THE central Victorian art community was last night popping the champagne bottles in celebration of the lucky artist to win the $50,000 Arthur Guy Memorial Painting Prize.Premier Ted Baillieu made a special trip to Bendigo Art Gallery to announce Sydney artist Tim Johnson as the winner of the richest open painting prize in Australia.Mr Johnson’s painting, Community Base, depicts western desert artists living and creating artwork in Northern Territory communities near Pupunya and Kintore.It will be included in Bendigo Art Gallery’s collection and was selected from a shortlist of 36 pieces by artists including Bendigo’s Kate Bergin.All of the submitted work will be presented at the gallery’s free Arthur Guy Memorial exhibition until April 2.The prize attracted more than 330 entries from across Australia and it was the fifth year that Bendigo Art Gallery played host.Mr Johnson described his acrylic on linen painting as an acknowledgement of western desert artists and their place in the art world.He said he started visiting Aboriginal communities throughout the Northern Territory in 1980 and was one of the first artists to incorporate Aboriginal art in western art.“Because of my background in conceptual art I am influenced by what these artists have done and have tried to take on board some of their ideas.’’