Gemma Lee Cross's children watched her create needle-felted male genitalia for months in the family's dining room.
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The Wingham artist has received mixed reactions to her artwork Another Dick on the Wall, featuring around 34 of the needle-felted artworks. Her work has won the People's Choice Award for the Manning's prestigious Naked and Nude Art Prize.
Gemma said the idea for her artwork came to her after chatting to a few friends, when one thing lead to another and then "there was a wall of them".
"It's an ode to male body positivity," she said.
"It's really been a mixed bag of emotions from viewers. Some are eager to know more about why and how. Others turn their noses up. I like that the artwork is encouraging discussion."
Gemma said she is still very much in shock after winning the People's Choice award.
My daughter was just sick of it being in the dining room, that's where I work, and the boys loved it. We soon became very open with anatomy.
- Gemma Lee Cross, winner of the Naked and Nude People's Choice Award
"Knowing that there were nearly 600 entries Australasia wide, only 60 successful artists (shown), and then the cherry on top to win the People's Choice award. It's so surreal," Gemma said.
Gemma has three kids (twin boys who are nearly six and an eight-year-old daughter). She said her daughter often chats about the artwork with her friends at school.
"My daughter was just sick of it being in the dining room, that's where I work, and the boys loved it. We soon became very open with anatomy. Very different to my childhood.
"I think it's important to talk about these issues when children are young, to debunk body negativity.
"They've been fascinated they (the "dicks") are all so different. A lot of people have been," Gemma said.
Gemma moved to Wingham when she was in Year 8 where she attended Wingham High School.
When the Manning River Times visited the exhibition a couple of weeks ago, Manning Regional Art Gallery's Jane Hosking said it was great to have so many talented artists from the Manning region represented in such a big exhibition.
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