Thornleigh artist Kristin Hardiman has proven to be popular with locals after her painting won both the online and in-person People’s Choice Awards in the Hornsby Art Prize.
The People’s Choice Award is a chance for members of the public to choose their favourite artwork in the Hornsby Art Prize, with two separate competitions running – one based in-exhibition at Wallarobba Arts and Cultural Centre and one that is run on Facebook.
Kristin’s painting Loss of Innocence was the most popular in both competitions, receiving 187 likes on Facebook.
The beautiful, thought-provoking artwork depicts an Australian soldier and was the result of Kristin researching war memorial archives before sketching and painting.
Kristin said she was inspired by memories of visiting the War Memorial in Canberra as a child and seeing photos of soldiers.
“I thought how young they all looked and I tried to imagine what they were feeling at the time their photo was taken,” she said.
“I wanted to bring them back to life and show their humanity, innocence and courage – the human side of war.
“I have based my painting on photos of unknown soldiers who symbolise every soldier… I wanted to show through his eyes the mixture of emotions and thoughts he must have felt on the day the photo was taken.”
A resident of Thornleigh for 25 years, Kristin is currently a part-time teacher at Sydney Art School and also does commissioned works.
“I am very pleased to have won the People’s Choice both online and at the gallery,” she said.
“As an artist, it is very important to have a connection with your audience and for them to be able to understand and react to what you are trying to say in the artwork.”
