Macclesfield Open Art Exhibition – Visitors’ Choice winner announced

The recent 4^th Macclesfield Open Art Exhibition at The Silk Museum, Park Lane was a great success, with many visitors commenting that it was the best yet. As well as awards given by the judging panel, visitors to the exhibition were encouraged to vote for their favourite work, with the most popular choice winning a £100 prize, kindly donated by Macclesfield Town Council.

Now that the exhibition has ended, the votes have been counted and the results are in.

This year’s Visitors Choice Award goes to Claire de Ruiter for her mixed media painting, ‘Heron Study’. This is the first time that Claire, who lives in Rainow, has entered the exhibition, though she has regularly exhibited elsewhere. In 2010 she won the first prize at the Derbyshire Open.

After doing an Art Foundation course at Northwich, Claire, who hails from Bollington, studied sculpture. She is best known for her work with textiles and felt, often producing large 3D installations. More recently she has concentrated on paintings such as the outstanding work she entered in the Macclesfield Open.

More than half of the 225 works exhibited received at least one vote but Claire’s work took an early lead, picking up votes throughout the course of the exhibition.

In second place was the Northwich artist David North for his painting ‘Ice Bound’ and in third place, Peter Davis from Wilmslow, whose ‘Ha ha ur weird’ had already won the Mail Boxes Etc. Award.

The call for entries for the 5^th Macclesfield Open Art Exhibition will be announced later this year.