Rustington artist thrilled with ‘dream’ £20k win

Tina Jenkins, who used to live in the village, won the Threadneedle Prize for her mixed media art work, Bed Head.

Her 1.7m square gloss and acrylic piece on plastic sheeting was praised by competition judges for its ‘bold approach to the human form and clever use of material’.

She will now be hosting a solo exhibition of her work at London’s Mall Galleries next year.

Speaking of her artistic triumph, Tina said: “I am shocked and thrilled. Winning this important prize is a dream, to be able to put these funds into my practise and knowing I have the exhibition to work towards in 2015 is so exciting.”

Tina is no stranger to winning prizes.

She was runner-up in the Marmite Painting Prize in 2010, was awarded the Owen Ridley Prize at Reading University for a MFA project and is the recipient of a bursary from Reading University to research her PhD in 2014.

Jury panel member Whitney Hintz said Tina managed to fend off stiff competition from thousands of other artists to be awarded the prize.

“There was a wide range of submissions but this year’s Threadneedle Prize winner stood out immediately,” she said. “Tina Jenkins’ Bed Head was one of the first works we saw on selection day and, after viewing over 3,600 submissions, it was the first work that we returned to.

“Her bold approach to the human form and her clever use of material impressed the judges. I look forward to seeing more of Tina’s work in the future.”

Lewis McNaught, director of Mall Galleries, is excited about Tina’s exhibition.

He said: “We’re already looking forward to exhibiting a larger number of Tina’s paintings in a solo exhibition of her work at Mall Galleries, next year.

“The striking nature of her imagery delivers an extraordinary visual impact and will make a strong impression on visitors to her solo exhibition.”

Bed Head is currently on show at the Threadneedle Prize exhibition at the gallery until Saturday, October 11.

Her exhibition will open from March 30 until April 11.