Fiona Cotton is a contemporary realist painter working across multiple genres with a particular interest in still life and portraiture.  She has painted and drawn throughout her life but has focused more fully on her art practice after leaving academia.  She has a degree in the History of Fine Art and has travelled to Florence to study traditional painting techniques in the intensive programs at the Florence Academy of Art and the Charles H Cecil Studios. She has been a finalist in many prizes such as the 2024 Shirley Hannan National Portrait Award. Internationally, she was a finalist in the 16th and 17th International ARC Salon in the USA and won an Honorable Mention in the 2024 Almenara International Art Prize.   Her work was selected for the 2024 Exhibition of the Royal Institute of Oil Painters (ROI) at the Mall Galleries, London.    Her work is in private collections in UK, Europe and Australia and is featured in Still Life by Amber Creswell Bell (2021).  Her main gallery is AK Bellinger Gallery 

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In my still life work, using traditional techniques and painting from life, I like to create images of things I love either because they invoke memories of people or places I hold dear or because of their intrinsic beauty which cries out to be painted.  In uncertain times globally, my intention is to create a quiet space where meditative thoughts and memories can flourish through contemplation of an image rich with colour and light.   I like to paint portraits to show not just a likeness of each person but also to illustrate something of their personality and their back story.   So many of us carry such interesting stories within us which I try to capture in each portrait. 

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AWARDS

2024  The Royal Institute of Oil Painters exhibition, finalist

2024   Shirley Hannan National Portrait Award, Finalist

2024   Almenara Art Prize, Online exhibition

2024   17th Art Renewal Centre Salon, semi-finalist

2023   Honourable Mention, Almenara Art Prize, Spain

2023   M16 Drawing Prize, Finalist  

2022   16th Art Renewal Centre Salon, USA, Finalist

2022    AME Bale Portrait Prize, Finalist

2022    Doug Moran Portrait Prize, Semi-Finalist

2022    Darling Portrait Prize, Semi Finalist

2022    National Emerging Art Prize (NEAP), Finalist

2021    Lethbridge 20,000 Art Prize,   Bienarte Winner

2020    15th Art Renewal Centre Salon, USA, Semi-finalist 

2020    AME Bale Art Prize, Finalist

2020    Lethbridge 20,000 Art Award, Finalist

2019    Eutick Memorial Still life Award, Finalist 

2018    AME Bale Art Prize, Finalist

2018    Percival Portrait Prize, Finalist

2017    Rick Amor Self Portrait Prize, Finalist

2017    Ravenswood Art Prize, Finalist

2016    Mosman Art Prize, Finalist

2015    EMSLA Still Life Award, Finalist

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