But that was not the case with his standout portrait, titled Robert Forrester #2, which took many, many months to research and to construct, says Jones.

And lots of paint.

There are at least a dozen layers of paint making up the muted landscape in the background, which depicts a plot of land handed to Forrester in do or die fashion in 1794, on the Hawkesbury River.

Then there are layers upon layers of paint, brushed and palette knifed on in many different stages, which make up the figure of Forrester.

Jones has traced his maternal family heritage back to the arrival of Forrester, a convict aboard the First Fleet, and his emotional connection to the subject matter in the work is clear.

‘‘It’s as much about my story as it is about putting down layers of paint,’’ Jones said. 

He said he was ‘‘blown away’’ by winning the highly competitive $50,000 art prize that attracted 140 entrants, a mix of local and national artists.

It was the second time the Gosford based artist has entered the Kilgour, which recognises the best in Australian figurative and portraiture art.

‘‘It’s an interesting life we lead, as artists, and I am sure other artists will know what I mean,’’ he said.

‘‘We tend to enter this tiny dark cave known as the studio and we work and work and work and we have no idea if we are going forwards or backwards or sideways,’’ he said. 

‘‘So something like this ... It’s like someone saying to you, ‘Mate, you are doing all right, you are going in the right direction, just keep going.’

‘‘It’s hard to get that sort of feedback from other people. It’s a lovely surprise.’’

The Kilgour Prize exhibition opens at the Newcastle Art Gallery on Saturday, with a panel discussion  from 11am to noon featuring Jones, the three judges and finalist, comedian and artist Anh Do. The exhibition will run until January 25.

The prize is funded by the bequest of artist Jack Noel Kilgour.

In addition to first prize awarded by the judging panel, the competition includes a People’s Choice prize of $5000 chosen by visitors to the Newcastle Art Gallery.

With support from the Newcastle Herald, voting can also take place online until January 5.

The winner of the Kilgour Prize People’s Choice Award will be announced in the Herald on Saturday, January 10, 2015.

A PAINTING of his convict ancestor Robert Forrester has won Gosford artist Alan Jones the lucrative 2014 Kilgour Prize announced at the Newcastle Art Gallery on Friday.

Jones said he was ‘‘blown away’’ by the news when receiving the award, declaring it was a lovely surprise.

"It's an interesting life we lead, as artists, and I am sure other artists will know what I mean,’’ he said.

‘‘We tend to enter this tiny dark cave known as the studio and we work and work and work and we have no idea if we are going forwards or backwards or sideways. 

‘‘So something like this ... It's like someone saying to you, ‘Mate, you are doing all right, you are going in the right direction, just keep going.'

‘‘It's hard to get that sort of feedback from other people. It's a

lovely surprise.’’It was the second time he has entered the highly competitive $50,000 art prize which recognises the best in Australian figurative and portraiture art, using painting media.

The winning work, titled Robert Forrester #2, depicts Forrester worn out, shackled and placed abruptly in front of the plot of land he was first granted on the Hawkesbury River in 1794.

The small plot of land, located in Windsor, frequently appears in Jones’ work. He draws inspiration from this connection to the Hawkesbury River area.

In addition to first prize awarded by the judging panel, the competition includes a People’s Choice prize of $5000 chosen by visitors to the Gallery. With support from the Newcastle Herald, voting can also take place online, with online voting open from midnight on Friday. Voting closes at 5pm on Sunday January 4, 2015.

The winner of the Kilgour Prize People’s Choice Award will be announced in the Newcastle Herald on Saturday 10 January 2015.

The announcement was made during an exclusive preview of the exhibition which opens to the public on Saturday and runs until January 25, 2015.

There will be a panel discussion featuring Jones, the three judges and finalist, comedian and artist Anh Do, a free event running from 11am to noon.

Funded by the bequest of artist Jack Noel Kilgour, the Kilgour Prize is one of the most lucrative arts awards in the country.