Gareth Fisher from Victoria is the lucky winner of our Abie Loy Competition.

We talked to him about the Abie Loy competition amongst other things.

What inspired you to enter this competition?
I noted the competition in one of your mail-outs and really loved the painting both from a colour and movement perspective which prompted me to enter the competition. Incidentally, a friend bought a Gloria Petyarre painting recently, a B&W 'medicine leaves' style painting which I really like and no doubt influenced the decision

What does this piece mean to you?
Apart from the obvious value of the piece, I love the movement in the painting. This is the type of picture that you can look at for hours and is a discussion piece for any visitors come round. Unlike much of the low end commercial Aboriginal Art that floods the market, this piece is quite unusual and unique.

Is this the start of your collection or do you have any other Aboriginal Art pieces?
To be honest, I have only recently started to buy Aboriginal Art. I have been disappointed by much of the low-quality mass produced Aboriginal art in the market which quite frankly turned me off.

Tell us about your collection
I have 3 other Aboriginal paintings plus my newest addition by Abie Loy Kemarre thanks to Central Art. Apart from some contemporary European art, I hope to add a number of new Aboriginal pieces in the near future.

What do you love about Australian Aboriginal Art?
I generally buy art for the aesthetic value rather than looking at whether something is a collector's piece or not. The thing I like about Aboriginal art, apart from being abstract and aesthetically appealing, is the symbolism behind the art. Every picture has a story and it is knowing the story behind the picture that makes the picture more interesting.

What other artists would you like to collect/invest in?
Probably Gloria Petyarre & George Tjungurrayi. Probably from European (Iranian now living in Holland) artists like Persheng Warzandegan.

What is difficult about collecting Aboriginal Art?
Finding real aesthetically pleasing pieces that have value and are not amongst the mass-produced commercial art that you encounter in many of the tourist traps.

Do you purchase Aboriginal Art over the internet?
I have purchase art online on one occasion. It was a gift for my brother in the US and the shop was in Queensland. It is my preference to see the paintings in person however so that I can get a feeling of scale, I can see the brush strokes, etc. Depending on the quality of the pictures on the internet, I may be inclined to purchase over the internet. More often nowadays, people are posting a number of pictures at different scales on the internet to give buyers a better 'feel' for the artwork.

(Photo: Bush Leaf Dreaming by Abie Loy Kemarre © 2008 Central Art)