The title of Catherine Macdonald's winning art work in the 2010 Carey Smith & Co Whanganui Arts Review could be taken as sarcastic.
Her pencil drawings of everyday sights in central Wanganui came with a book of stories fictionalised from things she has noticed. And she notices a lot.
The title of her winning work was A Place Where Things Really Happen.
People often said there was nothing to do in Wanganui, but she said things did happen there.
"Wanganui is a place where it's all real - a place where reality happens."
Macdonald graduated from Wanganui Polytechnic's art school in 1997, and has spent most of the time since then making art while living in a former church hall in Campbell St.
She has entered the Sarjeant Gallery's annual arts review many times, and this time took the top prize, $1000.
Judge Helen Telford, the assistant director at New Plymouth's Govett-Brewster Art Gallery, said this was her second encounter with Macdonald's work, "and it was just as thrilling as the first".
She compared the artist's use of everyday subject matter to the subjects of another Wanganui artist, the late Joanna Paul, but said Macdonald's work was grittier.
"I am thrilled that drawing won out. It can seem modest but it's very immediate. It's easily overlooked and underrated."
More than 400 people crowded the Sarjeant Gallery for Wanganui's biggest art opening of the year.
The other major winners were Fiona McGowan, Kaye Wooding, Kirk Nicholls and E.C. McNamara. Their prizes were provided by Carey Smith & Co Ltd.
Andre Bronniman, J.K. Russ, Tom Turner, Amy Fitzgerald, Sue James, Bonnie Wroe and Stacey Hildreth won prizes contributed by other businesses.
Prue Anderson commented on the diversity of work, and the way this made a community more colourful.
"Such cities are are magnets for creative people. They stimulate and inspire each other ... Look around you. We have many of those people here in this room."
Winning artist draws on home town for inspiration
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