Inaugural Cyril Knox Art Prize winner announced

Ethan Towns’ original piece ‘The Shape of Changing’ took out first place for the Inaugural Cyril Knox art prize, themed for NAIDOC’s ‘For Our Elders’, winning him $5000 in prize money.

The exhibition was hosted by Whitehaven Coal and Narrabri Shire Council, with 21 works of art from local Aboriginal artists displayed at The Crossing Theatre Art Gallery between November 18-24.

“It was very exciting to win,” said Ethan.

“I was hoping to encourage some of the students I’ve worked with at the high school to enter as well because I want them to know they can have opportunities to win these awards while living in the country.”

The art prize, named in honour of local Narrabri artist Cyril Knox, will bring Aboriginal artists to the forefront of the community, offering a platform for the next generation to showcase their art.

“Cyril is a big deal in Narrabri, and many of his children still do a lot of painting and have continued on his legacy,” said Ethan.

Ethan’s vivid acrylic on canvas piece was inspired by Cyril Knox’s own portrait/landscape style, which he wanted to be represented in a gallery space.

“Cyril Knox was very good at landscapes and portraits, so the soulful elder painting his background in smoke is not just a man sitting down, the view is zoomed out so you can appreciate the landscape and smoke.

The smoke signifies the transformation of the region, from wildlife to iconic landmarks, including its identity as a cotton capital, thriving farming, sportiest town, leader in PhDs per capita, and hub of research and energy production.

Growing up in Wee Waa and identifying with the Kamilaroi people has provided Ethan with rich and symbolic artistic inspiration from the region, especially the native creatures such as the sand goanna, longneck turtles, and red belly black snake, which all feature prominently in his paintings.

Ethan started painting at age six, learning his folk-art style from his mother, artist Sharyn Towns, and gradually developing his own modern twist.

He has also had a lot of success with his Wee Waa Show entries over the years but after a break during extensive university studies in Zoology, including his PhD in Entomology.

After a break during high school, he only recently came back to the medium, thanks to the encouragement of those such as Wee Waa Community Arts and Cultural Centre coordinator Lisa Almagro and photographer John Burgess who encouraged him to submit a work for the art prize.

‘The Shape of Changing’ will hang in the Wee Waa Cultural Centre before making its way down to Corindi’s Yarrawarra Aboriginal Cultural Centre.

“At the start, I didn’t really enjoy painting, but my mum was keen on ensuring I had lots of diverse skills, she always told me it would become useful later in life,” said Ethan.

Now he has taken it in his stride and is passionate about advocating community art movements through his involvement with the CREATE committee, Public Art Advisory Committee in Narrabri, and Arts North West.

Ethan commended the new award for showcasing art in the area and marking the significance of Indigenous artworks by a renowned artist.

“A substantial prize shows the importance and validity of the artist’s work that gets entered,” said Ethan.

“It represents an important Aboriginal artist in the Narrabri shire who made it big from his paintings.

“The award highlights people like Cyril Knox to kids and other artists in the area – and shows that your art can live on after you die, that your works are celebrated to this day and will continue to be celebrated by generations to come.”

Next up, Mr Towns is working on a piece for the Arts North West’s “Letter to My Returning” exhibition, which will feature a painting interpreted on a reflection of a letter written by someone about how the flood affected them.

The exhibition will travel to flood-affected areas around the shire.