Local artist finalist in national Art of the Year competition

An East Devon artist has been announced as a finalist in a national Art of the Year competition organised by international packing and delivery company PACK & SEND.

Beer-based Cath Gillingham has come third place in the competition organised by PACK & SEND, which provides a range of postal, freight, courier, packing and removal services, operating through a national service centre network, and specialising in the shipment of fragile, large, awkward and valuable items.

The company has handled packing and shipping of artworks by some of the world’s most famous artists, including Banksy, Damien Hirst, Andy Warhol, Tracey Emin and Jeff Koons, and as an approved service provider to LAPADA, the largest association of professional art and antiques dealers in the UK, is a preferred supplier of art shipping services to galleries, collectors, dealers, artists and exhibitions around the world. 

Its annual Art of the Year competition celebrates the works of up-and-coming UK artists, with the winner receiving £250 vouchers to support shipment of their own art with PACK & SEND, as well as promotion across the international company’s own social media.

East Devon-based artist Cath Gillingham, achieved third place in this year’s competition with her artwork Golden Pear in Mermaid Kiss, a mixed-media piece created with acrylic and oil pastel.

Cath Gillingham is a practising artist and completed a BA and MA in Fine and Applied Arts in her 20s. Cath’s work is predominantly still life with particular attention to flowers, vessels and fruit and her work has been featured in several group exhibitions in the South West.

Accepting her prize at PACK & SEND’s Bristol service centre, she said: “I’m really pleased to have my artwork recognised in this way by PACK & SEND, which has worked with some of the most famous and respected fine artists in the world.

“It’s great to see an international company of their standing supporting and championing artists at a grassroots level, helping artists like myself introduce their work to wider audiences.” 

Cath’s work will be on display at a solo exhibition, Broken Colour, 18-27th May 2024, 11-3pm, Beer Bomb Shelter, Fore St, Beer, Devon, EX12 3EG. You can find out more about Cath and her work, go to www.instagram.com/thelaughingredhead