Reading Guild of Artists

READING Guild of Artists has announced the winners of the two awards for its 92nd annual exhibition, Continuum, which were chosen at a packed preview party at the Old Fire Station Gallery in Henley.

The guild presents the Marie Dyson Award for a 2D artwork and the Pauline Mercier Award for a 3D piece.

Dr Hannah Lyons, curator of art collections at the University of Reading, was the awards assessor for this year’s event.

Jane Somner, spokeswoman for the guild, said: “Dr Lyons said the number of works on show and the variety and high standard of members’ artistic output was quite extraordinary. She found it really hard to choose.” Shirley Smith won the Pauline Mercier Award for her ceramics, Skoria Oranje and Scoria Turkoois. Jenny Halstead won the Marie Dyson Award for her pastel painting, Savaged Olive Grove: Sicily.

Highly commended in the Marie Dyson Award were Ghost Tree, a solar etching by Ros Ingham, and Fox Hill: Autumn and Fox Hill: Spring, two reduction linocuts by Trish Roberts.

Highly commended in the Pauline Mercier Award, were Progressive Rock (Tracks 1-8) in Caen stone by Roger Smalley, Continuum ceramic platter in clay by Carole Stephens and Gryphea in English alabaster by Paul Whitehouse, who was last year’s winner.

For more information about the guild, visit rga-artists.org.uk

Natalie Aldred