Fresh winners

This year's Fresh is remarkable for two reasons. First, the use of highly saturated colours in many of the works. Pieces such as Linda Hughes' winning necklace based on road signs and Nicole Andrijeric's coloured sand painting feature intense colours. With increasing experimentation is the use of artificial substances, such as laminates and chemicals.

The second feature of this year's Fresh is the inclusion of works from fine arts courses. As visual artists become more interested in the expressive potential of the handmade, craft processes are appearing in unlikely situations. For instance, a stunning textile work by Clare Skates actually comes from the photography department of the VCA. Skates projected images of body parts on to a cloth that she then embroidered with waxed red thread.

This year's Fresh heralds a new generation of makers keen to make beauty out of the unnatural world.

Congratulations to Linda Hughes for winning the 2005 Filippo Raphael Fresh Award. Hughes has completed her Bachelor of Fine Arts Honours (gold and silversmithing)at RMIT. The work selected is Advance, made of laminate, sterling silver and steel.




The Husk Product Design Award was given to Lisa Rumler Bachelor of Fine Arts (Ceramics)from RMIT University for her work in porcelain.






The Jeremy Dillon Photography Award was won by Amy Kennedy, who completed a Bachelor of Fine Arts (Ceramics) at RMIT University.




The Craft Victoria 'Top Shelf' Award was given to Melinda Piesse, who completed a
Bachelor of Fine Arts Honours (Tapestry) at Monash University. Her What Country Friends is This? is made from tarred marlin, Japanese gold, Australian hardwoods, Manila rope, brass hardware.