Artist Up For Award

A Wells artist has been shortlisted for a leading portrait prize.

Glenda Maynard had her portrait MANAE accepted for the prestigious Holburne Portrait Prize 2012.

The prize aims to find the South West’s best painter in the genre.

After being shortlisted for the competition, organisers chose MANAE as only one of 43 portraits to feature in the competition.

Glenda painted the portrait earlier this year when she met Manae on holiday in Cuba.

After befriending the patriarch of the Caribbean family, she persuaded him to sit for a portrait, later presenting him with a canvas print of the original canvas when the impressed family members felt Glenda should keep the actual painting.

The exhibition at the Holburne Museum in Great Pulteney Street, Bath, runs until October 14.

On going to press, judges were due to announce the winner of the competition, who will scoop a £5,000 commission to paint a well-known figure from the region.

Glenda will be exhibiting alongside fellow artist David Fisher, who won the Holburne Portrait Prize in 2008, at The Rook Lane Chapel, Frome from October 20 until November 3.

One of her works to be on show at the autumn exhibition will be a new watercolour painting of Westbury-sub-Mendip’s Silver Olympic winner Richard Hounslow and David Florence.