On Tuesday 6th March 2012, the J D Fergusson Arts Award for 2012 was presented to joint winners.

Roger Billcliffe, Chair of the J D Fergusson Arts Award Trust, announced the presentation of the award to stonecarver Michelle de Bruin and printmaker Emma Noble at Perth Museum & Art Gallery.

The Trust, established in 1995, aims to support Scottish artists deemed worthy of encouragement and alternates the award each year between financial assistance for travel and to enable the artist to develop and exhibit new work in an exhibition at The Fergusson Gallery.

The two winners this year were selected from a shortleet of seven by the Trustees and invited external assessors, who this year were art critic Tim Cornwell and artists Ian McKenzie-Smith and Peter Graham ROI.

Stonecarver Michelle de Bruin graduated from Glasgow School of Art in 1990 and is based in Duns, Berwickshire. She is resident stonecarver at Hutton Stone Company Ltd, where she undertakes all the lettering and architectural carving work by commission. She also produces her own artwork, which for the last few years has focused on researching natural history collecting. She is now looking to take her research further afield and proposes to use the travel award for two trips; one to Chicago and New York, and one to Italy.

Emma Noble graduated from Grays School of Art in 2008 and is based in Kyle of Lochalsh. Currently Emma works as a graphic designer for a small local print company on Skye as well as producing her own work: collages and prints using a variety of processes, including making her own paper. Her artwork is a reaction to the man-made; architectural shapes, colours and textures of the places that she visits. Last year she spent several days in Paris which she found inspirational and now she plans to use the award money to go to France for a longer period. 

Both artists will give a public talk on their travels at Perth Museum and Art Gallery later in 2012.

The J D Fergusson Arts Award is open to artists who are Scottish by birth or who have spent more than half their life in Scotland and have shown a commitment to the development of their art. The annual award alternates between a Travel and an Exhibition award. Find out more about The J D Fergusson Arts Award.

Read the full press release on the Perth and Kinross Council website.