PANEL OF JUDGES

Art Unlimited's judges are highly regarded in their respective fields of expertise.

Eris Fleming

Eris Fleming is one of Australia's best-loved painters whose vibrant works have been exhibited in metropolitan and regional galleries around Australia. The focus of his paintings is often around the fringe dwellers of outback society and their eccentricities, which he has observed and recorded during extensive excursions throughout remote Australia. His endeavour is to catch the spirit of these people and their landscape with all its idiosyncrasies.

Eris Fleming studied medicine and after graduation, worked as a GP in both large and small country towns of N.S.W. and Victoria. He worked briefly for the N.S.W. Health Department before resigning in order to pursue life as an artist on his 200 acre farm at Bakers Swamp in the Wellington Valley. Here Eris created a gallery and studio where he works almost exclusively in oils, pallete knives being his most favoured tool. He does not like labels but if pressed would call himself a colourist, painting things and places Australian.

Dr Fleming has a great interest in the history of the outback and the history of art itself and is represented in many collections both in Australia and overseas.

Brett 'Mon' Garling

Brett 'Mon' Garling's childhood fascination for anatomy and his collecting of bones and animal specimens gained him the nickname of 'Monster' at age five. 'Monster' was quickly shortened to 'Mon' and the name stuck. Growing up in rural Australia, Brett developed a love of the bush and its characters, themes that play a dominant role in his work. A multi award-winning artist, 'Mon' has works in private and corporate collections world-wide.

A passion for the technical aspects of casting in bronze led him to establish his own foundry at Wongarbon, near Dubbo, where his works are cast. His gallery there houses a permanent collection of his sculptures and paintings.

In 2006, he was awarded a Fellowship by the Australian Institute of History and Arts in recognition of his contribution to the field of traditional sculpture. In 07/08, 'Mon' was a finalist in the prestigious Country Energy Landscape Painting Award and took first place in the highly-contested Central Coast Arts Festival and the Lexus Mortimer Prize for sculpture.

Brett 'Mon' Garling has had over 40 group and solo exhibitions and is an exhibiting member of the Sculptors' Society. He has been included in the book, Top Ten Australian Artists.

Janet Mansfield

Janet Mansfield has been a potter for more than 35 years. Since her training in ceramics at the National Art School. East Sydney, she has exhibited widely in Australia and overseas. She is represented in most major public collections in Australia and her work has appeared in many publications throughout the world.

She has been an invited participant in symposiums, conferences and a juror in many countries. A member of the International Academy of Ceramics since 1982, she is currently vice-president.

Janet Mansfield is the recipient of numerous awards including the Order of Australia Medal, the Emeritus Award for art from the Australia Council, and the achievement award from the Ceramic Art Foundation based in New York. Lifetime achievement awards include The Friends of Contemporary Ceramics 2003, International Ceramics Festival, UK, 2003, and the National Council for Education in the Ceramic Arts in 2004. That same year she was awarded a Doctor of Letters from the University of Tasmania.

Janet is a highly respected author, editor and publisher on the subject of pottery and ceramic art. She was editor of Pottery in Australia from 1976 to 1990 and is past president of the Potters' Society of Australia, the Ceramic Study Group and the Craft Council of NSW. She is currently publisher/editor of the journals Ceramics Art and Perception and Ceramics Technical, international publications of high quality.

For many years she has worked in the salt-glaze and wood firing ceramics aesthetic, giving workshops and lecturing internationally on this subject.

Judy Boydell

Judy Boydell is a Sydney-based potter who has been active in the ceramics scene for more than 35 years. She was trained at the National Art School, East Sydney, and has attended many ceramics workshops and study tours throughout the world including South America, Asia, Europe and the Middle East.

Over the years Judy has become familiar with all the techniques and styles of ceramic art and will bring this knowledge to the task of co-judging the work presented in Dunedoo for Art Unlimited. For the past several years she has been involved in organizing the Ceramics in the Park event in Inner Sydney and has been on the team of the clay festival events that have been held in Gulgong since 1989.

Brendon Cocks

Brendon Cocks is a professional photographer based in Mudgee. Brendon's time is divided between capturing the varying landscapes of the region and meeting the advertising needs for his wide client base within the wine, real estate, fashion and food industries. Brendon also has a photographic gallery in Mudgee showcasing many of his works.

Christopher Wright

Christopher Wright began taking photographs as a 10-year-old with a Baby Brownie. After leaving school and working in publishing for some years, he joined an advertising photography studio where he learnt the fundamentals of professional photography and lighting.

From his own commercial studio Christopher specialised in industrial and advertising work, gradually moving into editorial photography and writing for various national magazines and newspapers. He wrote, edited and published a seven-part series on photography - Australian Photo-Series - and was technical editor for Australian Camera & Cine magazine.

Christopher also worked for magazines such as Chance, Pol, Gourmet and numerous travel titles, shooting many covers and editorial features.

During ten years in the UK working in public relations, he was editorial advisor to photographic companies Pentax and Durst. He photographed a book of classic motorcycles and photographed and published specialist magazines for the motorcycle industry. Christopher produced and photographed the first stills/video point of sale material for Kawaski motorcyles shown in Europe.

Returning to Sydney, he set up a PR company with clients such as Merit Photographics and Baltronics professional photographic equipment importers. He was PR and marketing consultant for a major photography event, Light of Australia, contributed a regular column, The Wright Way, to Nikon magazine and was a consultant to Polaroid. Christopher was also editor of Australian Camera and Australian Videography for several years.

In 1996 he launched dpii - Australia's first on-line photo magazine, followed by f0.95 com and Vervacious Art, all still in production. Since coming to live in Mudgee, Christopher Wright has had several one-man photography shows - Out Here; Echoes; Synthesis - as well as participating in many other photographic exhibitions. His work is included in a number of private collections.

Books: One Hundred and Ten Years of the Daily Mirror, Tattoo, How to Ride a Motorcycle; British Motorcycles - The Classic Years (Photography only); History of Monte Sant' Angelo; The Shark (co-written with Valerie Taylor); How to Play Australian Rules Football.