Kerry McInnis in her Bungendore studio. Photo: Tenele Conway.
Bungendore artist Kerry McInnis has entered more than 10 art competitions this year and only made the finals in one – the Archibald.
Kerry laughs when she calls the Archibald “The Biggie”, well aware that if you’re going to make the finals for one prize, the Archibald is the one to land.
Her portrait of Canberran artist Savanhdary Vongpoothorn didn’t win, but according to Kerry, winning competitions is nice, but it isn’t the point.
Kerry’s art studio, tucked into 1.2 ha of native gardens on her property, has many competition-bound works in progress.
On a large white wall that Kerry uses as her easel is a follow-up work to Savanhdary, her third piece on her fellow artist and one that she intends to gift to Savanhdary after it’s been through the judging process of a number of competitions that Kerry intends to enter.
She’s also waiting to hear if she’s been selected for the Portia Geach Portrait Prize for Women, an award that Kerry says is quite prestigious and one that she has been selected into numerous times.
She has a submission in the Paddington Prize for Landscape Painting, in which she secured a place last year.
“There are often 1000 entries in many of these prizes, so I don’t expect to be picked in the final 50 or so, but when you do, it feels great.”
It’s clear when sifting through her works that the competitions drive Kerry. She thrives on the focus it gives her, a deadline to work towards. It also helps her sell her work.
“It’s a way of getting your name out there; we’re artists, we need to sell our works,” Kerry says.
Kerry with Savanhdary Vongpoothorn, her Archibald subject. Photo: Mike MacGregor.
Having made the Archibald finals twice, Kerry has built a profile around her portraiture, but it’s her landscapes that she is most animated about.
“My work is becoming quite abstract; I’m more interested in simplifying the landscape,” shares Kerry.
Beyond the abstract, Kerry says she doesn’t even want to represent a particular place with her landscapes;, she wants to represent the idea of a place, a concept that she calls the universal landscape.
Kerry unintentionally highlights her universal landscape concept as she touches a work in her studio, intending to tell me where the landscape was originally inspired by. She pauses, unable to remember. She laughs that she’s quite pleased by that, recognising that the more she leans into the abstract, the fewer ties her works have to anywhere in particular.
Aside from the competitions, Kerry aims to have an exhibition every two years. Her next exhibition, in May 2026 at the Belconnen Arts Centre, is a collaboration with sculptor Mike MacGregor, who also happens to be her husband.
A number of large abstract landscapes scattered around the studio are destined for the exhibition, called Of Ravens and Rivers.
“I’m the River person, Mike’s the Raven person,” she says.
With some of the works taking up to 200 hours, having a year to prepare for the exhibition still feels like a tight time frame to Kerry.
Savanhdary Vongpoothorn sits for Kerry’s portrait. Photo: Mike MacGregor.
She’s well-placed to prepare for the exhibition, her studio providing all of her tools at her fingertips.
I always think artists’ studios look like a stage set and Kerry’s is no different. A little splash of paint here, piles of works in progress there and caddies of materials scattered around the room.
On a nearby window a still life of gumnuts and skulls sits waiting to be captured by the artist’s hand.
As Kerry shifts a custom-made rolling supply table around the room, I can see that it’s a space that she has formed and shaped to her needs.
As we sit for a cuppa, Mike wanders in and the two natter about their tight exhibition deadline. Kerry points out Mike’s sculptures in the garden and a stunning corvid wing hanging in the hallway, the feathers splayed to show the sort of detail that only a lifetime of craftsmanship could achieve.
The two are clearly excited to be working together on a project again and despite the stress over the looming deadline, it’s something Kerry is well prepared for.
As we wrap up our chat, Kerry looks at her watch and rushes Mike towards the car, late for an appointment. I guess all things can’t adhere to a deadline, but I’m confident that the art will.
Original Article published by Tenele Conway on About Regional.
