imaginedby Brett Steers (Tasmania)Inspired by The Burning Islandby Jock SerongMedium:Pen and inkSize: 42 x 30 cmPrice: 1400Extract from page 49:"What did I feel that night, looking back to it now? I could say I felt distant sorrow for the family whowere lost under the seas I imagined to be pitiless and cruel, though I'd never sailed anywhere. I sawthose people sometimes in my imagination, suspended in the gloom, down among the rocks andkelps, snagged by their clothes and swaying in the current, their faces dreamily unmarked in death".

Grown from Scarsby Sandra Duncan (Portland, Vic)Inspired by There Was Still Loveby Favel ParrettMedium: Screen printing and stencilsSize: 70 x 50 cmPrice: 500All of us are on a journey, it is the way life dresses us, holds us in a time and place, or sets us adrift instormy seas, our roots cut, or ties us together in bundles, packs us in suitcases and makes us a family,bonded by the scars of history, by love.

Janeby Judy Watson (Frankston Sth, Vic)Inspired by Jane in Loveby Rachel GivneyMedium: brush and ink on paper, pencil, digitisation. Artwork presented as limited-edition archival quality giclee print on paper (unframed). Edition of 30Size: 42 x 37 cmPrice: 625The central theme of this book is one that I find personally significant – the female artist (here, the characterof Jane Austen) and her battle to balance a creative career with a personal life and family. The author used atime-travelling concept to shift Jane into the modern world where she can choose love over her career in thepast. Or not. But what struck me most about this character, was that Jane in neither world seemed to meshwith those around her. She was depicted as an intrinsically solitary character. I wonder if she could beautistic… deeply attuned to making finely detailed observations of the society around her, and yet not able toadopt the societal norms that she wrote about so wittily. I really wanted to depict her solitariness, but also toexplore her pleasure in her own company. The pivotal and most dramatic scene in the book for me is the poolscene. Where she floats in the middle of the roman bath in the Pump Room in Bath looking up at a starry sky.There is another person present, but it is significant that he is not in the water with her. This was initially whatI intended to depict. But I had also to be true to my own subject matter as an artist, and the romanarchitecture of this setting would not have expressed my own calling, which is over recent years, towards thewild growing spaces. So instead, I depicted Jane as she is in the opening scene of the book, striding throughthe countryside, at home in the mud and the growing places. It is not as stark as the pool scene, but it depictsalmost as well, her aloneness in the world. Instead of being surrounded by the architecture of society, (indeedthe Roman Baths can be seen to represent perfectly the culture in which she is enclosed) I have placed her inthe architecture of nature which draws her to it for solace, creative thought and respite from the demands ofpeople. I've made this scene as verdant as possible. It's not meant to be a bleak experience for Jane. It's aplace rich with her thoughts and infinite fertile possibilities.

Remnants of Witnessesby Michelle Kowalczyk (Warragul, Vic)Inspired by Everything in its Right Placeby Tobias McCorkellMedium: Digital art printed on canvasSize: A3 Price: 300I've always had an interest in animals, preferring to draw and paint them more than other subjectmatter. It's their innocence, their simple and yet symbolic existence in our world is a comfortingmystery to me. Something I found in common with the book Everything in its right Place where themention of creatures brings up memories and moments from the book. From the cicadas in thenight evoking the emotions of the main character to the stark brutality of reality that is reflectedthrough the yabby's struggles in the sun. These creatures are small moments within the story, butthey leave a lasting impression, much like the creatures in our own lives. It makes one wonder, whatmemories my other animal artworks have evoked within those who have seen my work?

Laylaby Sally Fitts (Freshwater Creek, Vic)Inspired by The Girl She Wasby Rebecca FreebornMedium: 3D with wire, cloth, paper, raffia, paintSize: 53cmH x 30cmW x 15cmD Price: 250‘Layla' is created as a response to the main protagonist of the book The Girl She Was byRebecca Freeborn. She is a fairly literal translation of the girl-woman who became enmeshedin an abusive relationship with lasting consequences for herself, her abuser, her family, friendsand town. It has been a fun and absorbing experience to bring her into being.

