Here we are then. There’s been much to do, but with no further ado, The Biscuit Factory Foundation is brimful of pride to announce the winner of Young Artists of the Year 2011 as Jonathan Ashworth.

As everyone we spoke to about the exhibition emphasised, there was a great depth, diversity and quality of work in YAY from a real breadth of practices and disciplines. Those eventually selected for the show included, in a simplistic overview, artists working in glass, painting, sculpture, jewellery, textiles, printing, collage, and even pyography. Judging work is always hard, and can sometimes even seem to be churlish and somehow at odds with the ethos and spirit of creative practice. But judging work of such widely disparate media and style was especially challenging. To give an indication of the potential difficulty of the decision making negotiations it is fair and accurate to say that every piece of work in the exhibition was positively commented on by at least one of the judging panel. We each had our favourites, and often we surprised each other with our choices. In this context it is remarkable – and really rather fortunate for us – that there was one artist’s work that we all agreed on.

Jonathan Ashworth’s woodcuts spoke to each of the judges – and, to underline the successful execution of his singular vision, they spoke to us all in a similar way. We were all touched by the tender crepuscular quality of his imagery, and were particularly impressed by the way that his craftsmanship works in perfect harmony with the imagery, displaying a similar deft and deceptively simple touch to consolidate the image-making. The work suggests an artist who is already on the way to finding his voice; one whose interest in the nostalgic and enchanting is heartwarming, but also has significant depths as the fractured narratives are undercut with the a subtle sense of loss and even possible malevolence. It is this precision with the nuances of universal human experiences that the judges all responded to, and which elevates Jonathan’s work.

We also saw an artist whose work has a wide-ranging appeal. It is both accessible and sophisticated, and that is perhaps the most important and elusive trick for an emerging professional artist to have mastery of. It is to Jonathan’s considerable credit that at this still burgeoning stage of his career he is able to command his craft to that degree. We know he is working hard at his practice, and we hope this award will be of encouragement and reward for his dedication to his art. Congratulations Jonathan.

Jonathan will be showing with us at The Biscuit Factory in 2012, and we’re already greatly anticipating it.

In the meantime his work can be seen on his website: http://www.jonathanashworth.com/

Look out for more from Jonathan Ashworth and the Biscuit in the coming months.

Once again we’d like to doff our hat mightily to Winsor and Newton, Blackwell’s, and Culture Magazine for their support and sponsorship of this award.