It was selected from over 100 finalists in the 36th annual award program, which is sponsored by the global oil services company and is the most generous annual art prize in North America for painting and drawing.
Kolander has been a finalist of the competition for the last three consecutive years. The announcement of his win was made during an evening awards gala on Saturday, April 30, at the Friedkin Corporate Campus, Gulf States Toyota, in Houston.
"Words cannot express how honored and humbled I am to be chosen as the winner of the 2016 Hunting Art Prize," said Kolander. "Having been a finalist for the last few years makes this moment all the more rewarding. It's a true privilege to be selected from such a remarkably talented group of artists."
Dennis Proctor, CEO of Hunting, said, "I couldn't be more pleased to see a longtime finalist like Padaric win this year's competition. He is a remarkably talented individual, and his creative contributions certainly speak for themselves."
Kolander's drawings have been described as "intense" and "thoughtful look[s] toward the future." His works explore open-ended themes of ignorance, contradiction, and cynicism, and they often include text that is purposefully juxtaposed, but typically out of context, to be freely interpreted by the viewer.
Kolander has participated in a number of group exhibitions in Texas, Louisiana, and Georgia. He earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Eastern New Mexico University in Portales. For more information on Kolander, visit http://www.padarickolander.com/.
The Hunting Art Prize is open to artists throughout Texas who are 18 years of age or older. This year's competition saw nearly 1,600 entries from a number of cities and towns throughout the state. Submissions underwent a two-tiered jury process, after which nationally respected judges from Florida, New York, and Texas selected Kolander's work as the winner.
On behalf of the 2016 competition, Hunting PLC will present a charitable contribution at an upcoming event to Patriot PAWS Service Dogs. The nonprofit organization is dedicated to inspiring and restoring the physical and emotional independence of disabled American veterans and others with mobile disabilities by providing service dogs at no cost.
For more information on the prize, visit www.huntingartprize.com.
About the Hunting Art Prize
The Hunting Art Prize was established in 1981 and emerged as one of the United Kingdom's leading art competitions before relocating to Houston in 2006. Sponsored by the international oil services company Hunting PLC, it has become a premier U.S. competition open to Texas artists who are 18 years of age or older. Its $50,000 prize is historically the most generous annual award in North America for painting and drawing, and has helped to build the reputations, raise the profiles, and support the careers of distinguished artists. For further information, visit www.huntingartprize.com.
About Hunting PLC
Hunting PLC is an international energy services provider to the world's leading upstream oil and gas companies. Established in 1874, it is a premium listed public company traded on the London Stock Exchange (LSE: HTG.L). The Company maintains a corporate office in Houston and is headquartered in London. As well as the United Kingdom, the Company has principal operations in Canada, China, Indonesia, Mexico, the Netherlands, Singapore, South Africa, Thailand, the United Arab Emirates, and the United States of America.
