The Society’s Vice-President is not one known for the use of overly effusive language. So, when he described in his closing remarks to yet another successful Society evening that the visit of our guest adjudicator on the night had been “like a breath of fresh air” was praise indeed! That guest adjudicator, for the second ‘Open’ competition of the winter, was Carola Rush, a highly accomplished participant in the creative arts on the Isle of Man. Carola is a member of the Island’s ‘Creative Network,’ the joint aims of which are to raise the profile of artists resident on the Isle of Man and to establish an inclusive network/community of artists and friends.
Introducing her credentials, all too modestly, Carola began by mentioning her training at The Art School, her work in Cambridge, and her return to the Island as the resident photographer for 13 years with Manx National Heritage. For a time, she was a lecturer with University College Isle of Man, though she now operates ‘freelance.’ She admitted to not being ‘a great technical photographer,’ though it quickly became apparent that she knows a great deal about the art of photography! She failed to mention on the night, that one of her past achievements was to be involved, as a creative photography tutor, in designing a set of 10 stamps to celebrate Manx art on its 10th anniversary and in the MNH exhibition for senior delegates to the meeting of the British Irish Council, hosted by the Chief Minister in 2024.
The images covered a wide range of themes and she was unaware of the standard of Society entries to expect. She admitted, quite candidly, that her opinions were personal in nature, though she had clearly paid particular attention to the sound basics of good composition and depth of field. She also gave several useful tips on the inclusion of the whole of a reflection, and she was keen that ‘horizons should be horizontal’ and ‘uprights vertical’! Overall, Carola was complimentary about the quality of what she had been asked to assess. Her assessments were as follows:
Colour prints, 1st “St Jacob’s Church at Sunset” by Martin Sanderson; and Joint 2nd by Sean Corlett (with equal marks) “Davey Todd at Ago’s” and "Poppy Sunset".
Mono Prints, 1st “Walk on the Beach” by Sean Corlett; and joint 2nd by Martin Sanderson “The Colonnade” and “The Old Man of Storr” (with equal marks).
Projected digital images (Colour), 1st “Reeds and Lake” by Chris Nicholls; 2nd “Men at Work” by Nigel Owen
Projected digital images (Mono), 1st “In the Waves” by Sean Corlett; 2nd “Coming and Going at Rakoczi Metro” by Claire Schreuder (with equal marks).
The judge then selected her favourite print image, “Walk on the Beach” and her preferred projected image from the competition “In the Waves,” before choosing the latter as the overall winner on the night. iomps.com
By Antony Hamilton
