Ettalong painter wins Grandma Moses packers' award

Ettalong resident Mrs Yin Gillis won the Packers Award in this year's Grandma Moses Art Competition, coordinated by Central Coast Council.

Mrs Gillis has been an avid hobbyist painter for the past 11 years, but this was her first time entering the competition which has been running for 37 years.

"I was very surprised to have won," Mrs Gillis said.

"It was a shock but very exciting."

Ms Gillis said she was blown away by the calibre of this year's entries.

"The competition is an excellent thing for the Coast's art scene.

"All of this year's paintings were so good.

"The standard was really quite high.

"My husband and I were particularly impressed with the winning watercolour and novice section entries.

"They were just incredible," Mrs Gillis said.

The Packers Award is chosen by the volunteer staff who help setup the exhibition.

The overall winner this year was Narara's Mr Bruce Illingworth.

Open to all Central Coast residents aged over 50, the competition is named after American folk painter Anna Mary Robertson Moses.

She first started painting at age 78 and was dubbed Grandma Moses due to her age. She continued to paint until her death aged 101 in 1961.

Central Coast Mayor Cr Jane Smith said the essence of the competition was that it was never too late to learn new skills and to promote the talents and achievement of local seniors.

She said she was impressed by the quality and quantity of this year's entries.

"The competition gets bigger and better every year.

"This year we had 142 entries vying for an award, highlighting how interest and expertise in art and creativity is growing on the Central Coast.

"The level of skill on display this year was truly outstanding," Cr Smith said.

SOURCE:

Media release, 16 Sep 2019

Jane Smith, Central Coast Council

Interview (Dilon Luke), 19 Sep 2019

Yin Gillis, Ettalong