* Award Recipient* Laura Edmunds | Nominator: Linda Nottingham
I had the pleasure of knowing Laura in my capacity of programme director, textiles specialist and tutor. Throughout her time with us, Laura struck everyone with her quiet passion and sincerity in all she undertook. Her practice is thoughtful and thought provoking, the results sensitive and quietly beautiful. She works primarily with textiles, exploring surface and texture, the relationship between emotion, touch and trace, through hand painting, screen printing and stitching, exquisite in its skill and subtlety. Her drawings on paper are equally accomplished. Laura is very dedicated to her gentle journey of quiet discoveries. She has a very special style and perspective, and shows unwavering commitment to her vocation. She is an artist of great integrity, and needs the support of an award such as this, to give her the time and freedom to continue this journey. Laura is totally reliable and would make the most of every minute of this opportunity. Her audience could not fail to be impressed with her, both for her self and her work. She is generous in sharing her ideas and embracing the ideas of others. This award would make an enormous difference, and it is my pleasure and privilege to nominate Laura.
Thomas Goddard | Nominator: Tiff Oben
Having worked with Thomas Goddard on our collaborative projectChav at First Sightfor 18 months I wish to nominate him for the Jane Phillips award. He is constantly creative, impressively hard-working, dedicated to his practice and the arts, utterly reliable and dependable. He is delightful company and seems to engender respect across the arts community with practitioners, curators, critics, etc. He has instigated many participatory projects including the hugely successful Cerbyd and the Cross Studio Critorials drawing a wide range of individuals working in different media together and creating rhizomic networks withinWalesand beyond. He has an impressive knowledge of contemporary arts, approaching viewing and critiquing with intelligence, sensitivity and a perspective that is uniquely his own. His writing takes great joy in the written word as well as the artworks he addresses, placing them in historical and theoretical context to an enviable degree. I have called upon him countless times and he is always ready to generously advise, supported and assist. What began as a chance meeting, intent on a short live collaboration has developed into a friendship and a valuable, productive, fulfilling working relationship. Tom is a credit to the Welsh arts and will go far.
Samuel Hasler | Nominator:
Antony ShaplandI have known Sam for a number of years through his practice as an artist and his involvement with a number of initiatives inWalesand more recently in his role at g39. He is a colleague and a trusted friend and his input to the WARP programme has been invaluable. Sam has a genuine drive to develop his practice as an artist and openness to sharing information and engaging critically with the work of other artists inWales.
His practice is performative at its core, but it is innovative and engaging in its execution. He has shown with g39 on a few occasions, early on in his career as part of the One Night Stand season, more recently as part of the If… series and as a contributor to the final exhibition at the Mill Lane premises 'AreWeNotDrawnOnwardToNewEra' His work is fluid, evolving and contemplative. It allows the viewer time to witness the changes in the material world around him. The performances often use the construction and re-interpretation of matter, but these are more than just props - the performance is the whole thing. The material, the artist as performer and the space and time this sets up for the viewer to engage. The work has an undercurrent to it that examines spirituality, sometimes overtly, at other times obliquely. I would be interested in seeing this examination carried out in the premises at The Mission, with its historical religious significance.
Erin Rickard | Nominator: Pete Telfer
I was first made aware ofErinshortly after she had graduated at Swansea by the artist Catrin Webster and the gallery director Ruth Lambert at MOMA Wales. Both had been very impressed by Erin's attitude and obvious dedication to a career as an artist, they recommended her to me as someone I might work with to help develop and realise Culture Colony's ambitions. They were not wrong andErin's ideas have proved to be very helpful as we build Culture Colony as an on line community and resource for artists.Erinhas also joined me as an assistant filming the sculptor David Nash atYorkshireSculptureParkand she has also made films herself for Culture Colony about Holly Davey and a spectacular 'Iron Pour' of hot molten metal. She has proved to be invaluable as an assistant as she is very capable and she finds it easy to get along with the people that she has come into contact with through Culture Colony. She has also shown that she can work on her own and produce work of a very high standard. Her work with Locws International where she has been fundamental to the event is also important to mention. By liaising with the artists on one hand and the authorities on the otherErinwas able to smooth the way for the event to actually happen. I could also mentionVeniceif there was space; this is all great experience to have under her belt at such a young age. Her art work is of a high standard, it's considered and she knows where it's coming from. Now is the ideal time forErinto use the experience she's gained since graduating and explore the direction that her work will take her, an opportunity such as the Jane Phillips Award is the ideal start to a career as a professional artist.
Sean Puleston | Nominator: Paul Emmanuel
My support of Sean's application is founded on his continuing and firm belief in art practice and its importance in our shared cultural lives. Since graduating, Sean has displayed his commitment to developing his own practice in a strongly independent way supplemented by a broader involvement within the greater cultural life of the region. He approaches all aspects of his practice with professional rigour and his commitment to the further development of his own work shows an underlying maturity and understanding of his place in a cultural landscape. He has consistently invested in his own development as an artist and I believe that offering Sean this opportunity will give him the time and support at this point in his career to consolidate his talents in a broader professional context.
Having worked with Sean at the Venice Biennale on two occasions in 2009 and 2011 I have had first hand experience of the qualities he will bring to make a success of this, the first Jane Phillips Award. He is self reliant and diligent in his practice. He has shown an excellent level of consistency in his commitment to all aspects of art production and display and continues to find new ways of developing his own work with great integrity. I have every confidence in Sean's abilities to fully appreciate the opportunities offered through this award.