Rusted tin transformed into prize-winning portraits

feel good Pilbara artist Jenna Pickering transforms metal and wood scraps into prized portraits Thu 23 Jul 2026 at 8:49am From daily work in mining to tens of thousands of years of history and culture, the red dirt and rocky hills of Western Australia's Pilbara represent many things to many people. But for 26-year-old artist Jenna Pickering, it represents an endless canvas. "Pop a bit of gesso on, and you can paint on anything," she said. She often uses rusted tin or pieces of wood as the base for her meticulous oil paintings, often chosen to match her subject. "It absolutely makes it 10 times harder not having a flat object … sometimes I'm doing it, and I'm like 'why?'" she said. Her goal is to paint as many local faces as she can during her month-long stay as the artist-in-residence at Cossack, a historic ghost town 1,600 kilometres north of Perth. Full-time career Her unique blend of precise artistry paired with her quirky personality has picked up momentum on social media, garnering more than 100,000 followers. Pickering also gained national prominence as a finalist in ABC's Portrait Artist of the Year, and has won numerous prestigious art prizes. That momentum pushed her to leave her job as a community events coordinator and become a full-time artist three months ago. Loading"I came to a point where I was like: an artist is a real job if I want it to be a real job," she said. "People froth for some reason at me doing exactly what I'm doing. "I'm only getting older, why not just throw myself in the deep end, hey?" Historic town transforms into arts hub The artist-in-residence program is a key part of the Cossack Art Awards. The awards, now featuring more than 300 paintings inside century-old stone buildings, started in 1993 as an idea from former caretaker Brian Hoey. It has since grown to be the richest acquisitive art award in regional Australia with a total prize pool of $97,000. Pickering, who was the Cossack award winner in 2023, said it offered important recognition for regional artists and helped them stand out. "How amazing is it as an artist out here to have our stuff in front of all these people from all over Australia and the world?" she said. "You get so many opportunities being a big fish in a small pond." The City of Karratha said more than 80 works had been sold in the three days since opening. "Our region has become a renowned artistic hub and the calibre of artworks entered this year reflects the rich culture and creativity we have to offer," Mayor Daniel Scott said. While Pickering said being a remote artist could make it challenging to travel to exhibitions or network with other artists, it was not enough of a deterrent to leave her Tom Price home. "I think I'm so bush-ified, I would look like a weirdo in the city,"she said. "Once you live in the Pilbara, you stay in the Pilbara." This year's overall Cossack Art Awards winner was Jenny Butt's Nyurnma (Burnt Country). The three-week exhibition remains open until August 9.