Good for Spyingby Karen Salter (Caulfield, Vic)Inspired by Kokomoby Victoria HannanMedium: Synthetic polymer paint on boardSize: 30 x 50 cmPrice: 895When reading Kok omo I was captivated by author Victoria Hannan's detailed descriptions of theenvironments the characters moved through. The suburban streets of Thornbury, the familiar Melbourneicons, and the most private of spaces are easily pictured thanks to Hannan's intricate portrayal of them.Mina's bedroom with its bay window overlooking the Cheng's house is the subject of my painting. Fromthis room Mina's mother Elaine could keep watch on Arthur Cheng, the object of her affection. TheCheng's house is painted in shades of pink, a colour that represents love and one that is used as arecurring motif in Kokomo.

Taking Tom Murray Homeby Megan Cheyne (Warrnambool, Vic)Inspired by Taking Tom Murray Homeby Tim SleeMedium: Acrylic paint on canvasSize: 457 x 610 mmPrice: 850Bankrupt Dairy Farmer Tom Murray has died in a fire hedeliberately lit. His wife Dawn and some of Tom's friendsdecide to put Tom's coffin in a horse and cart and take him toMelbourne to be buried. They are taking Tom Murray home.They have just 5 days to get there. Mysterious arson attackshappen along the way. My work depicts them in Port Fairy.Written by Tim Slee and winner of the inaugural Banjo Prize,Taking Tom Murray Home is a funny, moving, bittersweetAustralian story of fires, families and the restorative power ofcommunity.

The Ballroomby Angela Williams (North Melbourne, Vic)Inspired by Almost a Mirrorby Kirsten KrauthMedium: Watercolour and charcoalSize: A3Price: 125I have tried to imagine sketching Krauth’s scene of aperformance at the Crystal Ballroom in 1981 from behind Bennywho is filming a gig from a platform high up near the famouschandeliers - “the best view in the house”.My sketch is cobbled together from Krauth’s descriptions,photographs of the current day restored ballroom space,founder Dolores Van Miguel’s book The Ballroom, YouTubefootage of Nick Cave and the Birthday Party, and a social mediachat with members of the passionate group I was Drunk at theCrystal Ballroom - I almost wished I had been there!

The Islands are Sinking: A Story about Global Warmingby Linda Douglas (Murrumba Downs, QLD)Inspired by Wolfe Islandby Lucy TreloarMedium: Linoprints, monoprints, acrylic, ink, linen threadSize: 20 x 20 cm Price: 270As climate change tightens its grip on the planet, small island nations are alreadyfacing the prospect of having to move to the mainland, leaving behind their homes,their history and their culture. Rising seas are on the brink of swallowing islandsright now and while some aspects of climate change are due to nature's agency,others are from man's impact. Are we fighting the inevitable for the islanders'future?

Bottlebrush Birdbathby Karen McKenzie (Mailors Flat, Vic)Inspired by Bottlebrush Creekby Maya LinnellMedium: Acrylic on TerracottaSize: 57 x 47 cm Price: 345I felt an immediate connection to both the storyline and author of my book, having both similarbackgrounds, coming from the south east of SA and now both living the country life in WesternVictoria. I was very excited to dive right into Bottlebrush Creek, and soon found many facets similar tomy own life experience. My artwork piece is based on the passion I now get from having to build ahome and garden in the country from scratch and finally now enjoying the spoils of many years ofhard work. Its the feeling of achieving something over a long period of time whilst being both selfrewarding and humbling that the smaller things in life are to be appreciated. Over the past year Ihave watched many birds enjoy a dip in my nans reclaimed old birdbath and I wanted to create apiece that would in my mind be fitting for the authors home of Bottlebrush Creek.

