Who got the opportunity? A.M.E. Bale Travelling Scholarship (National)

Who got the opportunity? is a regular feature which profiles artists who've landed an opportunity that has been advertised on NAVA's Notice Board. If you've ever wondered who some of the jobs or prizes listed in this eBulletin have gone to, here is your chance to find out!

(Call for Entries posted on the NAVA Notice Board in August)

The prestigious A.M.E. Bale Travelling Scholarship and Art Prize is awarded annually to Australian artists who have demonstrated talent and achievement in traditional styles and is designed to support their classical training. 2011’s $50,000 A.M.E. Bale Major Award for a Travelling Scholarship was presented to Sydney based artist Leigh Kaplan. Leigh spoke to NAVA about what she hopes to do with the Scholarship and shared her advice on applying for awards and scholarships.

Image: Leigh Kaplan, Female nude (2011).

NAVA: Could you tell us about your art practice?
Leigh Kaplan: I paint and draw from life in a traditional, representational method.

NAVA: Why did you apply for the A.M.E. Bale Travelling Scholarship?
LK: I have a great respect for the Bale, both for what they believe in and the wonderful opportunity that they offer - providing funding and resources for Australian, representational painters to further develop their academic training overseas.

I applied for the scholarship with the hope of broadening my practice as a painter by visiting the galleries of countries I have dreamed of going to. I strongly believe that seeing original art works is an invaluable learning experience.

NAVA: What are you planning to do with the Scholarship?
LK: I’m planning on using the scholarship to travel to the UK, Europe, Russia and the USA.

NAVA: How do you think it will benefit your practice?
LK: I feel that travelling overseas will not only expose me to older galleries and art works, but also enable me to see how today’s painters are interpreting representational art elsewhere in the world. I hope that this will lead me to learn and grow from studying master-works and inform where I wish to sit as a painter within this world.

NAVA: Have you been awarded anything similar in the past?

LK: This is the first major art prize that I have applied for.

NAVA: Do you have any advice for anyone entering a similar competition?
LK: I feel that each competition represents a belief and it’s important to understand what that is and to take advantage of the opportunity to express who you are and what you believe in within that paradigm. Stay true to yourself and use the structure of the award or competition as an opportunity to indulge yourself in projects that you may not have otherwise attempted.

NAVA: What else is coming up next for you?  
LK: Seeing – painting, travelling… and hopefully a little of the unexpected...

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A.M.E. Bale was born in Melbourne in 1875 and studied art under Frederick McCubbin and L Bernard Hall at the National Gallery Art School in Melbourne. She developed a reputation as a fine artist who distinguished herself particularly as one of Australia’s pre-eminent flower and still life painters of the early 20th Century. She established the A.M.E. Bale Travelling Scholarship and Art Prize through her will to support Australian artists in perpetuity.

Links

2011 A.M.E. Bale Travelling Scholarship and Art Prize finalists

Leigh Kaplan - The Florence Academy of Art Alumni Gallery

We want to hear from you

If you have got an opportunity, such as a job, residency, prize or grant, as a result of seeing it advertised on the NAVA Notice Board or Opportunities eBulletin, we'd love to hear from you. You can send an email to online@visualarts.net.au or call us on 02 9368 1900.