Waterhouse Natural History Art Prize: Ron views the winers in the Adelaide City region of South Australia

Each year Australia's richest natural history art prize - the Waterhouse - continues to attract bigger crowds and an ever increasing array of amazing art work. Perhaps it's to do with the richness of the subject. Drawing on the wonders of the natural world, artists from around Australia and the world can indulge their artistic passion and curiosity.

Until September 6, the South Australian public can call into the Museum and marvel at works as varied, as they are imaginative. And there's always the possibility of seeing an artist at work. The overall prize this year went to Matilda Michell, for her painting of dead fish.

Dr Suzanne Miller, SA Museum: "It's exquisitely painted and the more closely you look at it the more you see. Not many people think of painting dead fish but it makes a really beautiful piece of art work and it is quintessentially natural history, which is one of the main reasons we really liked it and picked it as an overall winner."

A total 101 finalists are on show and many are still available for sale. Some, like Janine Mackintosh's piece using thin-leaf mallee leaves from Kangaroo Island, are a showcase of the natural beauty of South Australia.

Dr Suzanne Miller, SA Museum: "Each leaf was hand picked individually and stitched on. The amount of effort and work that goes into something like that and having the vision to start with to do something like that. It's quite extraordinary."

Inspiration for many of the artists has come from the most unlikely of sources. Like a trip to Monarto for sculptor Colin Rogers.

Dr Suzanne Miller, SA Museum: "The kids love the meerkat sculptures. They look so lifelike and the story behind them is lovely as well. The artist had been given this big rock which I think had been sitting out at Monarto or one of the big parks and he wasn't quite sure what to do with it and then he saw some meerkats and thought that's it. That's what I need to do with that. It's beautiful, it's fun and it's quirky and again very much natural history with a sense of humour in there."

The Waterhouse Natural History Art Prize Exhibition is on show on the ground floor of the South Australian Museum in North Terrace until September 6th.

The Waterhouse Natural History Art Prize
Until September 6th 2009
Ground Floor Exhibition
SA Museum
North Terrace
Adelaide

Published 23rd August 2009