Painting Through Touch and Memory
Jeff McNeill named finalist for prestigious Len Fox Award East Gippsland artist Jeff McNeill has been selected as a finalist in the Len Fox Painting Award 2026 at Castlemaine Art Museum for his oil painting, Changing Colours.
The selection has particular significance for Jeff, who is totally
blind and creates his paintings through touch, memory,description and his own tactile methods for navigating the canvas.
Changing Colours depicts a landscape of silver birches, using the strong vertical forms of the trunks together with changing greens, yellows, oranges and earthy tones to interpret the changing colours and light within the landscape.
"I'm absolutely delighted to have Changing Colours selected as a finalist," Jeff said.
"What makes this one particularly interesting for me is that the Len Fox Award recognises, among other things, an artist's engagement with colour and light.
I am totally blind and can no longer see colour or the light within a landscape, but both are still an important part of my paintings."I work through touch, memory, and description. My wife Kaye describes the colours around me and assists with mixing
my paints, but where those colours go and how the painting develops on the canvas comes from my own interpretation of the landscape.
I'm not trying to reproduce exactly what a sighted person sees. My paintings are my mind's eye view of a place and an experience — another way of seeing.
The Len Fox Painting Award recognises Australian artists whose work engages with the artistic interests and qualities of renowned Australian painter Emanuel Phillips Fox, including his engagement with colour and light and his imaginative and inquisitive approach to painting. Fox is particularly recognised for his landscape, figurative, and portrait works.
For Jeff, becoming a finalist represents another significant step in an artistic journey that has taken an unusual path. After losing most of his sight as a child, he experimented briefly with painting while at school but did not seriously return to art until decades later. Inspired by the work of British blind artist Sargy Mann in 2022,
Jeff began exploring ways to paint without sight, developing tactile techniques that allow him to construct and navigate a painting through touch.
An important part of Jeff's return to painting has been the support of Arts Access Victoria and his art mentor, Betra Fraval, whose mentoring has helped him develop his artistic practice and explore new approaches to painting."Having Betra as my art mentor through Arts Access Victoria has been an important part of my development. Having
someone to discuss ideas with, challenge my thinking, and encourage me to explore different approaches has made a real difference.
"Being selected alongside other Australian artists for an award
that places such importance on painting, colour, and light
means a great deal to me."
Changing Colours will be exhibited as part of the Len Fox Painting Award 2026 at Castlemaine Art Museum from December 11, to March 14, 2027, with the winner announced at the opening event on December 11.
The Len Fox Painting Award is an acquisitive award, with the winning painting becoming part of the Castlemaine Art Museum collection.
