Art Unlimited | Torrance Gallery

Art Unlimited - 2024/5 International Art Competition

Artist Howard Flanagan (who's work we represent here at The Torrance Gallery) launched his own gallery, Art Unlimited, in Dorset in 2022.

Soon after opening the gallery, the inaugural International Open Art Competition was launched. The competition has grown over the years, and has gone from strength to strength. It has uncovered exciting works from emerging artists, as well as established artists, from across the globe and on the gallery's own doorstep. One of the focuses of the competition is to support young artists in their artistic journey and has its own dedicated category for 15-18 year olds.

We are delighted to support this fantastic endeavour, and remotely represent the winners of each category, with links here to their websites. Please enquire about purchasing winning or other available works.

Overall Winner

The Norrsken Award for Best In Show, 2024

Kanmi - 'Me, Myself & I' - Original Charcoal on Paper

Kanmi is a self-taught London based artist. His art is centred around portraiture mostly, using the medium of charcoal and graphite to capture realism. His main job is within the field of architecture, which he believes contributes positively to his attention to detail and precision when creating his art. Kanmi engages with the audience and evokes emotions through expressions or sometimes lack of in his work, conveying strong messages that relate to world problems or just relatable emotions.

See Kanmi's website here

Dayley-Rowney Under 18's Award 2024

Kay Benbow - 'Conniption' - Original Mixed Media

Kay's work is all about expressing emotions. Using different colours, she portrays raw emotions and expressive body language to show how others feel and to express her own emotions in a creative way. She wants people to see her work and connect on a deeper level with the piece, relating their own experiences.

Currently Kay is studying A-Levels at Stafford College in Staffordshire, and is hoping to study Art at degree level in the future.

Insta: @kay.benbow_art

The Advantage Digital Print (ADp) Award for Best Digital Piece, 2024

Judy Brachi - 'Other Dreams' - Digital Print

Judi loves creating "other worlds" using hundreds of layers of photos, mainly flowers and plants. She usually includes wildflowers and grasses in her works: the wonderful plants that many of us just take for granted but which form such an integral part of the landscape. The majority of the plants have been photographed here, on the Isle of Wight where Judi lives. There is an abundance of wildflowers and plants as well as beautiful gardens that she can visit and take inspiration from. Judi thinks we often overlook the importance of plants to our own survival - not just trees but the whole myriad of plants that make up the plant kingdom.

Judi started to study photography during the pandemic and has won competitions for her bee photographs - recently her work was 'highly commended' in International Garden photographer of the year, black and white competition.

https://www.judybrachi.com/

The Furleigh Estate Award for Best Creative Piece

Aloysius Ong (Syn Wei Ong) - 'Meadow - Dance of Freedom' - Folded paper

Born in Malaysia, Aloy is an Edinburgh-based paper artist and architectural designer, seamlessly blending his architectural and landscape acumen with the delicate art of paper folding. A graduate of the University of Manchester School of Architecture, Aloy draws upon his extensive knowledge of architecture and landscape design to craft intricate paper artworks that transcend traditional boundaries. Aloy’s work transforms simple pieces of paper into exquisite, story-laden art through heartfelt ingenuity. Testament to the transformative potential of art, discover beauty in the mundane and find solace and inspiration in the subtle intricacies of life.

https://aloyong.com/

'Meadow - Dance of Freedom' Aloysius Ong (Syn Wei Ong) - Best Creative.jpg

The Lyme Bay Dental & Implant Clinic Award for Best 3d Piece

Matt Sowter - 'Angler' - Found Objects/Metal/Lightbulb

Working from his home in Somerset, Matt makes sculptures that are inspired by nature to create unique, exciting and quirky statement pieces.

The materials he uses are predominantly recycled, found or repurposed. A Victorian Landfill site on the Dorset coast has eroded away revealing its rusty treasures that he can collect on the beach after each high tide. Matt loves rummaging in old barns, farmyards, junk shops, for anything he can use for eyes, teeth, fins, horns or heads.

As part of the making journey Matt wants to reflect and celebrate the natural environment and use any materials that he can adapt to create an artistic impression of various body parts.

It’s important to Matt that his sculptures demonstrate his passion for the materials he's working with and that they capture part of his creative self, he also enjoys giving some of his pieces a functional purpose.

https://www.matneysshedsculpture.co.uk/

The RISE Award for Best Concept Piece

Ruth Baker - 'Day Dreamer' - Pyrography/Wood

Specialising in the lesser known medium of Pyrography, Ruth often combines this medium with drawing & painting quality, to create authentic realistic Fine art .Pyrography, an ancient craft involves using a hot wire tool to scorch the surface of bare wood. Its organic, tactile qualities, mesmerizing process, captivates all senses from distinctive fragrances, textures, absorbing mediative process & alluring subtlety of tones. Drawing what Ruth knows & what she loves, she strives through realism to create more authentic pieces, often capturing but a moment in time inviting the viewer to fill in the narrative guided by expression & a sense of connection.

Insta: @ruthbakerart

The People's Choice Award Sponsored by Unique Framecraft

Violet Von Riot - 'The Bath Collage' - Mixed Media

Since 2020, Frome-based artist Violet has been producing bespoke eco-friendly collages out of recycled magazines. She creates stunning townscapes and animal portraits with a level of vivid detail that conjures the kind of lifelike character into her pieces that make her a local treasure.

Violet's autism also adds a level of focussed commitment to exceptional detail that people of all ages find captivating in it's ability to enchant anyone who beholds her work.

Her work evokes a nostalgic sense-of-place that delights the curious and satisfies the sentimental.

www.violetvonriot.com

'The Bath Collage' Violet Von Riot - The People's Choice.jpg