George Shaw shortlisted for the Turner Prize

George Shaw, Scenes from The Passion: The Cop Shop (1999-2000)
Humbrol enamel on board

The nominees for this year's Turner Prize announced, they are Karla Black, Martin Boyce, Hilary Lloyd and George Shaw. I am excited by the news. Two years ago, I posted about my accidental encounter with Shaw's paintings and how they reignited my passion to paint again. And here you are, his seemingly conservative art has entered onto the big (if not the biggest) stage in the art world. I hope he can win it, for paintings, for people who still believe in paintings, for artists who keep true to themselves and ignore the hip and the glamourous of the mainstream while humbly dabbing paints and dirtying their pants.