Thai resident of Australia’s Northern Territory wins Portrait Art Award
Above: Chalermsri Vout’s winning portrait of Yib Kohler
Mrs Chalermsri Vout, a Thai resident of Australia’s Northern Territory, recently won the Northern Territory Government’s 2012 Portrait of a Senior Territorian Art Award. She was awarded the Government House Foundation’s Acquisition Award of $7000 (210,000 baht) for her portrait of, Mrs Yib Kohler, a Thai lady who has been living in Darwin, the capital city of the Northern Territory, for 37 years.
The award came as a surprise to Mrs Vout, 51. This was the first time she had entered her work in a major art competition. Previously self-taught, she recently took her first formal training in oil painting at Charles Darwin University. Mrs Vout came to Darwin in 1992. She now works as a child care worker and dreams of having more time to paint.
Mrs Yib Kohler is a Rapid Creek market stall holder in Darwin selling fresh fruits and vegetables and a mother of eight children. Born in Thailand in 1938, Mrs Kohler moved to Darwin in 1975.
The Portrait of a Senior Territorian Art Award and Exhibition is organised annually by the state government of the Northern Territory to acknowledge the significant and valuable contribution that senior Territorians make to the Northern Territory community and to encourage excellence in artistic expression.
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