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Open Portfolio Competition
It
hardly seems a year since the last Open Portfolio. A year
BSoUP members sat before adorning screens, paper and pencil
to ready to nominate the years' winner and runners-up. Ready
to award trophy, shield and £100.00 cheque donated by
Dive magazine.
But
as I flick through notes from the monumental Y2K event, it's
interesting to see that despite an additional four entries
on last year, this years' top three also featured heavily
in that just 12 months ago, just shuffled about to occupy
altered egos.
In
4th place and featuring for the first time, with 27 points
- Alex Mustard. In 3rd place with 32 points - Linda Dunk -
with vibrant, punchy images of Bonaire tubastrea, sweetlips
eye, shoaling snappers, red-tail butterflyfish, diver with
red sponge and clam mantle. Closing in at 2nd place with 35
points - Gary Clark - with an admirable display of colour
and contrast in French angle fish, goby on sponge, silhouette
of schooling jacks, salt pier coral, flamingo tongue nudibranch
and tubastrea coral. But the winner of the 2001 Open Portfolio
Competition with 37 points - Tony White - with a masterly
combination of dedication and location (Indonesia); pair of
boxing crabs on hard coral, coral goby on divaricate tree
coral, coral crab on divaricate tree coral, crinoid shrimp
on host crinoid, reef scene with featherstars: and leaf scorpionfish.
Superb! Congratulations one and alfl!
As
2001 reaches its festive pinnacle, dusk falls and envelopes
the years' final meeting. A meeting of great and joyous repute.
Not to be missed, not to be confused with other lesser meetings.
This was (as always) an accumulation of much acclaimed, underwater
masters and disciples in search of similar virtuoso, others
(voyeurs), content in their acquaintance with representatives
of such a society - a fellowship where determination and enthusiasm
rewards. Where precious visual creations adorn the suspended
silver cloak we frequently pay homage to. Where agreement
and favour reward and recognise inspiration and innovation,
charm and ability, and pronounce the creators 'winners' or
. runners-up'. Where we grant such salute with fine trophies
and shields upon which their names will lie (with much pride),
until once more (next year) ferocity and contest continues.
Take heed - competition is strong!
Merry
Christmas, and a Happy New Year to you all.
Reproduced
from in focus 73 (February
2002) |