Who’s Your Pack?by Leisa McCosh (Koroit, Vic)Inspired by The Animals in that Countryby Laura Jean McKayMedium: Mosaic- tiles, ceramics, wire, penSize: 90cm x74cm x 4cmPrice: 2000Reading and responding to The Animals in that Country by Laura JeanMckay during Covid 2020 was like looking at and creating a dark, freneticparallel universe where a virus spread throughout Australia causingsocial upheaval and crazy behaviours. Underneath that was theconnection Jean and her faithful dingo Sue shared, as they searched forher beloved granddaughter Kimberly. By using mosaic art with 3Delements I tried to create the feeling of desperation and contemplationas you are taken on Jean's journey. The way people could hear and feelthe animals makes you contemplate relationships. This year more thanany other, as we strive to stay engaged with "family" - people, nature,pets, creation - It truly makes you question "Who's your pack?".

The Circleby Angela Watson (Horsham, Vic)Inspired by Here Until Augustby Josephine RoweMedium: Acrylic and ink on canvasSize: 60 cm diameterPrice: 350This is piece 2 of 2 and centres around the main themes I found in thebook. It is based on life, fate and hope. I have used the symbolism ofbutterflies, water, rainbows and dragonflies to project this in my work. Itis circular in reference to the circle of life and all of the good, bad,unpredictable and chosen ways in which our lives can be shaped.

Going Home/Paddock Dreamsby Elizabeth Whiteman (Cobar, NSW)Inspired by Rural Dreamsby Margaret HickeyMedium: Acrylic and collageSize: A3Price: 75Paddock dreams is a reworking of the front cover of Ruraldreams shoeing images relevant to the characters in some ofthe short stories in the book including a city building whichthey are trapped in. Going Home is an acrylic painting withcollage. The colour of the sky is pinky orange of early morningwith a road leading away from city buildings. There is a gumtree made from a copy of a page from the story with townsign. I choose to do these artworks as most of the charactersin the stories were going home for various reasons or awayfrom home and wishing they were back in their rural settings.

Detritusby Robyn Foster (Mount Cotton, QLD)Inspired by The Weekendby Charlotte WoodMedium: Single-format, folded artist book – collage on boardSize: 36 x 15 cmPrice: 75Reading The Weekend by Charlotte Wood made me ponder on what is leftbehind when someone significant in our life passes away, how we each havedifferent memories and connections to each other and how one person'sabsence can change the balance of people's behaviours, reactions andrelationships. This artwork explores the notion of the sentimental paraphernaliawe collect and carry with us through life, insignificant objects we attach inflatedvalue and meaning to which represent something personally significant, unseenby others, a status which inevitably becomes void upon our passing. Theparaphernalia becomes a symbol of our existence for those left to sort throughthe detritus of our personal possessions, where most of the objects becometrash and only a few will have a shared meaning.DETRITUS n. left over loose material, a product of disintegration, miscellaneousremnants.

Gatito Huequitoby Janice Hartinger (Illowa, Vic)Inspired by Hollowpoxby Jessica TownsendMedium: Pencil on PaperSize: 41 x 30 cmPrice: 65My sketched artwork is based on the novel Hollowpox by JessicaTownsend. The feline friend shown below is a reference toFenestra, another feline character who's present in the story.Overall, I was inspired by the exquisite long-haired grey Persian.YOUTH AWARD WINNER

The Key of All Soulsby Anonymous (Port Fairy, Vic)Inspired by The Key of All Soulsby Jeremy LachlanMedium: Digital 3D imagerySize: A4Price: 85The artwork revolves around the key of all souls.YOUTH AWARD WINNER

Fallingby Kate Winnen (Port Fairy, Vic)Inspired by Where the Truth Lies by Karina KilmoreMedium: Collage and acrylic paint on canvasSize: 40 x 50 cmPrice: 260The experience of grief and loss can be transformational or destructive. In the novel Where theTruth Lies by author Karina Kilmore our heroine, Chrissie O’Brian is battling the destructiveinfluence of grief while pursuing the criminal forces at work on the waterfront. Chrissie’s job asan investigative journalist puts her in danger of physical harm, while her livelihood is at stake inthe cut-throat world of news-media. Personally, she has distanced herself from loved ones and isweary of new relationships, descending into a personal battle. Can Chrissie solve the crime, gether scoop to print on time and reinvent her personal journey to a positive transformationalexperience?